In 2020, Fallston Presbyterian Church created a memorial garden with a vision from a member who lost a grandchild soon after her birth. It is a peaceful, beautiful place that was enjoyed by church members, preK children/teachers and visitors. However when there was a storm event, the garden area was inundated with water, despite some landscaping measures to decrease this. It was estimated that during a storm 5,628 cubic feet of water would flow from the church roof, downspouts and parking lot into the lower part of the church property. At a church environmental event, I met Laura Todd, from the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, who offered a storm water assessment, which was completed in August of 2022. Due to the predicted cost and scope of the project to address the stormwater adequately, an Outreach and Restoration Grant application from the Chesapeake Bay Trust was suggested. This sounded overwhelming, until Laura offered to do the grant writing in partnership with our church. We received amazing support during the process! During the grant process, the church and the church’s Pre-Kindergarten wrote letters of commitment and gave feedback on google documents. We had to have specific details on the goal of the project, the contractor to complete the project, how we would reach out to the community and care for the project on completion. Bonnie Sorak, of Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake, was instrumental in the community outreach components of the grant. After evaluation of bids for the project, Great Blue Co. was chosen as the contractor. The grant was submitted on August 3, 2023.
On December 6, 2023, we received the wonderful news that we had received an award of $61,392 for the “construction of two bioretention areas, conservation landscaping and engaging families in educational events.” In January 2024, the grant group had the first online meeting and the garden work was scheduled to start in March or April. In the meantime, the preK started to implement some of the outreach activities such as native seed sowing and making seed bombs. Then the delay occurred in our project! At the first site visit with the grant team, a new concern over the property having features of a “wetland” was discussed. As we waited for a resolution, the church and PreK celebrated Earth Day and the church’s 150 anniversary with native plant and tree giveaways. Then we received news that the grant group had a plan. Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake was funding a “Wetland Delineation Study” so we could move forward on the project. This was completed in September 2024 with favorable results. There was only one “wetland” area and it was outside the proposed garden area.
Fast forward to the second on site meeting held May 9, 2025, with approval for the construction of the two bioretention cells with conservation landscaping. This plan included native plants and shrubs to support the wildlife and insects, stabilize the soil and filter out harmful substances. Each cell also contained an underdrain to pull water out of the system and release it to a ditch nearby. Knowing we might need some watering assistance, the church obtained rain barrels and had them installed near the garden site. This was an opportunity for the PreK children to learn about rain barrels and paint them. Then as nature would have it, rain delayed the planting of the garden until June. It was finally completed on July 1, 2025. With the help of watering volunteers and sprinklers, we made it to the summer with some fantastic results. The number of monarch caterpillars on the Swamp Milkweed were too numerous to count! Chrysalises were decorating our rain barrels and the pavilion built by an Eagle scout many years prior.
At our last on site grant team meeting, the whole team was impressed with the new garden. The Harford county representative stated that the new garden area was his favorite county supported project. In the act of helping the land become more resilient to stormwater runoff, we had supported the environment and increased appreciation of nature for the church and Prek families and hopefully, for our community. We have plans to have this area evaluated to be on the Harford County Pollinator Trail this spring.
Janice Perry
FPC elder and green team member
Harford County Master Gardner
