The Charles County Resilience Authority was awarded a $121,400 Watershed Assistance Program Grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust for a habitat resilience project at the Stethem Memorial Sports Complex.
The project addresses stormwater runoff, natural shade and buffer needs at the Stethem Memorial Park Complex in Waldorf.
The design includes nature-based restoration solutions, such as rain gardens, bioretention areas in the parking lot, pollinator meadows, and more.
Further green infrastructure work such as planting native plants and trees, will absorb stormwater runoff, help with air filtration, and create new wildlife habitats while mitigating the heat island effects caused by treeless parking lots and unused mowed turfgrass.
“This project provides the opportunity to turn the under-shaded compacted mowed turfgrass, gravel, and asphalt landscape into a welcoming and shaded space where families and individuals can engage in outdoor active recreation without being in a heat island and cut off from nature,” Stacy Schaefer, Executive Director of the Charles County Resilience Authority, said.
The Departments of Recreation, Parks and Tourism, and Planning and Growth Management were consulted in identifying the project. The project advances stormwater treatment goals outlined in the Zekiah Swamp Watershed Assessment and the commissioner’s goals to balance passive and active recreation opportunities with a focus on natural resources.
"This resilience project at the Stethem Memorial Sports Complex is a meaningful step toward improving stormwater treatment while thoughtfully balancing recreation with environmental stewardship,” Deborah Hall, Acting County Administrator, said. “By integrating sustainable practices into our public spaces, we are advancing the Commissioners’ commitment to protecting natural resources and enhancing the quality of life for our community.”
This project is part of the Charles County Resilience Authority’s “Concrete to Green” initiative, which is in collaboration with the Department of Recreation, Parks, and Tourism. The initiative seeks to create healthy, shaded access to nature in underserved areas that are under shaded and characterized by too much impervious landcover and too little native, biodiverse green space.
In 2024, the Resilience Authority was awarded a Watershed Assistance Program Grant to facilitate the design of a stormwater pocket park at the Waldorf Elite Gymnastics Center.
