When Prince George’s County Council Member Eric Olson suggested to the University of Maryland Extension that it would be nice to have a rain barrel program in the county, two University of Maryland students sprang into action to accomplish this important watershed enhancing program.

Passionate environmentalists Gabrielle Rovegno, a sophomore studying Environmental Science and Technology, and Mallori McDowell, a graduate student in Marine and Estuarine Environmental Science, used their internship with Christie Balch, University of Maryland Extension Program Coordinator, to develop a rain barrel program for Prince George’s County. 

Gabrielle and Mallori initially conducted a feasibility study of a county-wide rain barrel program which they presented to the County Council’s Transportation, Housing and Environment Committee in February. During their research, they contacted numerous organizations around the country, met with dozens of community leaders from Prince George’s County, and spoke with local residents to gauge interest. Gabrielle and Mallori established wonderful rapport with hundreds of people in order to improve the Anacostia watershed and the Chesapeake Bay through both programming and policy development. To wrap up their year-long project, Gabrielle and Mallori are planning a pilot rain barrel workshop to be held this summer at the University of Maryland’s Center for Educational Partnership in Riverdale. Stay tuned for details! For more information, contact me at cbalch@umd.edu.