My Healthy Home App

 The Green & Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI) recently announced the release of My Healthy Home app.

The free mobile app teaches families how to identify hazards in the home that may make them sick. During a brief quiz, the app asks users to find signs of health threats like mold, pests, chipped paint or standing water.

The app helps families develop a custom roadmap to eliminate risks and offers helpful DIY tips for simple fixes. A family can also use the app to explore a broad range of the services and service providers that already exist in their communities.

Availability of the app was announced at a recent Baltimore event kicking off National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week hosted by GHHI and the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

The event was co-hosted by the Baltimore-based GHHI, the nation's largest organization focused on healthy housing, which now is operating in 25 cities.

The Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene commended GHHI's app and what it can accomplish.

My Healthy Homes App is available for free nationwide. During the initial phase, the app will provide resources for residents of the Baltimore and Washington, D.C. area. Resources in the other GHHI-targeted cities will be available in stages over the coming months.

For more information, visit www.ghhi.org.

Maryland Fall Trout Season

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recently released roughly 3,500 rainbow trout in Western Maryland as part of its fall trout stocking program.

Fall stocking locations include popular fishing areas such as Bear Creek, Big Elk Creek, Blairs Valley Lake, Deer Creek, Great Seneca Creek, Greenbelt Lake, Gunpowder Falls, Lake Artemesia, Morgan Run, North Branch Potomac, Patapsco River, Town Creek, Tuckahoe Creek, and Wheatley Lake.

“When and where we stock is largely dependent on weather conditions, water flow and temperatures,” DNR Inland Fisheries Manager Tony Prochaska said. “If the weather cooperates, we will release about 25,000 trout by the end of October.”

Weekly trout stocking updates are available via the DNR website or by calling the Trout Hotline at 800-688-3467.

source: Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Maryland Fall Foliage 2015

Fall foliage has begun to appear across parts of Maryland, according to the Maryland Office of Tourism and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Fall Foliage & Festival Hotline.

Some of the earliest displays of fall foliage can be found in western Maryland. Traditionally, foliage in Garrett County begins to turn around the end of September and peaks around mid-October.

Maryland's fall foliage hues usually vary from year to year, depending on Autumn temperatures, rainfall, storms, and other factors.

During the Fall season, trees release a chemical called phytochrome, which slows down chlorophyll production in preparation for winter dormancy. As the green chlorophyll recedes, foliage changes color.

The amount and acidity of tree sap also affects foliage colors. Strongly acidic sap leads to red and other brightly-colored foliage, while less acidic sap produces more yellows or softer tones.


Fall Foliage Colors

Yellows

Ash, White
Basswood
Beech
Birch, Rive
Birch, Sweet
Buckeye, Ohio
Coffeetree, Kentucky
Cottonwood, Eastern
Elder, Box
Elm, American
Hazel Nut
Hickory, Mockernut
Hickory, Pignut
Hickory, Shagbark
Hickory, Shellbark
Hophornbeam, Eastern
Locust, Black
Locust, Honey
Maple, Silver
Oak, Chestnut
Pecan
Redbud, Eastern
Shad Bush
Tuliptree
Walnut, Black
Walnut, White
Willow, Black

Reds - Pinks - Oranges

Dogwood
Gum, Black
Oak, Northern Red
Oak, Pin
Oak, Scarlet
Oak, Southern Red
Oak, Swamp Chestnut
Sourwood
Sumac

Browns

Oak, Bur
Oak, Post
Oak, Shingle
Oak, Swamp White

Maryland Oyster Season 2015-2016

Maryland's 2015-2016 oyster season opened October 1st in Maryland. For the first month of the season, only hand tonging, patent tonging and diving are permitted.

Oyster harvesting is expected to increase when watermen begin power and sail dredging on Nov. 1. Maryland's oyster season runs from Oct. 1 through March 31.

Maryland’s watermen harvested a total of 393,588 bushels with a dockside value of $17.3 million in 2014-2015.

The 2014 Fall Oyster Survey indicated that the oyster population is continuing to hold steady.

source: Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Hurricane Joaquin - October Noreaster

The National Weather Service (NWS) is forecasting heavy rain during the first week of October for the State of Maryland.

Some areas in Maryland could receive 5 to 10 inches of total precipitation, which could produce flooding of rivers, streams, ponds, and low-lying areas, according to the agency.

The Hogan administration has asked State agencies, including the Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), to make preparations for the incoming storms.

MEMA is recommending that residents take the following actions:

Clean storm drains and gutters on your house to prevent overflow and water buildup.

Don’t wait. Communicate. Know how to get in contact with your friends and family during any emergency.

Fuel up your automobile before any storm.

If you have a basement in your house, shelve household items and make sure any electronic equipment is not lying directly on the floor.

Check to see if you live or work in a flood prone area: http://mema.maryland.gov/Pages/floodProneZones.aspx

Listen to instructions from local officials and know the current forecast by following your local emergency management office, forecasters, and news stations.

In addition to rainfall associated with a noreaster, MEMA is also monitoring Hurricane Joaquin which could bring additional rain and wind.

source: Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA)