Ever since my husband I moved to the small community of Rose Haven, Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay in 1991, I have been heavily involved in all types of community and environmental issues.

I am past president and treasurer of the Rose Haven Civic Association (RHCA).

I am a member of the local Water and Sewer Help team (WASH), a committee formed to help the Community of Rose Haven obtain a new and much-needed water and sewer system. The private system we had was very old and needed constant overhaul. Rose Haven residents were paying some of the highest rates in the state for our sewage system. The community had been trying for years to get Anne Arundel County to address this need. We succeeded! Thanks to the efforts of Congressman Steny Hoyer, Senator Barbara Mikulski and other local politicians, we secured a $6 million EPA grant to help defer the cost of this $12 million project.

I am a member and former president of The Concerned Citizens Committee, Inc., which is a nonprofit organization formed out of a grass roots effort to save two acres on the Chesapeake Bay from development. We succeeded! The two beautiful acres are now owned by Anne Arundel County and are called Rose Haven Park. The Park is now a natural habitat and sanctuary for the wildlife; a place that will be there, undeveloped, for generations to enjoy. We are still actively involved in the maintenance and upkeep of this beautiful little spot on the Chesapeake Bay. We have community volunteers who mow the grass, empty the trash cans, pick up the trash and litter and hold numerous fund raisers in this area. All proceeds for these fund raisers, of course, go toward Park improvements and maintenance.

My husband and I designed, developed — and maintain at our expense — a web site (RoseHavenMaryland.com) in an effort to keep our community — which includes our neighbors in Holland Point and North Beach — informed about Rose Haven Park. We regularly post the monthly newsletters from the RHCA and try to keep up with events happening in our area.

I am a member of the Herring Bay Clean Watershed Initiative. We recently completed a survey of the Herring Bay watershed, a 25 square mile watershed that flows directly into the Chesapeake Bay. We identified and located factors in Herring Bay and its tributaries which may have been degrading the water quality or otherwise causing problems for the Chesapeake Bay. Our findings will alert local residents about potential pollution sources so that corrective action can be taken. Our data and findings will also help local and state agencies with their efforts to improve water quality in our community. More information about this effort can be found at RoseHavenMaryland.com.

I am on the Steering Committee of the Bayside History and Nature Center at North Beach. This Center will provide to all citizens an understanding of the role the Chesapeake Bay environment had in shaping the cultures of the Bayside communities from Herring Bay to the Cliffs of Calvert at Camp Roosevelt from prehistoric times to the present. Through research and interpretation of collections, effective environmental and historical education, and the preservation of wetland habitat and historical resources, the center and the beach communities will promote stewardship for this heritage and ensure the continuation of the relationship for future generations. The report of the Steering Committee can also be found at RoseHavenMaryland.com.

I am currently working with other volunteers on a program to help reestablish oyster bars in Herring Bay. Oysters play a vital role in maintaining the well being of our Bay!

And in my spare time, I sell real estate! Thanks again for visiting TheMarylandRealtor.Com.

I would love to hear from you: Viv@TheMarylandRealtor.Com