GSI Maintenance in DC

Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay
Ancient Greene
Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council
Clean Decisions
Department of Energy and Environment
Rock Creek Conservancy
TCG Property Care

DOEE and the Alliance partnered with four subcontractors and CCLC to maintain 400 GSI practices on public land in DC and provide jobs and job training to returning citizens and DC residents. Since its beginning in 2021, the GSI Maintenance program has steadily grown yearly to take on more practices, provide more jobs, and offer more training. Though the grant ended in September 2024, after three years of maintenance, a new grant was awarded to the Alliance in January 2025 to continue the work. By the time the grant ended, 445 BMPs were receiving regular maintenance and monitoring, and 52 jobs had been created. Throughout the grant, 112 individuals worked on the maintenance crews. 78% of those individuals were District residents, and 63% were returning citizens. Of the four contractors that worked on this grant (Ancient Greene, Clean Decisions, Rock Creek Conservancy, and TCG Property Care), Ancient Greene and Clean Decisions specifically employed returning citizens for these maintenance jobs.

In acknowledgment of their work, they were invited to speak at the 2024 Watershed Forum. During their presentation, they pointed out the value of the year-round work and the in-depth training provided by CCLC. At the start of the grant, CCLC trained all the contractors on BMP inspections and CBLP crews. As the grant progressed, the training expanded to include quarterly sessions on various topics, including pruning, planting, site plan reading, inlet cleaning, plant identification, and invasive management. To increase participation, these sessions were held separately for each contractor and conducted in English and Spanish.