My name is Rose Freeman and I am a Master’s of Urban and Environmental Planning Student in my final semester at the School of Architecture at the University of Virginia.
This winter, I got the opportunity to extern at Biohabitats at the Chesapeake office in Baltimore, Maryland. The local weather provided for an exciting backdrop to start my time at Biohabitats, as the Baltimore area got around 6 inches of snow on my first day. Even though snow can be a significant hazard for many systems and communities, I saw the snow as a symbol for new beginnings- highlighting beautiful features in the landscape that can be hidden at first glance, revealing animal interactions in snow tracks, and making apparent the seasonal diversity that the mid-Atlantic region experiences.
During my time at Biohabitats, I was able to engage in many different areas of the company and work on a wide range of projects from ecological restoration, conservation planning, and climate adaptation + resilience. Having an interdisciplinary background in environmental science, landscape architecture and urban planning I was excited to learn more and dive deeper into the various projects and ways that the Biohabitats team strives to restore ecological balance and make an impact in their local community and other communities in the mid-Atlantic bioregion. At the Chesapeake bioregion office, I learned about the shared values of the company, reviewed conservation plans, went on exciting site visits, and engaged in some shoreline design work to name some of the things I did while I was here.
I was introduced to the “Reimagine Middle Branch” project where the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River in Maryland will be restored to a natural, resilient form and residents of South Baltimore will be reconnected to the shoreline through investments across the Middle Branch “park-shed”. I was familiar with smaller shoreline restoration projects like this in Baltimore but was thrilled to learn about the scale of the project and projected beneficial impact across local communities, ecosystems and the Chesapeake Bay watershed at large. With this project, I learned more about how the Biohabitats team works with other construction, landscape architecture, engineering, planning and municipalities to accomplish the same goal and work together to shape plans for the shoreline restoration work. Biohabitats Landscape Architects, Justin Park, Emma Podietz, and I went to one of the active construction sites for the “Reimagine Middle Branch” project to observe progress on the living shoreline construction. One of the goals for the project is to increase low marsh across Baltimore’s shoreline and it was interesting to learn about the various techniques employed that utilize reused materials to do so. It was great to see how team members at Biohabitats embody a deep ecological worldview and exhibit their desire to shape a more resilient future for the planet in their work.
This externship has provided me with valuable insights and practical experience that I will carry forward into my future endeavors. I plan to apply the knowledge and skills I have gained to my studies in my final months of graduate school and beyond in my professional career. I am excited to contribute to the field of ecological restoration and to work towards creating more resilient, sustainable communities. The lessons learned at Biohabitats will undoubtedly shape my approach to environmental planning and inspire me to make a positive ecological impact.
