Press Release

For Immediate Release

Media Contact: Michele Baylin, Communications Manager 410.685.4186 | mbaylin@mdhc.org @mdhumanities | MHC on Facebook | MHC YouTube Channel

Connect with MHC: Date: May 18, 2012

MHCs Lets Be Shore Project Captures Perspectives About Land Use, Agriculture, and Water Use On the Eastern Shore Letsbeshore.org offers platform for dialogue
(Baltimore) How do land use, agriculture, and the economy play a role in the dialogue about water quality along the Chesapeake? Practicing Democracy, a Maryland Humanities Council (MHC) program, seeks to jumpstart the conversation via its newest project: Lets Be Shore.

Lets Be Shore seeks to bring people with divergent perspectives together for respectful dialogue, offering a platform for residents to express views on the issues of land use, agriculture, the economy, and water quality along Marylands Eastern Shore. The three-phase project uses the humanities to encourage Marylanders to get involved in public discourse, promoting civil dialogue, and civic engagement on the local level. LetsBeShore.org provides a platform for Maryland residents to share their views, connect to community issues by listening to others, reflect on their own ideas, and make their own decisions.

Eastern Shore residents, who are closely connected to the rural landscape, agricultural economy, watermen's heritage, and coastal tourism, have strong opinions. Regulations and efforts to support clean water initiatives directly affect their lives. Both local residents and leaders recognize the tensions surrounding these issues. When interviewed, Dr. Russ Brinsfield, the Executive Director of the University of Maryland College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Wye Research and Education Center, and also the Mayor of the town of Vienna, explained:

I think right now for a variety of reasons, there is more anxiety and more polarization between the farming/agricultural community, particularly the poultry industry and the environmental community and I think the more things get polarized, the less willing people are to sit down and try to find common ground on how to solve these problems.

Video Portraits Capture Multiple Perspectives and Spur Dialogue In phase one of the Let's Be Shore project, award-winning film maker Doug Sadler and MHC Project Coordinator Beth Barbush collected dozens of perspectives via audio interviews and video portraits of residents living and working on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Videos focus on the current action around clean water advocacy efforts in the forming of the Watershed Implementation plans (WIPS) for the Chesapeake Bay and surrounding watersheds. The videos highlight the polarized conversation and opinions around these actions. As the WIPS are being formed county by county throughout the State, residents are left with decisions to be made on how they will play a role in guiding, supporting, or changing the process. Lets Be Shore videos and audio interviews capture some of this process.

Former Maryland US District One Congressman Wayne Gilchrest, when interviewed, remarked, "When people talk to each other with integrity about their hopes and dreams for the place they live, only good things will happen."

Interview Subjects were asked questions such as: What is the biggest threat facing you in your community? What is it that you value most about where you live? What do you want to preserve for future generations on the Eastern Shore? How will you play a role? By sharing these personal stories and perspectives, the subjects of each interview invite a wider audience to be a part of the dialogue, connecting their individual lives with these greater issues.

Sharing Stations Connect and Educate the Wider Public During phase two, a traveling Sharing Station will share collected interviews at farmers markets, county fairs, and public events all along the Shore this summer. Visitors will be asked to view videos, images, and perspectives as well as respond with their own feedback and ideas on the issues. Participant opportunities could include making their own video response, connecting to educational

information on the issues, contacting their county council representative, or giving written feedback to be included in future dialogues. Currently scheduled Sharing Station tour stops: June 7, Thursday June 8 Friday June 14, Thursday June 23, Saturday June 26, Tuesday June 30, Saturday July 7, Saturday July 28, Saturday Cambridge Farmers Market
Eastern Shore Land Conservancy's Rural Job Summit, Easton

Kent Island Farmers Market Nanticoke River Jamboree, Vienna Camden Avenue Farmers Market, Salisbury Centreville Day Easton Famers Market Chesapeake Folk Life Festival (Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum), St. Michaels

Please note that events/dates may change. Visit www.letsbeshore.org or www.mdhc.org for the most up-to-date information.

Public Discussion Forum Events Culminate Lets Be Shore In the fall, humanities-based dialogue events, mediated panel discussions, and film screenings will challenge residents to express themselves to consider their role in the future of the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

LetsBeShore.org Offers Platform for Accessing, Contributing, and Online Dialogue LetsBeShore.org, a new website set to launch in early June, offers a platform for Eastern Shore residents to share their views about living along the Chesapeake, learn about their county watershed implementation plans (WIPs), and explore how residents can play a part in creating solutions for the future.

The website will feature video interviews of stakeholders, photos, sharing excerpts and quotes from audio interviews, useful links and resources, blogs, and listings of sharing station events whereby residents can contribute to the conversation. Social media users can also connect with the Practicing Democracy fan page on Facebook.

What is Practicing Democracy? Practicing Democracy, a program of the Maryland Humanities Council, uses the humanities (film, literature, history, etc.) creates open and interactive environments for Marylanders to express divergent viewpoints. In 2011, Practicing Democracy brought Marylanders together for civil discussion via a series of location-specific, issue-based public discussion forums, workshops, and interactive events. Topics included natural gas extraction in Western Maryland, transportation in Baltimore City, and both land use and development and cultural diversity along the Eastern Shore. The program received the Helen and Martin Schwartz Prize for Standout in Risk-Taking and Most Demonstrable Community-Changing Outcomes, an honor given by the Federation of State Humanities Councils.

Who is the Maryland Humanities Council? The Maryland Humanities Council is a statewide, educational, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The purpose of MHC is to stimulate and promote informed dialogue and civic engagement on issues critical to Marylanders. For more information about MHC, please visit www.mdhc.org.