Maryland Planning Blog

Multi-Pronged Project Wins 2014 Sustainable Growth Award (In Their Own Words – video at end!)

Recycling at Frostburg Grows. Planters in the high tunnels are fashioned from out-of-service state highway signs.

A team of Frostburg State University and state agency staff collaborating to reuse an abandoned strip mine as the site for an innovative jobs training and entrepreneurship program received a state Smart Growth Community award from the Maryland Sustainable Growth Commission in February.

It’s not surprising to learn that a project dubbed Frostburg Grows focuses on growing. What’s unusual is that participants are growing lots of high-value crops in an area where products typically wouldn’t grow. Not only was the soil mined for coal, but it later became an area for trailer staging by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, post-Hurricane Katrina. The windswept, gravel expanse was a wasteland by the highway.

High tunnels, the greenhouse structures on the property.

Now, shade houses filled with plants, fed by an on-site composting operation and a rain-fed irrigation system, with tanks and baseboards constructed with colorful recycled highway signs, have converted it into an oasis.

Workers gather acorns and seeds and grow trees as well as high-value produce. Trees are slated to reforest degraded natural sites throughout Allegeny County; vegetables and small fruit are a profit-making venture designed to add value to traditional farming practices in the economically challenged region.

Frostburg Grows enlists volunteers to operate, many of them from the university

Reforestation of the area’s watershed remains a priority. As a result of coal mining, much of the county has been denuded, including streambanks. Reforesting with native trees and plants will improve water quality, reduce flooding and restore wildlife habitat.

Frostburg Grows’ entrepreneurial component trains farmers and others for lucrative jobs in the local food industry. Each high tunnel is estimated to provide two permanent, well-paying jobs and, it is hoped, help retain young adults in a community many have chosen to leave for better economic opportunities.

FSU staff, who run the operation, are quick to point out that the project benefits from many partners and grants. It also involves residents. Some 30 FSU and University of Maryland students volunteer on occasional work days to

Dan Fiscus, FSU Sustainability Liaison,explains the operation of Frostburg Grows to MDP videographers.

help with construction and site work. The State Highway Administration donated labor and equipment to construct in-ground water storage and leveled the ground. Many more agencies and groups are involved.

The team involves the community via Facebook, promoting volunteer work days and providing a place for people to ask questions and learn more about the project. The project also provides experiential learning opportunities for students of all ages, who gain hands-on learning experiences at the site. For example, FSU students research plant species while growing plants for stream bank restoration and reforestation.