When you make time to explore nature, it can feel like your everyday life is a world away. We know the feeling! From now through May 31, you WILL need a passport to properly Explore the Gunpowder Watershed!
The Explore the Gunpowder Watershed Challenge is a 40 day-event hosted by the Gunpowder Valley Conservancy (GVC), a Baltimore County-based land trust and watershed restoration nonprofit. There is an activity challenge and a passport challenge.
Here’s how to participate in the Passport Challenge. It’s as easy as 1-2-3!
1) Pick Up Your Passport
There are 11 places where you can pick up your 2024 Gunpowder Passport. You can also get a passport by attending an upcoming GVC volunteer activity or event or printing our PDF version
Please visit each location’s website to determine their hours of operations.
- Charlotte’s Quest Nature Center
- Cromwell Valley Park
- Glenn Martin Aviation Museum
- Graham Equestrian Center
- Historical Society of Baltimore County
- Jerusalem Mill
- Manor Mill
- Marshy Point Nature Center
- Oregon Ridge Nature Center
- Pipe the Side Brewing Company
- Sparks Nature Center
Note, that the Sparks Nature Center is the headquarters for the Gunpowder Riverkeeper. Their current hours are Mondays – Thursdays 9 am – 3 pm and Fridays from 9 am – 1 pm. Weekend hours depend on volunteer availability.
2) Ask for a Sticker
Staff and volunteers at each location have access to our Gunpowder Passport stickers. Just ask! There are a couple locations (Charlotte’s Quest Nature Center, Graham Equestrian Center) where the grounds are open daily but we can’t guarantee that a representative will always be available to give out stickers. If that is the case, just take a selfie at the location and include it when you submit your passport.
3) Submit Your Completed Passport
Collect four stickers from now through May 31st and you will receive a Passport Challenge Coin AND a raffle entry to win our grand prize “Gunpowder Getaway” – one night at the historic Monkton Hotel (Fisherman’s Lodge) and a pair of Manor Mill concert tickets.
Email GVC a photo of your completed passport by June 7, 2024. Tell us your favorite place to visit in the Gunpowder Watershed and make sure to include your mailing address so we can mail your challenge coin later this summer.
We hope you have a great time exploring the Gunpowder Watershed!
