More than 9,250 Anne Arundel County residents will get free advice next month to help them take better environmental care of their high-priced waterfront property.
The South County Environmental Commission will send every waterfront landowner a brochure explaining how to manage the land closest to the water.
The buffer, the 100 feet of land from the water's edge, falls under strict state shoreline protections because it is considered environmentally sensitive. Easily eroded by moving water, it can be a conduit for pollutants, or it can be landscaped to protect water and wildlife.
"I think people need something like this," said Vernon R. Gingell, who recently stepped down as chairman of the commission. "It's basically how to manage your buffer so that nutrients are cut down."
Critical area laws and regulations are complicated, and the idea was to provide a practical guide written in plain language for homeowners, Mr. Gingell said. Some people do not know buffer requirements, or what kind of plants to use, or that they are violating the law by changing the landscape without an approved plan, but they could comply easily with the law, he said.
The brochure has the blessing of the state Critical Area Commission, which provided scientific and environmental information, and the county land use office, where planners hope the guide will encourage homeowners to call for information.
"If it is easy to understand and practical in application -- that is what the critical area is all about," said Sarah Taylor-Rogers, executive director of the Critical Area Commission.
The brochure explains what the buffer is and asks people not to use herbicides, insecticides and the like near the water.
It advises people to plant native trees and low shrubs that clean the water by removing nutrients and tells property owners they must have a county-approved buffer management plan before disturbing any plants near the water. County planners can help homeowners devise buffer plans, and private landscapers can put together complicated landscaping.