December 2005

Hurricanes and Worms

Our KidsGrow Environmental Education Program is off to a fantastic start this fall at Franklin Square Elementary School and Harlem Park Middle School. In response to students’ interest in Hurricane Katrina and the intensity of the hurricane season, our partner, the Baltimore Ecosystem Study, developed a hurricane unit that included a visit from Dr. Doug Levin of the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). He discussed how hurricanes affect beaches and also how scientists can determine where the sand on the beach originated.

Parents, guardians and friends were invited for a “Lights On After-School” event at Franklin Square. Attendees were welcomed by Principal Terry Patton. Students performed the KidsGrow Pledge, which states, “I am a KidsGrow student. I am proud of myself. Others are proud of me. I am proud that I am a part of the KidsGrow Program. I promise to: do my best, follow directions, respect others and nature, protect the environment and meet the 100 Book Challenge.” Additionally, open house goers learned about daily KidsGrow activities.

Any child who spends time in their yard learns about worms. With the help of the Baltimore Ecosystem Study, students had the opportunity to survey the worm population in their school yard. BES concocted a mustard slurry, which is a combination of mustard powder and water that irritates the worms’ skin and brings them to the ground’s surface. At the surface, students recorded the number of worms, an indicator of soil quality, and learned about the worms’ importance to the health of the soil and their role in the ecosystem.

Recently, the students planted tulip bulbs to learn about how the flowers predict the arrival of spring. Baltimore City Public School System’s Grounds Shop and the Parks & People Foundation Community Forestry crew helped by preparing the garden beds for the children. Check our next newsletter about KidsGrow’s plans to create vegetable gardens and learn about the ecology of food, agriculture and nutrition.

Park Movie Trivia Quiz

Have you ever noticed how many movies include the backdrop of parks? From the National Mall to New York’s Central Park, natural areas provide the beautiful settings to some of our favorite movies. The prevalent use of parks in our movies illustrates the cultural and societal significance of great parks. Take our quiz and see how many movies you can name! The first person to email the correct answers to robin.jacobs@parksandpeople.org will win a Gwynns Falls Trail t-shirt!

This 1993 movie features checkmates in New York's Washington Square Park.

In this 2002 film, our British friends show one of the important roles of parks in our communities: encouraging young people to get out and play “football!”

On a crisp fall day, a famous movie couple takes a walk through Central Park in this 1989 romantic comedy classic.

Pristine vistas of the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina permeate this 1992 hit featuring Daniel Day Lewis.

In this 2002 John Sayles film, the preservation of the Florida coastline plays a central theme.

In this 1939 classic, the main character finds inspiration at the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall.

Now that you’ve taken the quiz, grab a cozy blanket and some popcorn and watch for the park scenes! Do you have a favorite movie with a park scene? Send it to robin.jacobs@parksandpeople.org and we’ll include it in the next newsletter!

Soccer League Summary

This fall, hundreds of Baltimore city students kicked, blocked, ran, passed and scored in Parks & People’s Baltimore Middle School Soccer League. The league introduced many boys and girls to the game of soccer. Over the course of the fall season, students showed marked improvement in their games. Thanks to the Baltimore Department of Recreation and Parks and the Department of Public Works, the fields were well maintained and lines were drawn for the games.

To determine who would proceed to the championship game, a close game between Lombard Middle School and Waverly Middle School ensued. Waverly Middle’s team scored the winning goal with less than a minute to spare. In that game, players displayed great determination and sportsmanship. In the championship game, the boy’s Roland Park team defeated the Waverly team with a score of 1 to 0, despite a great show of cheer by the 3 busloads of students from Waverly.

In the girls division, Hazelwood Middle School faced off against Southeast Middle School for the championship. Southeast won the championship game with a score of 5 to 1. Many of the girls learned to work together as a team over the course of the season.

Another important part of the Baltimore Middle School Soccer League is engaging and training coaches. This fall, coaches attended a National Youth Sports Training program where they reviewed drills and learned how to give positive feedback and encouragement to their team players. Coaches are an important positive influence in these young people’s lives. If you or someone you know would like to volunteer with the Baltimore Middle School Soccer League, contact Bernie Shephard at Parks & People.

Check out our spring newsletter for our report about the Baltimore Starlings Volleyball League. Already, over 70 girls have signed up to participate; if you know someone who would like to participate, contact Bernie Shephard at Parks & People.

Avoid the Indoor Winter Blues: Tips for Outdoor Winter Fun

Most folks stay indoors for the winter, but it’s actually a great time to get out and have some fun! Wear multiple layers of clothing to keep warm and don’t forget your hat and gloves. Bundle up and get ready to try some of these outdoor adventures.

One great way to work off those big holiday meals is a nice hike. Winter is a great time to hike. It’s an especially peaceful time to take a stroll along the Gwynns Falls Trail and reflect on the new year. The bridges between Winans Meadow and Leon Day Park are a picture perfect site of winter when covered with snow. You can also see migratory and water birds along the wildlife boardwalk in Middle Branch Park. It is located along the trail near the Baltimore Rowing Club. If you would rather slide your way through the outdoors, the Gwynns Falls Trail and Cylburn Arboretum are also great places to cross country ski.

You can bring the kids along to enjoy ice skating. The ice rink at the Inner Harbor will not be open this year, but you can still ice skate at the Dominic "Mimi" DiPietro Family Skating Center, located at 200 S. Linwood Avenue in Patterson Park. The rink is open from October to Mid-April. Hours on the weekends are 3-5 p.m. General Admission is $4, Skate rental is $2, and Season Passes (10 sessions) are $30. Call 410-396-9392 for more information.

Nothing beats the thrill of sledding on a snow day in Baltimore! So dig out your sleds and head for the hills. The long hill behind the mansion at Crimea, in Leakin Park is considered one of the best sledding spots in Baltimore. Herring Run Park also includes some nice hills.

Parks & People’s Tree “Hall of Fame and Hall of Shame”

Our first examples come from Amanda Cunningham, our Community Forestry Manager.

Hall of Shame

Building a box around this tree caused the roots to take hold above ground instead of in the tree pit. As a result, this tree will not survive. Boxes are often put around trees because people think that the box will help the tree survive, or they decide that they would like to plant flowers around the tree and they don’t want the flowers to be trampled by pedestrian traffic. However, it’s actually illegal in Baltimore to place anything bigger than 4x4’s around a tree pit. It’s the law for a good reason, too.

As mentioned, building up will cause the tree’s roots to take hold above ground, where they cannot survive. It is not a good idea to put in anything taller than 2 inches above the level of the sidewalk. Additionally, if the tree dies for some reason, tall boxes make it difficult, if not impossible, for the city to get into the tree pit and grind up the old tree stump so that a new tree may be planted.

If you are trying to protect your trees from pedestrian traffic, it’s better to place mulch around your street tree. This not only cushions the tree from foot traffic, but it also keeps the soil cool and moist, which is a must for a healthy city tree!

Hall of Fame

For our Hall of Fame, here is a beautiful River Birch tree in Herring Run Park. This is an especially nice kind of tree to look for in the winter because birches are loved for their papery, flakey bark. These trees are not just loved by people, they are also a favorite of songbirds and waterfowl.

In early May, this tree will sprout yellow green leaves which turn to clear yellow in the fall before dropping in late October or earlier. If you are migrating with the birds to the south this winter, you will notice many of these trees because they grow well in the lowland wet areas of the United States—especially through Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and the Carolinas.