Parks and People


	Volunteer and join us for schoolyard greening projects at Franklin Square Elementary and Ben Franklin Elementary School in honor of James Rouse Day of Service on Saturday, September 15, 2007. Volunteer with a group of your friends or family. This annual event is a great way to give back and help make the community greener by planting trees. For more information, email us today!


	Stay tuned to find out more about NeighborWoods, a joint initiative with the Alliance for Community Trees, in October that will support projects across the nation in an effort to “regreen” our cities. This month long project will enable community members to remove dead trees, plant new ones, and make an investment in their neighborhood!


	Parks & People’s Jeff Barrett tested out the brand new tractor that was made possible by funds from the Coleman Foundation. This fall, Community Forestry staff will be using the tractor to beautify school yards and parks in Baltimore City.


	Quiz Questions: Baltimore Tree Facts Be the first person to answer all of the questions correctly and win a free T-Shirt! According to a study completed by the USDA Forest service, Baltimore’s most common tree is: Black Cherry American Beech White/Green Ash Black Locust To help air and water reach the roots of your tree, periodically you should loosen the soil at a depth of: 1-2 inches 5-10 inches 3-4 inches None, you should never loosen the soil around a tree Between April and October, you should water the trees on your street twice a week with at least: 30 gallons of water 50 gallons of water 2 gallons of water 10 gallons of water Mulching keeps the roots of a tree: Cooler Protected from damage incurred by lawn machinery Stable and healthy All of the above A newly planted tree should be pruned: Everyday After the first three years of growth Never By a professional arborist If every existing tree in Baltimore was replanted, the total dollar value of the tree replacement would be approximately: $200,000 $ 1 million $ 3. 4 billion $ 10 million Neighborhood tree canopy percentages vary from : 50 to 60 % 1 to 2 % 80% to 40% 64% to less than 1% The tree canopy area comprises: 46 % of land area 20 % of land area 70 % of land area 2 % of land area Within Baltimore, there are _____ number of formal community gardens: 110 4 23 66 ____ is the number of trees that Parks & People will plant in October and November in partnership with the Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks. 500 100 1,000 5,000


	Many thanks to those of you who participated in the Community Clean and Green Survey conducted by the Mayor’s Initiative for a Cleaner, Greener Baltimore and the Baltimore Community Foundation. Here are some of the results: 46% of environmental organizations clean alleys and vacant lots at least quarterly. 90% of cleaning and/or greening activities are done by volunteers. Most people said that some of Baltimore’s key strengths were creative and engaged community groups and organized city-wide clean-ups.


	Have you ever felt unsafe looking down a path in the park because plants were overgrown and the ground was strewn with trash? Perhaps that same path would be safer if the shrubs were trimmed back and trash was contained in bins on the trail? At the Community and Park Safety Workshop held at Parks & People on July 21, 2007 community residents discussed ways to make their green space and neighborhood more inviting and a safer place. Quick Tips and Tricks: Crowd out crime - a well used trail or park is a safer one. Fix the “broken window” - a concept that means that one broken window will most like be followed by another if it is not fixed quickly. For more information about how to improve the safety of your park or how to get involved with ongoing programs, send an email to Organizers@parksandpeople.org today!




	To make a donation, contact Jean DuBose at 410-448-5663, ext. 118, or click the box below to make a secure credit card gift to the Foundation.

Summer 2007

Cool Tips for the Sizzling Summer

One of the most popular new workshops offered by the Parks & People Foundation is our rain barrel workshop. A rain barrel can store up to 60 gallons of rain water directed from the roof of your house or garage, which makes it a simple tool for conserving water. The spigot attached to the barrel controls the flow of water and the netting at the top prevents mosquitoes from nesting in the reserves.

Using rain water from the barrel versus the hose also conserves the City’s water supply and limits the risks of a drought. Visit our calendar of events page at www.parksandpeople.org/events.html to find out when we are offering our next workshop!

In the hot month of August, there are several small steps that you can take to conserve water and prevent street trees and other plant life from drying up. It is recommended that street trees are watered with approximately 10 gallons of water twice a week to survive the hot summer days. Everyone in the community benefits from the shade of trees, so talk to you neighbors and take turns watering the trees twice a week. This small step can make a profound difference on the hottest of days.

Easy Steps to Save Water:

Save cooking water that is used to prepare corn, pasta or greens and use it to water your plants

Place a tub in your shower and collect running water while you wait for the water to heat up, then use it to water your garden

Fill up a bucket with water and use that to wash your car instead of running the hose the entire time

Boat Trip for Harlem Park Elementary Students

As part of the KidsGrow after school enrichment program, students from Harlem Park Elementary School went on a boat tour of the Chesapeake Bay that included fishing, a scavenger hunt, and a live-oyster dissection. The captain of the boat opened up an oyster that the students caught and then showed each student common body parts such as the oyster’s stomach and heart. While aboard the boat, students had a chance to look through binoculars to spot native birds and landmarks along the shores of the Bay. To end the trip, the Harlem Park students practiced their driving techniques when they got behind the wheel of the boat under the supervision of the captain.

In the fall, KidsGrows students will learn about genetics, evolution, and ecology. For more information on KidsGrow, click here.

Starlings Volleyball

Throughout the entire season, the travel teams participating in the Starlings Volleyball league are thinking about the National Starlings Volleyball Tournament. Every practice and game brings them one step closer to boarding a plane and flying to San Diego for sunshine, waves and tough competition. This is the 8th year that the Baltimore Starlings teams have competed in the tournament and the first time that two out of our three teams won medals!

Starlings Accolades and Achievements:

The girls on the 14 and under team came in first place in the Bronze division and the 18 and under team placed second.

Two of the Starlings players won the first prize for the Literary/Arts Contest. Jordan Hall took first place in the Art contest for girls in 7-8th grade, and Tuesday Barnes won first prize in the 9-10th grade category.

All of the seniors on the Starlings team will be attending college in the fall supported by either an athletic or academic scholarship!

Sports Championship Games

Baltimore’s youth practice and prepare for the ultimate test of their abilities- the championship game. With parents cheering from the sideline and coaches supporting them on the field, a total 1,120 youth from Baltimore participated in one of the four sports leagues supported by the Parks & People Foundation.

Quick Facts and Figures:

Baltimore Middle School Soccer League

26 teams in the league

30 coaches

The program served 390 girls from Baltimore City Middle Schools

Hazelwood Middle School won the championship game against Dickey Hill with a score of 2-0

Baltimore Middle School Lacrosse League

15 teams in the league

15 coaches

The program served 250 boys from Baltimore City Middle Schools

Roland Park won the trophy with a score of 5-2 against Stadium School

Baltimore Baseball League

16 teams in the league

20 coaches

The program served 360 boys and girls from Baltimore City Elementary and Middle Schools

James McHenry won the game with a final score 6-4 against Dr. Rayner Brown’s team

Exciting Events and Fun on the Trail!

Open until September 2, 2007, the 6th Art on the Gwynns Falls Trail is a must see exhibit that features innovative environmental art and activities that are fun for the whole family! Every weekend there is something to do on the Trail. Mark your calendar for Media Sprout, an evening of live music and the work of local sound and video artists. The event is September 2, 2007 from 5:00-10:00 p.m. as a compliment to the closing ceremonies of Art on the Trail.

When you are biking or hiking on the Trail, you now have a chance to win a brand new bike, a trapeze lesson, camping gear and much more, now through October 2, 2007. Act fast and enter the Great Gwynns Falls Trail Hunt. Perhaps you will be the lucky winner! This is a great chance to uncover the rich history of the Trail. Click here for official contest details.

BRANCHES Interns

BRANCHES (Building Resources and Nurturing Community Health & Environmental Stewardship) is a park stewardship program providing summer jobs for Baltimore City high school students. In addition to participating in training opportunities that develop useful job skills, the youth spent their days in the field learning to care for existing trees and park land. This summer, Parks & People welcomed six interns who organized the program and coordinated projects for 14 teens in Baltimore City.

BRANCHES Impact:

In addition to hands-on training, 40% of the youths’ time was spent on educational enrichment activities.

Teens had the chance to test water quality in critical areas of the Chesapeake Bay, or areas with at least 1,000 feet of tidal water.

The groups worked to prune trees, clean up trash, remove invasive plant species and plant trees in all of Baltimore City’s parks.

The BRANCHES youth learned techniques for tree care by an arborist with Bartlett Tree Experts. Following a short lecture, the teens were shown how to climb a tree safely by the expert and then got a chance to climb the tree themselves!

SuperKids Camp

This year the Johns Hopkins Center for Summer Learning awarded SuperKids Camp with their Excellence in Summer Learning Award. SuperKids Camp was chosen from a pool of summer learning programs from across the country. It was an honor to receive this award and recognition for the program that is now in its 11th year of service.

SuperKids camp graduation celebrated and recognized the enormous accomplishments of more than 1,000 of Baltimore City’s rising 2nd and 3rd grade students. Singing, dancing, and performances by the children highlighted the event that welcomed the new CEO of the Baltimore City Public School System Dr. Andres Alonso. Dr. Alonso spoke to parents and children about his commitment to their education. The six-week camp focused on bridging the gap between knowledge lost during the summer months and valuable reading skills learned throughout the school year.

Parks & People Goes Hollywood!

Over 550 guests attended our “A Night at The Wire” Charity and Celebrity Auction on June 9, 2007. The auction benefited the Ella Thompson Fund of the Parks & People Foundation. Over $175,000 was raised that evening as stars from the HBO hit show, The Wire signed autographs and snapped pictures with fans.

In addition to the cast and crew of The Wire, Ace of Cakes star Duff Goldman was at the event to present “The Wire” cake: a replica of a Baltimore City block of rowhomes complete with a community garden! Goldman, the owner of Charm City Cakes, also donated a cake that was a part of the live auction. The highest bidder will receive a Charm City Cake that will be made according to the winner’s specifications. Other auction items included a barbeque cook-out with the characters Kima and Bubbles from The Wire, a guest appearance on the show, and signed copies of the script. It was a wonderful evening and a great way to honor Ella Thompson’s memory.