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Our turtle was under the snow (below) last week, but then the weather warmed and the worker bees took advantage. The other photo below is Joe Ganley using one of the weed wrenches to take out a large honeysuckle . We have used those tools since 2007; they were funded by federal invasive species grant funds obtained for us by the MD Dept. of Natural Resources. Wonderful tools.

Five worker bees Thursday and again Friday worked on an overgrown area on the hill near the shed. Honeysuckle, wineberry and oriental bittersweet are easy to spot, and when the ground is not frozen, relatively easy to pull. We also put the five bluebird houses back in their spots at the meadow edges. If we can keep the European sparrows from nesting, we may get bluebirds. If no bluebirds, the swallows will probably take over late spring. We’ll see what happens.

We had new workers, Don Massey and Kathy Gelles-Baxter, joining Joe, Susan Stokes, Lesley Cristol and Fran Hostetler. Nice to be out there with folks who like to get some  winter exercise. End of next week looks promising again. Maybe we will get the entire hill area cleaned up. Spring treatment by Frederick Co. Noxious Weed Control folks will be needed, but the work we do makes it possible for them to maneuver in the area and get rid of regrowth.

Hope you are staying warm and healthy. – Ginny

Click here for the Winter 2016/2017 edition of “The Parks Reporter” newsletter.

The Community Foundation of Frederick County held its 30th Annual Report to the Community on Thursday, November 17, 2016 at the Holiday Inn Hotel and Conference Center, Francis Scott Key Mall. The event thanks donors and highlights prior fiscal year accomplishments. In addition, the 2016 Wertheimer Fellows for Excellence in Volunteerism award is presented.

Wertheimer honorees are selected for their selfless contributions of time, energy, and talents to the Frederick County community. The awards are made possible by a bequest from the late Janis Miller Wertheimer, a well-known Frederick businesswoman and prolific volunteer whose legacy of giving continues through her planned gift that created, among three funds, The Janis Miller Wertheimer Endowment Fund with the Community Foundation. The  Wertheimer Fund provides each Wertheimer Fellow with $25,000 to add to an existing Community Foundation fund or create a new fund.

One of this years Wertheimer Award recipients was Virginia “Ginny” Brace of Frederick! Ginny has been an active leader with Friends of Waterford Park and the Neighborhood Advisory Councils. Her efforts have brought together partners from Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the City of Frederick Parks and Recreation, and Planning Commission and Sustainability teams, making Waterford Park an urban oasis and nature education area. She has also advocated for Rock Creek and Rock Creek Park, promoting stream health and identifying, planting, and maintaining native trees and shrubs to protect the creek. She has organized volunteers for clean-up and maintenance, fundraising, and more. Ms. Brace has been a vocal and effective advocate for the environment, removing trash from waterways to improve water quality, championing a stream bank restoration project, removing invasive plant species, creating bird and butterfly habitats and more. Her efforts to promote the shared-use path connectedness helped make the Route 15 underpass, joining the east and west sides of the city, a reality.

Several friends were in attendance to honor Ginny. Pictured below (L to R) are Lynn Leathery, Kathy Soria, Lesley Cristol, Rachel Zigler, Nancy Speck, Mike Kay, Karen Morton, Ginny Brace, Alice Meiners, Kevin Jaramillo, Jana Moberly, Willem Meiners, Deb Ousse, Jeanne Lloyd, Joann Leathery and Steve Lloyd.

Congratulations, Ginny!

The planting area along the path is now complete. Big thank-you to City personnel and to Bartlett Tree Experts. The City installed the slab,donated the teak benches, dug out the surrounding area for plants, installed and anchored the benches and kids’ seats and dug nice large holes for the trees. Scott Greasey, Jim Twigg and staff are the persons responsible. Bartlett donated the three trees. A true cooperative effort. One last piece remains: stones with the names of the Berkheimer grandchildren will be placed among the plants and anchored. This will happen within a week or two.

There are now two bat houses installed with a third to be up shortly. We purchased the two poles and the City gave the bat houses. A Taskers Chance resident donated the third house and pole. Begone, mosquitoes!

Our wayside sign will be installed not far from the bridge shortly. The frame for the slab is ready now. 

Regarding the downstream bridge that has been out of use. The bid process was delayed but bids are out now, deadline for submission is early December. The City expects to install the new bridge in a timely manner as soon as the bids are in.

One sad note: the full moon brought an overnight vandal to the park, first vandalism in years. Fortunately, all the signs ripped off or up and tossed into the woods are back in place. No damage to plants or the benches, kids seats, etc.  Police will patrol now so let’s hope this is a one-time event. Stay tuned.

On November 12th, Hood students with the Hood Environmental Advocacy Team (HEAT) joined with FWP members Rachel Zigler, Kathy Soria and Ginny Brace to plant warm season grasses along an exposed streambank of Carroll Creek and to plant several hardy pasture roses on a hill in Waterford Park. The roses thrive in dry areas. The warm season grasses send their roots deep and will help to stabilize the streambank far more effectively than shallow-rooted fescues that currently line the bank.

The seating area Area not quite finished, but these kids were the first ones to come by after the City installed the mushrooms, flower table and turtle seat. Just too cute. The kids named the turtle “Tickle” because it seems to be smiling. Gotta love it!

Not as cute (speaking for myself only!) but demonstrating the mushroom seats and bench are Kathy Soria, Kathey Gelles-Baxter, and myself.

Trees go in tomorrow at 10.  Mulch and rehab of the grass around the area will follow. No grass until Mama Nature grants us rain. – Ginny

The area by the path now has switchgrasses, little bluestem, prairie dropseed and northern sea oats.

15 people worked on this – Kevin and Fran with prep work, and the Gregory family, the Lee family, Lesley, Sara, Kathy and Barb on the actual planting.

Hoping for trees next week and mulch as soon as a good load is available.

The City will install the benches and children’s seats as soon as they have manpower available. – Ginny

Below are a few pictures of our fine crew setting the 6×6 edging timbers around the planned activity area for children along the shared-use path in Waterford Park. The area will include:

• On the slab: two teak benches and four shorter children’s seats including a concrete turtle and two flower-shaped seats
• Around the slab: five species of native warm-season grasses that thrive in hot, dry weather
• Behind and to the sides of the planted area: three native species cultivars: two prairiefire crabapples and a Princeton elm

This is a cooperative effort indeed. The City dug out the area, poured the slab, brought the timbers to the site and drilled the holes for the anchoring rebar. They are also providing two teak benches. FWP is providing four imaginative children’s seats to go in between the benches. We finished the digging out, set the timbers and will provide and plant native grasses.

Bartlett Tree Experts is purchasing three trees and bringing good mulch.

Dwight Moser loaned us his hefty rototiller to loosen the soil underneath the dug-out area. Native grasses get very deep roots (thus the species we are planting are drought-tolerant).

I, for one, have great respect for any contractor who can get edging installed efficiently, but we are getting it done ourselves!

We should have the grasses planted next Sunday in the topsoil (mixed with existing soil) that we are having delivered this week.

Stay tuned for mulch, benches and trees soon to follow.

Meanwhile give a hearty thank-you to Peter, Joe, Kevin, Sara, Fran, Kathy and Lesley if you spot them. They are the tired-looking ones!

– Ginny

Hood Environmental Advocacy Team worked in the park October 22nd. All are Environmental Science majors. They edged the hibiscus bed, transplanted Canadian anemone around one of the benches and then dug honeysuckle with shovels and weed wrenches. A good time was had by all, especially with hot chocolate and Joanne Leathery’s brownies as a snack. The club will return November 12 for another session. Two of the volunteers, Megan Anders and Liana Sales, are pictured below. Thanks, Hoodies! – Ginny