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Click here for the Winter 2018/2019 edition of “The Parks Reporter” newsletter.

Scouts (below) came Dec. 3, mulched all trees at Baughmans end and pulled most honeysuckle and wineberry from the hill at that end. Peter Brehm and Hunter Riley helped supervise and did more than their share of pulling. The City brought the mulch. The City also picked up the brush – thankfully since we no longer can get to our brush or mulch piles. If we can get Frederick Noxious Weed Control out here to kill off the wisteria that continues to pop up, that hill area will be well on its way to being in good shape.

Below is a photo from today of the work area for the streambank project. More and more mulch, more and more fencing. I am not sure where this latest mountain of mulch will go, maybe along the old sewer line. The stack of boards is to be laid where the equipment goes near trees to reduce root compaction.They will cross over the shared use path right were our hibiscus plants were (marked with green tape right now). We moved all the small plants and buried the roots in a mound of mulch the contractor provided. They will move the larger plants. Hopefully they will survive the winter. It remains to be seen whether the ground will be too compacted for us to use that area again in the spring. Sure wish they had crossed the path in a different spot. Oh well, long-term benefit of reduced erosion of the streambanks.

I see sections of pipe have been brought in so I expect the actual stream work will begin soon, starting at the bridge nearest Baughmans Lane.

I sure did miss the 50 and 60 degree days of late fall/early winter – did we have more than a couple this year? so, welcome to January!!

Ginny

About 30 feet from the path, between the kiosk and the curve is a Witch hazel about 15 feet tall and as wide.

Below is not a great picture (can’t get the whole tree) but I hope it makes you want to look for it if you walk the path. There are flowers all over the tree.

A crew of worker bees today (Lesley Cristol, Susan Stokes, Kathy Soria and I) was working in this area pulling out viney honeysuckle and discovered it.

Let me know if you spot any others – I know we planted more than one several years ago.

Ginny

See photos below. This fence was a complete surprise to us, but there it is, from Meadowdale to the bridge closest to Baughmans.

As I understand the project, the work is done in sections. Water has to be diverted from a section of the creek through a pipe leading past the work area. That way the work is happening in a dry section of creek. The banks will be stabilized and barriers designed too slow the water flow will be added.

The path will remain open for walkers, bikers. Work must stop March 1. Hopefully they will be able to finish the work by then. Compared to the 2004 installation of the sewer line, this disruption is minor!

If you have questions, you can email me and I will try to find answers, or you can contact Jen Willoughby, City of Frederick.

Ginny

First, a couple of photos showing what the worker bees are up to these days. The woods paths had gotten overgrown in spots. Also those plants with the nasty hitchhiker seeds that get all over our clothes were growing along the path. Joe weed-whacked and Margaret and I clipped off the hitchhikers. We also clipped about half of the walnut trees that have sprouted in the meadow, put a little herbicide on the fresh cuts and took the sprouts to the brush pile.

We are also preparing for a Scout outing Nov. 3. Near the middle bridge you can see orange and yellow tape on honeysuckle to be pulled. There is also English ivy and invasive fall clematis there. Be prepared for a transformed area Nov. 3. Notice we do not remove anything close to the stream – we do not want to disturb the soil there so we stay about 20 feet away.

Finally, the stream project should begin soon, start in November, complete stream work by March 1. So lots of activity over the winter.

Poor fall color except for the dogwoods that are a nice shade of deep red/burgundy. Maybe some later trees will brighten the park but I hear the outlook is not good for this year.

Ginny

 

 

We are getting what is evidently a prestigious award from the arborists.  Read the article by clicking here.

Very nice. Thanks to Jen Willoughby of the City for nominating us.

Glad we enjoy what we do.

Dan Yates will accept the award for the group.

If you get a chance to walk around the meadow, it is fun to do right now. So many butterflies and other insects & birds on the goldenrod, asters, etc.

Ginny

Following the front page story on Rock Creek in last Thursday’s Frederick News Post, WJZ TV channel 13 in Baltimore sent a crew to do a story on Waterford Park erosion which included interviews with myself, Jen Willoughby, Peter Brehm and Sue Rausch. The crew was in the park for an hour along with the skeeters! They used a few Baker Park shots as well as video shots along Rock Creek.

Go here to see the video: https://baltimore.cbslocal.com/video/3921320-frederick-officials-working-to-combat-additional-erosion/

By the way, great news – the stream erosion-control project will start this year after all. Mayor and Board approval will be needed first when the contract is ready. The work must be complete by March 1. Let’s hope the park dries out a bit so they can get their equipment in without tearing up the turf.

Finally, sunny skies and cooler weather coming. Hooray!!

Ginny

P.S. Below is a photo by Susan Stokes of one of the monarch caterpillars on milkweed in the park. There are two stands of milkweed in the meadow and one next to our shed. These little guys I believe are the ones that will migrate to Mexico after they become butterflies in a few weeks. Also pictured is a Monarch butterfly in Dave Maloney’s yard.

First, here is a great article that is in the Aug. 15, 2018 edition of the Frederick News Post. It is in regard to the creek erosion/stream stabilization project. Click here to read the article online.

Second, below is new signage for the food forest. It explains what plants were installed and the food value they have – for humans as well as wildlife:

Third, there is now new planting around the donor bench near the middle bridge. See below image. Friends and family donated all the funds needed for the bench and plants as well as making a sizable donation to FWP. The City installed the bench and signage.

-Ginny

Waterford Park sustained considerable flood damage during a prolonged May, 2018 rain.

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Photo below is a small example of the damage. Two shrubs and all fencing gone. The water got as far as the turtle area, removing mulch from there but no damage. We have not seen it this bad in over a decade.

We need to get out in the park locating uprooted plants, removing fences loaded with debris, etc. Needless to say, the garden tour folks if they venture through the grass that surely cannot be mowed will have quite an adventure. So be it. Our priority is to free up plants. If we find uprooted ones soon we can save them.

I can be out there at the following times over the next few days, and I will be out there unless it is pouring. Please join me if you possibly can.

Today, Wednesday at 2 pm
Thursday at 9
Friday at 11 and again at 3
Saturday and Sunday at 9:30

No skills required, just willingness. Let me know so I can organize teams, areas to work on.

Ginny

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Several of you are going out on your own. Wonderful. Here is what we learned today.

We found a lot of plants that are tipped with their roots exposed – so take a shovel to get soil, put the soil on the exposed roots, then hold the tree upright and press the soil in. Feel free to get soil in a wheelbarrow from the mulch/compost pile on the hill. Use FWP wheelbarrows. Also under the gray tarp by the shed are buckets of soil ready to use.

We found lots of fences with debris. We are taking the fences off and making piles where people will not trip over them. If you find signs, put them with the fencing.

Also, if anyone wants to just roam around with a trash bag, have at it. Tons of trash, easy to see, lots in the debris piles. That would be a big help. Everything in the woods is flattened so it is easy to walk – just be careful not to trip over vines.

Next outing for me Thursday morning 9:30. We need some muscle for some of these plants and we will see who can come and plan accordingly.

If a miracle happens and we are predicted to have a rain-free evening Thursday or Friday, I will send an email for a 6:30 pm session.

Stay tuned.

Let me know your hours if you work by yourself. Thanks.

Ginny

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Two pictures tell it all.

Logs May 16 – after the first night’s rain. These logs stacked by the middle bridge (to be used in the streambank project this summer) were parallel to the creek May 15, then turned 90 degrees and washed against a large tree in the first flooding. Notice the cut marks on the front log. You will see it in the next photo.

Logs May 18 – we found this log at the last curve downstream toward Rt. 15, about 2000 feet from where it started. We think it shot down the old sewer line where there was nothing to stop it. But that 10 foot log must weigh a couple thousand pounds.

WOW.

FWP folks are working, trying to get trees, shrubs upright, picking up trash, getting soil back around roots, locating signs and fences.

It will take a while but we will get as much as we can. If you live near the park, please do at least one walk where you bring a bag and pick up some trash. Every bit helps.

Ginny

To FWP supporters:

Hooray, the weather is finally changing. This winter was tough for the worker bees, with severe cold followed by wet, then more cold. Fortunately, we accomplished a great deal last winter, so the park is still in decent shape. We are approaching 200 hours this year thanks to a couple of large projects that require many volunteer hours. The photos pages show several of these projects.

Food forest planting project Jen Willoughby, Sustainability Manager for the City, initiated a “food forest” planting project. The idea is to plant trees/shrubs with fruits edible by humans. Waterford Park now has more than 60 new trees from this planting, including elderberry, hazelnut, pawpaw and serviceberry. Grants from MUCFC (MD Urban and Community Forest Committee) and CBT (Chesapeake Bay Trust) funded the project. FWP purchased two pecans to fill in an area along the path that was used by the shared-use path contractors for their staging area. FWP is fencing and mulching and will water the new plants.
We also purchased three American hollies and three winterberry hollies to fill in an area where we had a European little leaf linden removed. The nursery had sold it to us as an American basswood – wrong! Adding evergreens to the park is a good thing.

Eagle Scout project Aiden Bedwell is rehabilitating an area above the bridge closest to Baughmans Lane. It has been cleared of invasives. A small retaining wall is being built to provide a place for good soil and to level the hill a bit. The area will be planted in mid-May. Aiden is committed to the project and has done a great job of organizing assistance. FWP is funding the majority of this worthwhile effort.

New bench near the middle bridge By the time you read this, the bench will be in place. A group of people started a GoFundMe page to have a memorial bench and planted area. Their funds also paid for a good-sized area to be cleared of invasives. Oakleaf hydrangea and other shade-loving natives will be planted soon.

FWP has hired Habitat Enhancers to care for two additional areas: the bed at the Meadowdale Lane entry and the planted area on the hill behind to co-ops. The funds given to FWP in memory of Linda Berkheimer and the distribution from our fund at the Community Foundation of Frederick County funded the payment. We will need to purchase plants that will be easier to maintain as we refurbish these areas.

We continue to press for less omnidirectional bright lighting in the park, trying to think ahead to when seven miles of shared-use path will be lit. Two progress notes: First, lights on the south side of Culler Lake will be dimmed April 26 as a test area. Citizens and government will give feedback. We hope you can go down to see the dimmer lights and to give feedback. Second, Zack Kershner, Director of DPW gave this update: “As far as a Park Lighting Policy, it is on our “to do list”, we’ll need to determine when we can designate staff time to accommodate the effort necessary, and which Departments will need to be involved. “

Please note that two recent plantings in the park are City projects. The plants near Rock Creek at the east end of the park are forest conservation plants, required because trees were removed to install the path and bridge, while the trees and shrubs along the path are path landscaping, part of the shared-use path plan.

Our next big event is the May 20-21 Beyond the Garden Gates Garden Tour, an annual event that draws hundreds of people to the gardens on display. We accepted the invitation to be on this year’s tour, knowing that the park is not meant to be a manicured garden. Instead, we hope to familiarize people with many species of native plants and hope that they enjoy walking and sitting in our inviting space. In addition to the worker bees sprucing up the area, we expect the Jr. ROTC from TJ High School, the Green Team from Astrazeneca and the environmental club students from Hood College to help us.

Spring birds like the swallows and the phoebe are returning. Our turkeys are somewhere seeking mates. Fare thee well, our feathered friends, and do come back to entertain us again this summer.

As always, we need and appreciate your support. We treat ash trees next year and also will hopefully purchase plants for the Meadowdale entrance and the area behind the co-ops that will be fairly easy to maintain. We hear from so many of you; keep enjoying the park and keep those comments coming. Your financial support enables us to continue our mission. Please click here for the 2018 Friends of Waterford Park Membership and Donation Form.

We thank you.

Friends of Waterford Park, Inc. Board of Directors

Ginny Brace, president Rachel Zigler, vice-president
Kathy Soria, secretary Maurice ‘Moe” Labbe, treasurer
Karen Berkheimer Morton, director Dan Yates, director

If you have feedback on park lighting, you may call me at 301 682-6135 or email ginnybrace@gmail.com. I hope to hear from many of you.

– Ginny