FWP’s Spring Projects Focus on
Media and Environment

-Submitted by Carol Gutwalt
Secretary of Friends of Waterford Park

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Hoping to publicize the activities of Friends of Waterford Park through additional media this year, the Friends of Waterford Park look forward to their spring projects.   The park’s friends are pleased to be participating in Maryland Public Television’s Volunteerathon and will now be able to post news and information about Friends of Waterford Park on their new website - www.friendsofwaterfordpark.org. 

On Monday, March 10th, a crew from Maryland Public Television visited the park to film volunteers as they performed typical activities that maintain and enhance the park.  This filming was in preparation for the park’s participation in an MPT Volunteerathon on Sunday, April 27th, 2008, from 6:00- 8:00 p.m.   For several days prior to April 27th, MPT will feature programming that focuses on the Chesapeake Bay, particularly its health and its future.
Carroll Creek and Rock Creek, both of which run through the Park, are ultimately tributaries of the Bay. Although the April 27th program will be a telethon, it will not be seeking monetary donations for the featured organizations; rather callers will be asked to pledge volunteer hours for a non-profit organization of their choice.
FWP became aware of this opportunity through the Monocacy & Catoctin Watershed Alliance.  Because the work here in central Maryland in Waterford Park impacts the Bay, the local group looks forward to showcasing our park and attracting area residents interested in visiting and working in the park.

As part of FWP’s commitment to the environment, several other activities will be happening in the next few months.  On March 29th from 9:00 a.m. to noon, representatives from the Potomac Conservancy will return to Waterford Park to help plant seedlings in the buffer along Carroll Creek.   Volunteers from FWP, as well as anyone who follows the work of the Potomac Conservancy, are welcome to participate and learn proper planting techniques.  While many seedlings planted in spring 2006 survived their first year because of watering from volunteers, this visit from the Conservancy will replace those plants that didn’t survive last year’s drought and the city’s water restrictions.  

Sunday, April 6th, Boy Scout Troop 799 from Brook Hill United Methodist Church will continue its commitment to working in the park by planting, papering, mulching, and watering several dozen shrubs and trees to fill in the areas where the understory invasives have been cleared from the woods along the paved path.

FWP’s next community activity occurs on Saturday, April 26th, when park volunteers will be donning their waders to participate in the Frederick area Clean Sweep project.  The focus of FWP’s sweep will be removing debris from the portion of Rock Creek between Baughman’s Lane and Route 15.   Anyone interested in donating to FWP’s participation in the Big Sweep, can make his/her check payable to Big Sweep and send it to FWP treasurer Linda Berkheimer, 1500 Rock Creek Drive, Frederick, MD 21702.

FWP is pleased to announce that information on these activities will now be posted on Friends of Waterford Park’s new website.   Webmaster Kip Jacobs is adding and updating material as it becomes available.   Check out the new site, though it is still a work in progress.   Also, those with questions about the park can now email info@friendsofwaterfordpark.org, and one of the members of FWP’s board of directors will field any queries. 

In between FWP’s community activities, workers will continue to remove invasives, an activity that kept the hardy workers busy during the winter months.   Now that there is space in the understory of our wooded areas, recent donations will enable the addition of native flowers, shrubs, and trees to areas that were once choked with multiflora rose and honeysuckle.  

April is FWP’s time for membership renewal or signing up anew.  Those interested in working on these spring projects and beyond or becoming members of Friends of Waterford Park can visit the website at www.friendsofwaterfordpark.org  to download a membership form or email the group at info@friendsofwaterfordpark.org.