Skip to main content

Your Mother is Calling

 




Images from HoCo Rec & Parks social media accounts 


In honor of Earth Day, here’s an opportunity from Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks:

Do you love nature? Want to make a difference in your community while exploring the beauty of Howard County parks? We need YOU to help document the amazing plants and wildlife that thrive in our parks! The City Nature Challenge is a global initiative that uses the iNaturalist app to document local flora and fauna in urban areas. 

No previous experience needed — just a passion for nature and a smartphone! 

The challenge runs from Friday, April 24 - Monday, April 27. You can participate at your convenience, anytime during those four days! 

To get involved, sign up at https://tinyurl.com/HCRP-NatureChallenge 

A Park Ranger will reach out with your assigned park and instructions.

If you are curious about the iNaturalist app, you can learn more at their website.  Interested in Howard County’s natural resources and our Park Rangers? 

Howard County is responsible for the environmental stewardship of three Natural Resource Management Areas:

  • David Force Natural Resource Area in Ellicott City
  • Middle Patuxent Environmental Area in Clarksville
  • Wincopin Trail in Jessup

I had never heard of the first one on that list, so I have some learning to do. Speaking of learning, check out page 12 in this month’s Source Magazine from the Howard County Library System for more Earth Day ideas to enhance your understanding. 


If you, like me, have a new interest in Park Rangers, they’ve got you covered.


Happy Earth Day! Stay green!




Comments

  1. Julia A. McCreadyApril 22, 2026 at 3:58 AM

    Please do not submit comments here. This function will be disabled shortly. Use the link above instead. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Teacher Gifts

Today is the last day of school before the Winter Break. It’s a good time to remember the far-reaching nature of our public school system. You may not have children. You may have sent your children to independent schools. It matters not. You will be impacted one way or another. Yesterday I read a long thread on Facebook about several waves of illness in the schools right now. There’s influenza A and norovirus, I believe. And of course there’s COVID. Apparently in some individual schools the rate of illness is high enough for school admin to notify parents.  When I was little the acceptable holiday gift for a teacher was one of those lovely floral handkerchief squares. (I don’t know what it was for male teachers. They were rare in my elementary years.) These days the range of teacher gifts is wider and I have fond memories of Target gift cards which I have written about before. I think it’s safe to say that giving one’s teacher Influenza, norovirus, or COVID is not the ideal holiday...
1 comment
Read more

Getting Fresh

One of my favorite days in the Spring comes when this year’s list of Farmer’s Markets is released. That happened this week. New this year are markets in Old Ellicott City and the “Merriweather Market” which, according to the address, will be located here . I mistakenly thought at first glance that it was in the new-construction part of the Merriweather District. I find the name confusing considering its actual location. I’m going to guess that this market is an initiative of the Howard Hughes Corporation because the name seems chosen more for branding purposes than anything else.  Alas, the market in Maple Lawn is gone. The thread on the markets on the County Executive’s FB page will provide you with quite the education in who actually runs the Farmers Markets vs what people often think is going on. Short answer: they are not  chosen nor run by the county. Each market is an independent entity, sometimes started by community volunteers, other times supported by local businesses...
1 comment
Read more

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday.  Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was  "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018.  2018 .  But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest.  In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...
1 comment
Read more