Oak Crest residents held a ceremony to mark their community's designation as a Certified Wildlife Habitat^®. (Photo courtesy Oak Crest)

Oak Crest is the largest retirement community in Baltimore, Maryland with over 2,100 residents and sits on an 87-acre campus amongst a flourishing ecosystem. In November, residents and staff came together to celebrate the receipt of that designation at a ceremony, appropriately held by the pond on campus.

The pond is used to encourage wildlife and recreation, individual garden areas and a greenhouse for residents, a nature trail and forest buffer zones.  In the fall of 2009, a “green roof” was installed on the assisted living and skilled nursing buildings that comprise Renaissance Gardens.

A Flourishing Eco-System

Oak Crest supports numerous species of wildlife on the grounds of its campus, including deer, squirrels, foxes, geese, ducks, hawks, bluebirds, woodpeckers and catfish. There is a nature trail that is maintained by residents and staff.

(Photo courtesy Oak Crest)

Brian Dorsey, facilities manager for grounds and transportation, noted that the National Wildlife Federation has “strict guidelines on the habitat elements that must be in place to receive the award. A property must provide food sources for wildlife. These can be supplied naturally through plants or supplemented through feeding. Also, there must be water sources, cover and places to raise young established on the property.”

A Resident-Driven Effort

Many of Oak Crest’s initiatives are resident-driven. The “green” approach is a collaborative effort between the residents and staff of Oak Crest.  Resident groups such as the Garden Club (consisting of Garden Plots, Greenhouse & Nature Trail committees), Recycling Plus Group, For the Birds, Earth Day and the Blue Heron Yacht Club provide input regarding campus environmental policies.

“These requirements have been intrinsically satisfied for years through the ‘green’ approach to operations to which our residents and staff have been so diligently committed,” continued Mr. Dorsey. “I’m most proud that this is a grass-roots effort. The fact that we supply all of these elements implies good stewardship by Oak Crest to the air we breathe, water that we shed and the plants that support a healthy ecosystem.”

If you would like to certify your own backyard, go to www.nwf.org/gardenforwildlife to learn more. If you are interested in learning more about becoming a certified Community Wildlife Habitat, go to www.nwf.org/community.

Learn more about attracting wildlife to your garden and how to create a National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat^® >>

Contribution of blog content and photos: Jeff Getek, Public Affairs Manager, Oak Crest

Anthony Caligiuri, NWF Regional Executive Director, presents First Lady O'Malley with award (Photo courtesy of Office of the Governor)

“The National Wildlife Federation is excited to support the City of Annapolis in their efforts to become a Certified Community Wildlife Habitat™,” said Tony Caligiuri, Regional Executive Director of NWF’s Chesapeake Mid-Atlantic Regional Center. “By pursuing this program, the City of Annapolis continues its commitment to the environment by encouraging resource protection, as well as raising awareness of community and residential land-use impacts on the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.

The Launch Party

On November 7th the City of Annapolis launched a campaign “Working Each Day to Save the Bay” to become a NWF Certified Community Wildlife Habitat™.  Annapolis hopes to be the first Chesapeake Bay city to become certified by providing habitat for wildlife throughout the community — in individual backyards, on school grounds and in public areas such as parks, community gardens, places of worship and businesses. It is a place where residents make it a priority to provide habitat for wildlife by providing food, water, cover, and places to raise young. In support of this goal, First Lady Katie O’Malley and her family have certified their residence, the Government House, and were honored at the launch party at the Boatyard Bar and Grill in Eastport Annapolis.

Changes at the Government House

First Lady O’ Malley addressed the standing room only crowd and highlighted some of the changes that have happened since moving to the Government House:

“We have a beehive that’s generated 125 pounds of honey in just 18 months. We have the stunning Victorian fountain that attracts all types of birds and bees. We’ve embraced the “grow it/eat it” philosophy, planting our own vegetable garden for three years in a row. We have a natural setting of trees, brush and shrubs that provide shelter for small animals and insects. We’ve incorporated more natural elements into our landscape to reduce the need for watering, fertilizers and maintenance costs. And we have three rain barrels that we use for watering our garden.”

Working Together

In attendance were City of Annapolis Administrators, local business owners, representatives from Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and members of the Annapolis Habitat Team.  The Annapolis Habitat Team will work with partners to educate Annapolitans about sustainable gardening practices such as reducing or eliminating chemical fertilizers and pesticides, conserving water, planting native plants, removing invasive plants and composting. A calendar of workshops, community events, trail and stream cleanups will engage local volunteers in “Working Each Day to Save the Bay”. Members of the US Naval Academy Midshipmen Action Group also attended the launch party and will be donating volunteer hours to support the Annapolis Community Wildlife Habitat projects scheduled for 2012.

First Lady O'Malley and Midshipmen Action Group Volunteers (Photo courtesy of Office of the Governor)

First Lady O’Malley’s Challenge

“The great thing about this program, however, is that it reminds us all of what we can do as individuals to create a healthier Bay and a smarter, greener, more sustainable future for our children and theirs.

Whether we are planting trees, helping our kids learn about and connect with their natural world, or making simple changes around our own homes, it all counts.

I’m delighted that Annapolis is the first Bay city to commit to becoming a Certified Community Wildlife Habitat™. Martin and I wholeheartedly support this effort – both here and across our great state. And we’d like to challenge every Marylander to learn more about this program and commit to certifying his or her own backyard habitat.”

If you would like to certify your own backyard, go to www.nwf.org/gardenforwildlife to learn more. If you are interested in learning more about becoming a certified Community Wildlife Habitat, go to www.nwf.org/community.

Learn more about attracting wildlife to your garden and how to create a National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat^® >>

Volunteers of all ages at Truxton Park

Annapolis Recreation and Parks and National Wildlife Federation’s Chesapeake Mid-Atlantic Regional Centercollaborated on a restoration project at Truxtun Park on Aug. 16, spreading woodchips along two heavily used trails, cleaning up trash along the water trail, and placing grass seed and straw at the entrance to the trail.

Kids at Work

No fewer than 35 Cub Scouts from Annapolis Pack 366, kids and parents brought shovels and rakes to get the work done.  The project is part of a larger initiative to certify Annapolis, MD as an NWF Community Wildlife Habitat.

As we gathered at the head of the trail, Marisa Wittlinger, Environmental Programs Coordinator for City of Annapolis, highlighted the importance of the restoration work. She talked of erosion and how sediment and trash enters the local waterways through run-off. She spoke of solutions to erosion problems and gave examples of how the work they would be doing would impact the health of the Bay. After thanking the kids and handing out gloves, shovels, and rakes, we set out on the first trail.

Trash clean-up along an eroded water trail.

Never Too Young to Start!

For most of the kids, some as young as 3 years old, it was the first time they had volunteered. Speaking with parents as we moved along the trail, I heard the same message, “It feels great getting my kids outside doing this kind of work. I would have never guessed they could have so much fun with a shovel!”

Throughout the morning I overheard kids talking about erosion and pollution, sophisticated topics for 7- and 8-year-olds.

“This is really sad how people leave their trash. Don’t they know it is going in the water?”, asked one of the boys.

“In the end, we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we understand only what we are taught.” – Baba Dioum

Planning for Our Future

Throughout the morning, teachable moments presented themselves. NWF and Annapolis Recreation and Parks’ staff answered questions about what kids were seeing in the nature around them. Using nature as an “outdoor classroom”, staff pointed out areas of extreme erosion and how it impacts trees’ root systems. At the conclusion of the morning’s work, we gathered at the trail head.  It was clear from looking at these proud kids that we had started them on a journey of becoming future stewards of our environment.

Learn more about attracting wildlife to your garden and how to create a National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat^® >>

Maryland First Lady Katie O'Malley speaks about the Great American Backyard Campout

Research shows that kids are spending an average of 7 hours 38 minutes per day connected to technology, while only spending an average of 7 minutes per day in unstructured play.  While kids are engaged in organized sports, there isn’t a lot of time spent outside connecting with the natural world.  “Nature deficit” is creating a generation of kids who recognize more corporate logos than animals in their own backyard.

“One of the greatest threats to wildlife is a generation of children entirely disconnected from nature,” said Tony Caligiuri, mid-Atlantic regional executive director for the National Wildlife Federation.  “The Great American Backyard Campout provides a simple, inexpensive way for families to have fun, while rediscovering the great outdoors.”

National Wildlife Federation’s Be Out There campaign addresses the “indoor child” problem.  The Great American Backyard Campout is one of the campaign’s signature events. It takes place on June 25^th and encourages families to camp out.

Details of the event can be found at www.backyardcampout.org.

Nine Maryland Parks Hosting a Great American Backyard Campout

Maryland First Lady Katie O’Malley, the National Wildlife Federation, and Maryland Park Service promoted the 7^th annual Great American Backyard Campout by pitching a tent with local children on the Government House lawn.  You can read the entire story on NWF’s media center.

Big Problem, Easy Solution

We brought a group of kids together to pitch a tent on the Maryland Government House Lawn and placed a butterfly net, Ranger Rick magazines, and some sticks with marshmallows around a faux campfire.  Within minutes, without adult instruction (or interference), the Governor’s son picked up the net and began hunting for butterflies in the nearby garden.  Other children played in the tent or “roasted” marshmallows over an unlit fire.  Kids don’t need structured play and specialized equipment to connect with the outdoors- they just have to Be Out There!

“The campout is a great way for people of all ages to develop a connection to the outdoor world.  By encouraging children to spend time outdoors, whether at a State Park or in their own backyards, we are teaching them to respect nature and helping to create the next generation of stewards.”  – First Lady Katie O’Malley

Rediscover the Great Outdoors in Maryland

The Maryland Park Service has registered nine State Parks for the Great American Backyard Campout, including Dan’s Mountain, Patapsco Valley, Elk Neck, Sandy Point, Cunningham Falls, Deep Creek Lake, New Germany, Point Lookout, and Pocomoke River State Parks.  Each will host special events, including outdoor cooking classes, beachcombing, hiking, canoeing, and campfires.  More details can be found at Maryland Park Service.

Register your backyard or other campsite today for the Great American Backyard Campout >>

“This inspires me to do something with the environment when I graduate.”  High School Senior

The summit was hosted by the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE), Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Maryland State Department of Education, and the Governor’s Partnership for Children in Nature, in which NWF is a partner. Multiple agencies and organizations in the Partnership are working toward the goal to get kids outside.

Fifty-eight new schools received their Maryland Green School flags this year, with 17 being recertified and six recertified for the second time. Two schools were certified as Model Maryland Green Schools. Maryland schools are leading the way nationally in greening their schools and curriculum. NWF supports Maryland’s Green Schools efforts and is always seeking ways to work together and further Maryland’s commitment to sustainability in schools.

Check it out!

NWF’s Chesapeake Mid-Atlantic Regional Center used a simple experiment to teach students that soil is a filter, and this is important for healthy drinking water!

Try the experiment by “Dr. Dirt” with your kids!

Gardening with Dad

With warmer weather, I have been anxious to spend time in my backyard. It’s that time of year to pull out the shovels, the gardening tools, the dusty bird feeder. Half the battle was getting everything I needed out of the shed. I have done this each Spring for as long as I can remember, and I always find it to be a good way to relax and contemplate the world around me.

Pulling my gardening gloves on, I began to reminisce about gardening with my dad long ago. He was a landscaper, and I was 7 years old. We would work side by side, fixing sprinkler heads, digging out weeds, and mulching the flower beds. I learned how to identify plants and flowers by the shape of their leaves and tried to pronounce the scientific names, which I could never remember. Those were special times with Dad, moments when he was able to share his passion with me.  Gardening was a gift he passed on to me.

I found myself gardening in my own backyard with a daughter of my own sitting inside the house with a computer on her lap and the TV on in front of her. I wondered why she wasn’t outside with me learning about plants and flowers the way I did when I was her age. I pulled off my gloves, walked into the house and asked, “Would you like to give me a hand?” My daughter looked up quizzically and asked, “Doing what? I don’t know how to do any of that.” I told her, “It’s ok. Put these gloves on. I will show you.”

We spent the better half of a day gardening in our yard. I found myself sharing little pieces of information about the Monarch Butterfly and host caterpillar plants, the River Birch that shades our backyard, and what types of birds we thought we might attract this year. It was a day that will hopefully become a tradition for us the way it was for Dad and me.  

Did you know that May is “Garden for Wildlife Month”?  I encourage you to pull off your gloves and get your kids outside with you.   Be Out There Gardening!

Join nearly 140,000 Certified Wildlife Habitat^® sites across the country when you certify your yard as wildlife-friendly. We’ll plant a tree in your honor! Help reach our goal of 7,500 habitats in honor of NWF’s 75th anniversary.

Learn more about attracting wildlife to your garden and how to create a National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat^® >>

Last week my boss handed me an article written about Robert Paul Smith’s Where Did You Go? Out. What Did You Do? Nothing., a best seller in 1957 and now reissued in response to the renewed interest in “letting kids be kids.” Smith describes a time when children played outside and had nothing but their imaginations to keep them busy. Who doesn’t remember being told, “Go out and play. Come back when the streetlights come on”? And we did, because there was nothing to do inside!

Blast off!

Remember a childhood where adults didn’t interfere with the building of boats from milk crates and space ships from cardboard boxes? Tree houses were imperfect, but they were built solely from the hands and imaginations of children. Kids figured out how to get the wood, nails and paint. They didn’t read instructions from a book or Google it online.  Today, kids are over-managed with sports, lessons, and clubs. Where is the unstructured, kid-driven playtime? Do we, as parents, know how to let kids play anymore?

Isn’t she beautiful?

I remember making mud dolls from the wet earth when we camped because there wasn’t much else to do in the rain. To me, the dolls were as good as any that could be bought. My 7-year-old imagination had the dolls wearing fancy clothing and sporting a new hairdo that would rival Barbie’s. Don’t show me the pictures from that camping trip, because that isn’t how I remember the mud dolls in my mind.  They were perfect.

“a kid needs time to lie on his back to find out whether he breathes differently when he’s thinking about it than when he’s just breathing”

Ponder this…

When left to “do nothing”, kids are creative, inventive, and contemplative. Scott notes that a kid needs time to lie on his back “to find out whether he breathes differently when he’s thinking about it than when he’s just breathing” and to wonder who her best friend would have been if her family hadn’t moved to a new town in 3rd grade. Kids need to be bored- -bored enough to contemplate nature and to make sense of the world around them.  When was the last time you told your kids to “go out and play”?

“A Community Wildlife Habitat is a community that provides habitat for wildlife throughout the community–in individual backyards, on school grounds and in public areas such as parks, community gardens, places of worship and businesses.” National Wildlife Federation

It Takes Commitment

Monarch butterfly in flight

It takes a committed team, broad community participation, patience and persistence. The National Wildlife Federation requires community points in 5 areas:

• Registration
• Habitat Certification
• Education
• Community Projects
• Administrative

The program allows for individual community flexibility and allows the community to create a unique plan and their own timeline for completion.

“It is a place where the residents make it a priority to provide habitat for wildlife by providing the four basic elements that all wildlife need: food, water, cover and places to raise young,” says the National Wildlife Federation website. “The community also educates its residents about sustainable gardening practices such as reducing or eliminating chemical fertilizers and pesticides, conserving water, planting native plants, removing invasive plants and composting.”

It Takes a Village

Takoma Park, a community of 17,000, recently became to first community in Maryland to achieve Community Wildlife Habitat certification and became the 50th certified community in the nation. Wild, Wild Takoma became a registered project in 2007 and was led by the non-profit Friends of Sligo Creek.

Through various community activities including the annual Arbor Day celebration, creek clean-ups, annual native and plant seed exchanges and invasive plant removal projects, Takoma Park was able educate and encourage community members to certify 150 homes, 4 parks, a church and 5 schools. In addition, rain gardens were added to 3 different public areas.

It Takes a Leader

Habitat Team Leader, Bruce Sidwell, helped to champion Wild, Wild Takoma. Through his persistence working with community leaders and members, Tacoma Park has become a place for people and wildlife to enjoy, and has become Maryland’s first National Wildlife Federation Certified Community Wildlife Habitat!

“Takoma Park appreciates the persistence of Bruce Sidwell. City Gardener Mike Welsh was happy to provide the four public sites to be counted towards the requirement.  The goals of our City garden programs mesh well with the National Wildlife Federation’s focus on use of native plants and providing habitats.”  Takoma Park Director of Public Works, Daryl Braithwaite

It Takes Passion

The Community Habitat Team, community leaders, and citizens of Takoma Park were passionate about Wild, Wild Takoma, a passion that sustained them through the entire process.

If you have a passion for gardening or creating habitats which attract birds, butterflies, and other wildlife, you may be interested in certifying your community! National Wildlife Federation can help you through the Community Wildlife Habitat certification process.

How often do kids spend time outdoors in unstructured play? Not too often nowadays. If you think your kids are getting that outdoor time at school, you might be surprised to find out that schools are cutting back on recess and P.E., or eliminating them all together. You might remember spending your childhood outdoors building tree houses and setting up bike jumps, while your own children simulate bike jumps inside a video game.

“The children and nature movement is fueled by this fundamental idea: the child in nature is an endangered species, and the health of children and the health of Earth are inseparable.” – Richard Louv, “Last Child in the Woods”

Only 7 minutes?

Kids are spending over 7 hours per day plugged into media- watching TV, texting, video gaming- and only 7 minutes per day outside enjoying unstructured play! My grandfather’s generation roamed 6 miles from home unaccompanied where he explored trails and climbed trees. My daughter’s generation roams an average of only 300 yards from home.

In a typical week, only 6% of children ages 9-13 play outside on their own. There are some scary outcomes from this “indoor child” epidemic, including childhood obesity and an increase in ADHD diagnoses.

Double Dose of Childhood Obesity

Over the past 20 years, the time children spend outside has been cut in half. During this same time, childhood obesity has doubled and adolescent obesity has tripled. Health issues related to obesity are on the rise. For the first time in our nation’s history, our children’s generation may have a shorter life expectancy than our generation.

Be Out There

So how do we save our children from “nature-deficit” disorder? We get kids outside! National Wildlife Federation’s Be Out There campaign is working toward that goal. Some say it takes a village to raise a child. We say it takes a backyard, a playground, a park. Spend a Green Hour® outside with your kids or volunteer in your community to support outdoor play. The Chesapeake Mid-Atlantic Regional Center in Annapolis, Maryland is hosting a series of Be Out There events to support NWF’s mission to re-connect families with nature.    

Do you want to learn how to protect wildlife habitat and connect children to nature?  Are you looking to be a more active volunteer in your local community?  From sharing videos and pictures of your own backyard habitat to helping neighbors and schools learn how to garden for wildlife, you can help us develop and expand our Be Out There programs from your own home, in your own backyard, at your neighborhood schools, and in your community.

Session I: Be Out There™ Making a Difference

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

5 p.m. Light Refreshments

5:30-6:30 p.m. Educational Program

National Wildlife Federation’s

Chesapeake Mid-Atlantic Regional Center

706 Giddings Ave., Suite 2B ▪ Annapolis, MD

An RSVP is not required but if you email martinezk@nwf.org verifying your attendance by Friday, March 11th we’ll enter you for a chance to win a FREE one year subscription to NWF’s award-winning Ranger Rick magazine!