TRAILBLAZEROregon Ridge Nature Center Council13555 Beaver Dam RoadCockeysville, MD 21030

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDTIMONIUM, MD

PERMIT NO. 120

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SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2010 Supporting Oregon Ridge Park and Nature Center for 28 years

Oregon Ridge Nature Center & Park Council, 410-887-1815; info@oregonridge.org; www.oregonridge.org; TDD/Deaf 410-887-5319

2009-2010: A YEAR IN PROGRESSBy ORNCC President Jack Kerns

SOME FAMILIAR FACES FROM 2009-2010

(Continued on page 10)

Return Service Requested

During the past year, Oregon Ridge Nature Center has made significant improvements to its physical facilities and has undertaken commitments to improve its animal displays. These improvements have been possible due to the efforts of many groups and individuals who provided hours of volunteer time for our enjoyment. On June 1, 2010, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held to celebrate the final completion of the gypsy moth and American chestnut tree interpretive displays, including the new gazebo. This resting facility for hikers overlooks the area affected by gypsy moth infestation and is also near the American chestnut saplings. Mr. Vernon Kreisel, the representative from REI, joined in the ceremony (photo above) for the new displays as well as the new portal over the bridge that welcomes visitors on their hikes. We thank REI for their generous contributions and continuing support of Oregon Ridge Park. We also thank REI for the opportunity to participate in their “Get Involved” event, held at REI in Timonium, and to showcase the many programs available at Oregon Ridge.

The Oregon Ridge Nature Center Council is now making final design decisions on new animal displays for the Nature Center. The current animal display room will be completely altered by incorporating adjustable wall panels (Views 1 & 2, center photo) that will make it easier for children to view the exhibits as well as improve animal care. These renovations will greatly enhance the attractiveness and usefulness of the animal displays. A new tree exhibit planned for the main hall will enhance our understanding and appreciation of the critical role played by our native forest. During the past year, we added a coyote, red-tailed hawk, bear, and heron to our display collection. We thank the Display Committee and committee chair Joe Warfield for their tireless efforts to create new and exciting educational displays. The Baltimore County Master Gardeners have renovated the herb garden and replaced it with a series of gardens reflecting the historical evolution of gardening in the United States. Flowers from pre-colonial times to the present are

Carol and Andy Anders entertain at the Picnic

Vernon Kreisel, Jeanne Cole, Pam Jarrell, Jim Curtis, Shannon Davis, and Erin McCleary at ribbon cutting

Ann Kerns and Anne Canoles grill dogs at picnic

George and Karen Brauer open the Museum

Trail Guide Cindy Barretta goes native

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ORNC COUNCIL SPEAKER SERIES

10 PAIN FREE WAYS tO Cut YOuR utIlItY BIllS ANd CARBON EmISSIONS BY 10% OR mORE

Monday, October 18, 7:30 PM

Climate change, national energy security, tight family budgets — never in recent history has there been such a wide range of reasons to trim our home energy consumption. American buildings consume more energy and produce more emissions than automobiles, and about a third to half of the energy used for heating or cooling a typical single-family home is wasted due to air leakage and system inefficiencies. Fortunately, a great variety of technologies and stimulus programs are available to combat this waste and assist homeowners to make their homes healthier, more comfortable, and more durable. But it can be challenging to stay current with the technologies and programs. What is the difference, for example, between a CFL and a LED? What is the best way to air-seal a home and when do you know when it is too airtight? When is whole-house mechanical ventilation a desirable solution? Do solar power and geothermal heat make financial sense? And what kinds of credits are available to offset

the costs of energy improvements? Local home energy expert Kurt Pfund will answer these

and other questions, and by the end of the evening, you should have the knowledge to trim your annual utility costs and carbon emissions by at least 10%, with very little initial expenditure and no drastic changes to your lifestyle. In addition to the Q&A session about home energy usage, some listeners will be able to participate in a hands-on demonstration of some of the latest home energy auditing technologies, including a blower door fan and infrared camera. Kurt Pfund, a former Ridge Runner at the Nature Center, studied at the University of Maryland and is now a certified Building Analyst and co-founder of Zerodraft Maryland, an energy auditing and retrofitting

consultancy based in Towson. When not tuning up buildings, he enjoys reading, gardening, and hiking/skiing on trails at the Ridge and beyond.

how to work with the African honeybees, which are not as notorious as the Africanized Killer Bees that cause problems in America. The Kenya top-bar hives were developed as a lower-

cost alternative to standard hives. Their movable frames make use of the concept of bee space. The frames of the hive have only a top bar, with no sides or bottom bar, from which the bees build the comb so it hangs down. The hive body is often shaped as an inverted trapezoid in order to reduce the tendency of bees to attach the comb to the hive-body walls. Dan Quinn is the son of Winnie and Kirk Dreier and was once a Ridge Runner

at Oregon Ridge. Don’t miss his fascinating PowerPoint presentation about his modern day journey into the heart of the Dark Continent.

After graduating from Elon University with a degree in Communications and Business, Dan Quinn began a journey less traveled by joining the Peace Corps. Before long, he was headed for Central Africa to a remote village in the highlands of Cameroon. In his presentation, Dan will recount his 2-1/2 years living in the village of Bandrefam, where he was adopted into the tribe and took the name of Sa’a Dio, a high honor placing him among the village nobles (photo). His primary responsibility was agro forestry — the growing and propagating of trees such as banana, papaya, breadfruit, avocado, and black fruit. He also wrote grants and received funds to develop the Kenyan beehive project. As project facilitator, Dan helped build Kenya top-bar beehives from scratch, acquired beekeeping equipment, and then showed his village co-op

EQuAtORIAl AFRICA ANd tHE KENYAN BEEHIVEMonday, September 20, 7:30 PM

Sept/Oct 2010 Sept/Oct 2010

GET TIGHT WITH NATURE!

JOIN NOW!

OREGON RIDGE NATURE CENTER COUNCIL

MEMBERS RECEIVE:

Bimonthly Newsletter•Priority Mailing of Seasonal Calendar•First Option for Camp Registration•10% off Gift Shop purchases $30+•Members Only Events•

LOW, YEARLY DUES:

Individual $15•Family $20 •Seniors/Students $12•Lifetime $150•

Full Name ________________________________________________________ Address ________________________________ State _____ Zip _________Phone _____________________ Email ________________________________

Checks to ORNC Council, 13555 Beaver Dam Road, Cockeysville, Maryland 21030 410 887-1815 info@oregonridge.org http://www.oregonridge.org/

Over twenty applicants applied to our Scholarship Program. The Scholarship Committee, chaired by Dr. Polly Roberts, confronted the challenge of selecting from this large group of very qualified, college-bound high school seniors, representing the Baltimore County and Baltimore City area, who are planning to pursue courses of study in the environmental sciences and nature education. Donations to the scholarship fund have made it possible to help these young people in their studies, and we thank everyone who has given so generously. Staff and volunteers from ORNC got to show off their patriotic pride at this year’s Towson 4th of July parade (front

page)! Everyone pitched in to decorate Director Courtney Peed’s Volkswagen Beetle in red, white and blue. Bookmarks and candy were handed out to the crowd, and our banner was proudly displayed as we marched along. Thank you to the following staff and volunteers for helping us look great on the 4th: Shannon Davis, Jackie Devine, Mike Kaufman, Max Kirschner, Courtney Peed, and Shea and Cole Sandifer. It was heartwarming to hear cheers from people lining the streets as we passed by and to know that all of our efforts are appreciated. Thank you all for making 2009-10 a great year!

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One of the primary goals at the Oregon Ridge Nature Center is to guide as many children as possible along park trails to expose them to the marvels of the trees, insects, birds, streams, and wildflowers that inhabit this wonderland. Wonder is exactly what many of these kids experience because they are often seeing nature in abundance for the first time. Trail Guides are key to successfully accomplishing this goal, and in exchange for their gift of time, they receive a gift in return — Wonder. The wonder that overwhelms children at their first sight of a Pileated Woodpecker, a salamander, or a praying mantis is more contagious than H1N1. Trail Guides catch it immediately. If you would like to catch the wonder, please join us for Trail Guide Training this fall beginning Tuesday, September 7, from 10 AM to 1 PM. Training continues for four consecutive days, each day featuring a different topic including Native Americans in Maryland, insects, reptiles and amphibians, and habitats. No experience is required, only a love of nature and an interest in sharing with children. After training, you will be encouraged to accompany experienced Trail Guides on field-trip hikes until you feel comfortable enough to lead your first solo hike. When that event occurs, you will be refunded the $25 course fee. Trail Guides are treated to a monthly field trip of their

(2009-10 - A Year in Progress, continued)

included in the garden appropriately designated “A Garden Walk Through Time.” The native species of plants and shrubs demonstrate a truly “green” garden where pest management, attraction to birds and butterflies, resistance to deer and

other predators, and noninvasive qualities have been incorporated to enhance the beauty and joy of gardening. A descriptive display of this new garden has been located in the Nature Center Library and provides more detailed information regarding the advantages of native plants, the use of composting, and methods of pest control. We thank the Master Gardeners for their efforts to improve and maintain the garden and display. Volunteers from Grace Fellowship Church replaced the steps near the parking lot, erected fencing around the Indian Garden, replaced rain bars on the Blue Trail, and cleared the paved handicapped trail under the “ServFest” program. Our appreciation is extended to Grace

Fellowship Church and its volunteers for making the park a much more attractive and inviting place to visit and enjoy. Other physical improvements include new lighting for the driveway, a new lighted display case for the gift shop, and improvements to the heating system. We thank Shannon Davis and Beahta Davis for their overnight attention to the animals during the winter blizzard power outage. Other volunteers have made significant contributions to improve our offerings. The library collection has been enlarged and refreshed due to the efforts of Ginna Naylor, the gift shop offerings have been expanded due to the efforts of Noot Canoles, the web site has been consistently improved and updated by Jim Curtis, and Mary Jane Shanks continues to astonish us with improvements to the newsletter. The pancake breakfast was well attended, and we thank everyone (over 1340 people) who supported our fundraiser and the many volunteers (over 116) who staffed the event. Other successful programs included Maple Sugar Days, Music in the Woods, Primitive Technology Weekend, Honey Harvest, holiday programs, the annual picnic, and the Council’s popular speaker series. This year’s speakers educated us about the Oregon Ridge forest, invasive and native plants, insects, the Chesapeake Bay, and Loch Raven. We thank Kevin O’Neill for arranging the speakers, Dave Power for handling all our publicity, and the Trailblazer staff for their great job keeping us informed.

Trail Guide Gayl Meier catches the wonder

tRAIlBlAZER StAFFEditor/Design/Layout: Mary Jane Shanks Managing Editor: Joe Salvaggio

CONtRIButORS tO tHIS ISSuE

Writers: Jack Kerns, Shannon Davis, Dr. Polly Roberts, Courtney Peed, and Mary Jane ShanksPhotographers: Jim Curtis, Gilles Gonthier, MJ Shanks, and ORNC Staff

OREGON RIDGE NATURE CENTER13555 Beaver Dam Road, Cockeysville, MD 21030410-887-1815; Fax: 410-785-1020 or 410-887-1816

info@oregonridge.org.; www.oregonridge.org

Articles for the Nov/Dec/Jan issue are due Sept. 21.

Sept/Oct 2010 Sept/Oct 2010

tRAIl GuIdES ARE “WONdER” Full

own to places like Shenk’s Ferry Wildflower Preserve, Ladew Gardens, other nature centers, the Gunpowder River by canoe, or the pristine woods of Prettyboy Dam Reservoir or Patuxent State Park. Please call 410-887-1815 now to register. Payment is due the first day of training and checks are preferred. If nature makes you feel like a kid again, this is the volunteer opportunity for you.

Trail Guides take their own field trip to Cylburn Arboretum

Erin McCleary (rear) guides a group across the scary log bridge

CATCH THE WONDER AT OREGON RIDGE! BE A TRAIL GUIDE!

WANTED: A patio set in good condition to put on the deck for visitor seating.

As I parked in front of my house, I noticed my neighbor’s cat in the grassy area by the street. I had not seen the cat much since our hound dog Junie joined the family. Some of my neighbors used to think the cat was mine because she was constantly at my house. One neighbor even went so far as to scold me for leaving “my” cat out in the snow all night! I walked over to pet the cat and noticed something moving in the grass. I saw a small, brown shape with five distinctive, blackish-brown stripes on the back and sides, along with black eye stripes that seem to run through the middle of the eyes, and two light-colored stripes outlining each eye. I knew right away the cat had caught a baby chipmunk. Chipmunks are members of the Sciuridae family, as are squirrels and woodchucks. They are known to be graceful, spry, and quick to dash for cover when startled. This little guy surely lived up to that description. Within seconds the chipmunk darted here and there before taking off to find shelter under the nearest car. The chase was on. Who was going to get the baby chipmunk first, the cat or I? It was close. I had to bat the cat a time or two to keep it away from the chipmunk, and let me tell you, little chipmunks are fast! My neighbors must have thought I was crazy crawling under all of the cars. After several failed attempts to catch it, I remembered I had a drink cup in my car. The drink cup was just the right high-tech piece of equipment I needed to catch the little fellow. (See! There is a reason for not cleaning your car.) With the second swoop of the cup, the little chipmunk was captured and safe from the cat. The next morning I brought the chipmunk into the Nature Center, and we (well, mostly Courtney) nursed him back to health. Besides a few scratches, he wasn’t in too bad of shape. Chipmunks are omnivorous and in the wild eat nuts, seeds of woody and herbaceous plants, mushrooms, berries, corn, apples, peaches, pears, and garden vegetables. They also eat insects, snails, earthworms, millipedes, salamanders, small snakes, frogs, birds’ eggs, and young mice and birds. But we fed the little chipmunk a diet of applesauce and baby cereal until he was feeling better and could eat solid foods. He was the cutest thing. We began calling him Charlie the Chipmunk. We estimated he was about 5 or 6 weeks old because he still had soft baby fur and was about half the size of an adult chipmunk (adults are 8-10” long, including a 3-4” tail, and weigh 2.3 to 4.4 ounces). He had the broad, chisel-

shaped front incisor teeth like those of all rodents, but they had not fully descended. Another good indicator of Charlie’s age is the fact that chipmunks come above ground when they are about six weeks old. This can be a dangerous time for young chipmunks because cats are not their only predator. Weasels, hawks, foxes, bobcats, dogs, raccoons, birds of prey and snakes also prey on chipmunks. We all loved Charlie and enjoyed watching him run on his hamster wheel. Some lucky visitors and school groups even met Charlie. But last month we said our good-byes and released little Charlie just in front of the Center. Charlie will join all the other chipmunks that

live at Oregon Ridge Park. The home range of a chipmunk is usually about half an acre, but

individual home ranges overlap. Just in front of the Nature Center you will see many

chipmunks scurrying around with their tails held high. Some of their burrows can be found near the steps to the picnic area. Typically the burrow opening is about 2” wide and is hidden under a rock, stump, log, or at the base of a fence post or a wall. Burrows can become quite complex

and may extend for up to 30 feet, sometimes branching into offshoot

tunnels with separate entrances. Nest chambers are lined with crumbled dry leaves

and grass, and food chambers can be quite large and capable of holding up to half a bushel of nuts and

seeds. The nest and food chambers can go as far as three feet down. With all of the chipmunks I’ve seen near the Center this year, we must have an elaborate labyrinth of burrows beneath our feet. We were tempted to keep little Charlie, but he has a much greater purpose. You see, all of those seeds little Charlie and his friends stuff in their cheek pouches do more than keep them fed through the winter. Some of the seeds go uneaten and get moved around and buried in the forest. Some of these seeds sprout and become new trees. So in addition to being an important food source for other mammals, chipmunks are also valuable forest creatures for their planting ability. Hopefully, Charlie did not end up as someone’s dinner, though typically chipmunks live only about two years. So the next time you come by the Nature Center and see a chipmunk out front, say Hi, because it may be little Charlie. Courtney and I are always calling the chipmunks we see around the Nature Center Charlie. I am sure we have spoken to the real Charlie on more than one occasion! (Photo by Gilles Gonthier)

Einstein is often erroneously quoted as saying, ‘If the bee became extinct, man would only survive a few years beyond it.’’ Although there is no proof whatsoever that Einstein made any such statement concerning bee and man, the quote is nonetheless close to the truth. The honeybee is gradually disappearing, and since it is the most prolific pollinator in the bee family, with it will go many plants, the animals that thrive on those plants, a sizable percentage of valuable crops that sustain us worldwide, both physically and economically, and of course, honey. So the little buzzer deserves a celebration, and that is just what we will do at our 29th Annual Honey Harvest Festival on October 2nd and 3rd? We will celebrate the encouraging research that’s going on to find ways to save the honeybee, and we will celebrate the beekeepers who are crucial in these efforts. Not only do beekeepers spend a lot of time transporting bees to pollinate fields of crops, they are usually the first to notice problems or changes in the bee universe. Visitors to the festival can get up close and personal with local beekeepers, who will be there to educate and show off their handiwork with honeybee by-products such as homemade

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HONEY HARVESt FEStIVAl NEEdS VOluNtEERS!

CAN YOu HElP?

The 2010 Annual Honey Harvest Festival, taking place on October 2 and 3, is a family tradition for many. Make it one of your family traditions by attending this year. Volunteers are needed to help cook and serve hotdogs, make apple cider, sell raffle tickets, and direct cars for parking. If you can volunteer, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator Jeanne Cole via the Nature Center (410-887-1815).

BRING YOuR HONEY tO tHE HONEY HARVESt FEStIVAl

October 2 and 3, 10 Am to 4 Pm

beeswax candles and ornaments and jars of sweet honey and honeycomb. You can go home with some unique gifts and some interesting facts about the source of the gifts. Beekeeping isn’t the only craft of antiquity that we commemorate at our annual Honey Harvest Festival. We will

celebrate and demonstrate old-fashioned, hand-pressed cider making, wool spinning, pottery making, and blacksmithing. Throw in some rousing bluegrass music, a few noisy battles between the Rebs and the Yanks, a petting zoo, tasty hotdogs topped with honey mustard, funny puppet shows, hayrides, raffles, a bird’s eye view of a vulture or hawk, and a photo opt shaking hands with 2010 American Honey Princess

Amy Roden, and we have ourselves a FESTIVAL. Please join us on the first weekend in October, anytime between 10 AM and 4 PM. Don’t forget to bring your honey, your friends, and your family.

CHARlIE tHE CHIPmuNKby Shannon Davis

Sept/Oct 2010 Sept/Oct 2010

Buz

z on over to the Honey Harvest Festival. It’s FuN and it’s FREE!

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2010 SCHOlARSHIP WINNERS ANNOuNCEd!By Dr. Polly Roberts, Scholarship Chair

The Oregon Ridge Nature Center Council has awarded scholarships to three seniors who graduated from Baltimore County schools, have demonstrated an excellent academic record and commitment to the environment, and who plan to major in environmental studies in college. This is the sixteenth consecutive year that the Council has awarded scholarships to deserving seniors from Baltimore City and County. Each of the successful candidates pictured below has received a $3000 award. An additional student will receive funding as the result of a continuing, dedicated scholarship. Megan Milliken has been awarded $1000 from the Getty

Dutrow Mullan Scholarship for her junior year at Washington College, where she is majoring in environmental science with a concentration in Chesapeake Regional Studies. Megan’s primary interest is in achieving environmental conservation through policies and legislation. Congratulations to our committed and accomplished scholarship recipients! The Council extends its heartfelt gratitude to all who contribute so generously to our scholarship fund. Because of you, we are able to help these deserving young people realize their dreams.

Catonsville High School graduate Lindsay Land will major in outdoor leader-ship at Warren Wilson College. Concerned about the growing problem of “nature deficiency disorder” in today’s youngsters, who spend endless hours indoors with their electronic devices, Lindsay plans to educate children about nature.

Hereford High School graduate Erin Spencer will major in Environmental Science at the College of William and Mary. She hopes to be a Marine Biologist, utilizing her photography skills to educate and inspire others to protect our troubled oceans.

Richard Nevin Kerr, III, a Loyola Blakefield graduate, will study Environmental Engineering at the Univer-sity of Maryland in College Park. His career goal is to develop environmentally friendly products that will reduce pollution of the oceans and the Chesapeake Bay.

Sept/Oct 2010

The morning of Music in the Woods 2010 dawned with sunny skies. Enticed by inviting, cool temperatures, visitors began pouring in at 10 AM and attendance was steady — 641 music lovers overall. This free, annual May event gets bigger each year! The word is out that it’s fun and family-friendly. New attractions included StarmanJER and his solar oven, sundial craft and sun-scope. Music-Go-Round provided instruments for a musical “petting-zoo,” and the Master Gardeners gave out tips for home gardening. First-time performers Pete Yorko, Mark Surgies, and the band High Strung added a special touch. We hope they return in 2011. We welcomed back many beloved bands, including the New Southern Cow Tippers, Painted Trillium, Loony Tunes,

Gary AndersonGriff AtkinsonLaurie BallentineBryan BurnsAnne and Noot CanolesJeanne ColeJim CurtisJackie DevineJerry FeldmanMary GenoveseFrank Wolfchild GreeneChristopher JamesAnn and Jack Kerns

Walter MasseyAlaina and Erin McClearyAndi MusserBen PoscoverDave PowersKatrina RestivoJohn SmothersMark SurgiesRashid TalebMegan WeerenEmily and Jennifer WittPete Yorko

Master Gardeners of Baltimore County Carroll County Cloggers Kristin, Rob and Susan Meyer (Painted Trillium) John Meredith and members of the High Strung BandSandy Hofferth, Howard Zane, Heidi Most, Fred Cherney (New Southern Cow Tippers)Tom Reedy, Jim Bienemann, Alice Rodman, Lisa Roberts (Loony Tunes)Andy Anders, Kirk and Winnie Dreier, Courtney Peed, and guest mandolinist Christopher James (Oregon Ridge Nature Center Band)ORNC Staff

and the Oregon Ridge Nature Center Band. The Carroll County Cloggers opened the festival with a lively, early morning stomp. Individual crowd favorites Christopher James, Bryan Burns, Frank Wolfchild Greene, Laurie Ballentine, and Jenny and Emily Witt entertained once again. Ben Poscover and Griff Atkinson invited the ORNC Dulcimer Club to perform with them this year. It was “groovy” playing with old friends. All performances are volunteer. If you play in a band or on your own, consider performing next year. We’re always looking for new talent and exciting additions to the agenda. Just let the Nature Center staff know if you would like to participate. If you missed the melodic gala this year, make sure to mark next year’s calendar: Saturday, May 14, 2011.

MUSIC IN THE WOODS the melody Grows

Flute maker/player Bryan Burns is a returning favorite

Painted Trillium warms up

thank You to the Volunteers Who made Music in the Woods Go Round!

Courtney Peed strums her guitar

CANdIdAtE FORum At mARSHY POINt NAtuRE CENtER!Are you green? Are your Candidates for Baltimore County Executive green?

On August 26, at 6:30 PM, you can ask them. County Councilmen Joseph Bartenfelder and Kevin Kamenetz, and former House Delegate Kenneth Holt, will talk about their views on the environment and answer questions. Refreshments served. Call 410 887-2817 for details.

$20 donation goes to educational programming at marshy Point Nature Center.

CO

NGRATULATIONS

EZECKIEl EClARINO: dEStINEd tO BE A RIdGE RuNNER

Ezeckiel Eclarino, or Zeke, has two passions that put him on the Ridge Runner road. First, he is fascinated with animals. At home he cares for hamsters, rabbits, lizards and cats. In his short time here as a Ridgie, he has already picked his favorite animal to care for — the corn snake. He likes books about animals, and when asked what he would like to do when he is older, he answered, I would like to become an ecologist. Volunteering at the Nature Center will help me learn more about the native species of animals and plants. Also I love to work with animals. Now, add in his other passion — having fun — and it becomes destiny.

Zeke attends the Waldorf School of Baltimore, where as a 10th grader he will be encouraged to explore his role in relation to the world. Since he loves science, volunteering at the Nature Center will allow him to learn the interconnections of the natural world. He had been a regular visitor to the Nature Center, and when he noticed other teens working around the building, he decided to join up. He even volunteered to help at our camps this summer. Zeke has more hobbies than most. He’s interested in photography, drawing, camping, and music (hip hop, pop, B.o.B). He is in the fencing program at school, as well as the NASA INSPIRE program. He likes rock climbing and hopes the naturalists will plan a rock climbing trip for the Ridgies. Zeke says he is most proficient in art, playing piano and guitar, inventing, woodcarving, and of course, the computer. (He knows GoLive, Photoshop, Flash, PowerPoint and Word.) He says he’s a pretty good fisherman, too. Oregon Ridge Nature Center is lucky to have such a diverse character as Zeke Eclarino. We hope he sticks around until he heads for college and begins his journey toward becoming an ecologist extraordinaire.

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NEW StAFF ARRIVE OVER SummER

CAmPERS HAVE FuN dESPItE HEAt!

While visiting ORNC on weekends or dropping off your child for camp, you might have noticed some new faces working around the Center. We are happy to introduce three new members to the ORNC team. We hope you become more acquainted with them on your next visit to the park. Caitlin Myers is a new weekend naturalist who recently graduated from Salisbury University with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology. Caitlin, a lifelong animal lover, also works as a vet tech at the Animal Medical Clinic of Dulaney Valley and keeps busy at home caring for five cats, a dog, and two rats. Her future plans are to work in the field of wildlife conservation. In the meantime, we are grateful to have Caitlin on our team for as long as she is willing to stay. Jessie Salmon is our new seasonal naturalist who helped run our summer camps this year. She graduated from Towson University with a Bachelor of Science degree in 2009. She is a true nature lover and wildlife enthusiast, but her main area of study was fish. Jesse studied the Blacknose Dace, extensively focusing on their life cycles and mating habits. Needless to say, she is our new expert on stream life around the park. Jesse has also worked with information at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center Bird Banding Laboratory. She has worked with horses her whole life and has given lessons at her parent’s farm. Her experience with children of all ages has given her a leg up on the area of public service. We hope you will see more of Jesse throughout the rest of the year. Mike Kaufman started at ORNC as our marketing intern. He is really helping to make a name for ORNC, and himself! When Mike expressed an interest in helping with programs,

we said, Why not? He quickly proved to us that he works well with the public and in nature. Mike graduated from Frostburg State University this summer with a degree in mass communications. He will be joining the ORNC team as our new building attendant. If you see a new face at our welcome desk or hear a new voice on the phone, it may just be Mike.

Oregon Ridge Nature Center had another great summer of nature camps. Every camp was quickly filled with eager explorers and most had long wait lists. Naturalists Nate

Lipinski and Jesse Salmon (photo above) kept the campers busy hiking through the park trails and exploring different habitats and environments. Each day highlighted a new theme, which kept their enthusiasm high. The kids never had a dull day! Meadow Madness day included a scavenger hunt to find and I.D. critters and plants. Another day was devoted to What’s in the Water, when the campers seined for fish, crayfish and other aquatic critters. On Predator and Prey day, the kids role-played being hawks and rabbits, running helter-skelter to try to catch or not be caught. Every camper loved the Native American Know How day when they could throw spears, shoot arrows, have their faces painted, and play native games. Although the heat was horrible during some weeks, Nate and Jesse found ways to keep our campers cool and happy. A camper plays the hawk (far left) and chases the

rabbit campers in this predator prey game.

At the October Oregon Ridge Nature Center Council meeting, members will vote on a new slate of officers for 2010-2011. We want to thank Jack Kerns for his effectiveness as President of the Council from 2008 to 2010. Presidents serve a two-year term, and during his tenure, Jack initiated, motivated, and implemented many improvements to the Nature Center and Park. He showed unflagging support for the officers, directors, and committee chairs in all of their efforts. Super job, Jack! The Oregon Ridge Nature Center Council is pleased to announce the following Slate of Officers for 2010 – 2011.

Sept/Oct 2010 Sept/Oct 2010

President Jim CurtisVice President Erin McClearySecretary Ann KernsTreasurer Anne CanolesDirectors: Mike Burns, Sherry Lyons, Jack Kerns

COuNCIl tHANKS JACK KERNS, ANNOuNCES NEW SlAtE OF OFFICER

Congratulations to our Past

and Future Officers!

Resting along the trail not only helped the children regain strength, but also gave them the opportunity to experience nature through their five senses, especially hearing, smelling, and touching. Also, in addition to stream searches that were planned for the worst days, there was always time to take a dip in the lake at Oregon Ridge Beach — a perfect way to end a scorching, afternoon hike. All in all, our campers enjoyed a varied menu of nature experiences! If your child did not get a chance to experience our super nature camps this year, consider becoming a member. Members receive our spring calendar two weeks prior to non-members, giving them ample opportunity to sign-up their children first. We hope to see new and returning faces next year at our Oregon Ridge Nature Center summer camps! afternoon hike.