Last Updated on June 27, 2017

Our last Nature Trail Committee blog input was in April, just prior to our Wildflower Day celebration on April 20, which went off very nicely. Mother Nature again graced us with her ephemeral presence. Since then a lot has been happening. Our specialty gardens are all looking beautiful in June. The Butterfly Garden has many types of flowers in bloom, with coneflowers currently dominating and a rear echelon of milkweed ready to bloom. The Wildflower Garden is dominated currently by coneflowers and daisy asters (fleabane), with some of the latter rising to 6′ tall. Swamp milkweed and pokeweed form the rear echelon in this garden, along with about a dozen small trees which have been planted here before they are moved to permanent homes. The Rock Garden continues to be a thing of beauty on the Nature Trail, under the Herbert’s Run – St. Charles skywalk. We also have a small new garden being developed around the Nature Trail sign behind Cross Creek where folks can access the middle parts of the Trail.

There were two accidents since April – One a broken ankle due to slipping on a wet wooden stair step on the Trail access from Cross Creek, and the other a tipped-over EMV out on the Lake Trail. Both accidents, and others elsewhere on campus, indicate a definite need for improved new emergency pendants which have GPS capability, and these have been requested by the Residents Council for inclusion in the FY18 Charlestown budget. The slippery wooden steps associated with the Trail have now been covered with skid-resistant colored tape.

Nine tree identification signs have been placed in windows of the high skywalks between Edgewood & Brookside and Herbert’s Run & The St. Charles. The signs are small, but informative, and are placed directly in front of the tree identified. At least a few additional signs are planned for the same walkways.

A new group has been formed on campus – The Tree Working Group (called the TWiG). It is composed of Charlestown, contractor, and Catonsville personnel who have expertise and interest in our campus trees. The purpose of the advisory group is to help develop a more efficient, planned tree program on campus. The first major action was to photographically document and map all trees on the main part of campus which are dead, dying, or otherwise pose a hazard. The trees were individually prioritized for removal, and contractor cost estimates were made on a per tree basis. This information was made available to the Residents Council via the Grounds Committee and inputted to Management for inclusion in the FY18 budget process.

Lastly, a new document is being made available to residents and staff. It is called Eco-Charlestown, and it deals with virtually every environmental aspect of Charlestown. It also includes lists of the trees, birds, and mammals of the Charlestown campus.

Bert Clegern
Co-Chairman
Nature Trail Committee