Summer Sustainability Highlights
Guest Post by Natalie Yee, Environmental Program Manager
It’s been a summer of sustainability at CA! The high temperatures are no match for our Open Space team – they’re dedicated to making each summer one for the books ☀️ . Here’s a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes action.
A barking good time
We had a great turnout for our tree planting event at Hopewell Meadow (one of many). Thanks to your help, we planted and mulched 58 trees 🌳.
New Weed Warriors
Welcoming new CA volunteers is always a cause for celebration. Shout-out to the newest class of Weed Warriors and their incredible commitment to our environment!
Adopt a Spot awesomeness
Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do here at CA, but we can’t do it alone. It warms our hearts to see families like the Cohens spend their summer helping to beautify the community! Weed Warrior Loni and her sons braved the heat this summer to care for an Adopt a Spot near Donleigh Pond 💚.
More volunteer love
Pull and Plant events involve pulling out invasive plant species and replacing them with beneficial native species. This helps attract and sustain more wildlife and increase biodiversity in the area. We are so grateful for all of the volunteers who came out this summer to help us achieve these important goals! Check out CA’s Events Calendar for upcoming Pull and Plant events.
New AC at AC
What’s so exciting about installing new high efficiency dual fuel heat pumps? Reducing fossil fuel use, saving money and providing a comfortable experience for our Athletic Club members are just a few reasons.
The ultimate clean-up
Our Open Space team puts in long hours to prepare the Lakefront to welcome tens of thousands of visitors on July 4th. Thanks to their hard work, it looks like nothing even happened the next day 😉.
Go Green night
This year’s Lakefront Live line-up included a special Go Green night. The CA Sustainability team had a blast making native seed packets with the community 🌱.
Pollinator wins
Several eastern monarch butterflies were spotted on swamp milkweed planted by CA’s landscape services team on Lake Kittamaqundi 🦋. It’s amazing to see CA’s efforts to plant native species attract pollinators whose populations are threatened.
An exciting upgrade to Lake Elkhorn
This summer, we were so excited to win a grant for $35,000 from the Chesapeake Bay Trust. This grant will help us finalize the plan for a walkable pollinator and rain garden at Lake Elkhorn. Learn all about the sustainability benefits of this project here.
That “first fish” feeling
CA has a longstanding partnership with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to offer Hooked on Fishing, a free fishing program for kids in the community. This year’s fin-tastic events took place at Wilde Lake, Lake Elkhorn and Jackson Pond 🐟.
Tackling litter, together
Trash pick ups – in our streams in particular – are an important way to help our local environment 🌎. This helps ensure that litter is properly disposed of, minimizes potential excess nutrients that are flowing in our streams and lessens the potential that wildlife eat non-edible items. We partnered with a number of local organizations to help achieve this goal!
Caring for nature’s mirror
Ever wonder how Columbia’s lakes stay so clean and healthy? Every day, CA’s Open Space team gives Columbia’s lakes some sustainable TLC 💙.
A new resource on invasive species for residents
Many of you have asked how to help CA protect the open space we love and cherish from invasive species. This summer, we were proud to roll out CA’s resource and reference guide, which covers the best practices for managing common invasives found in Columbia.
A successful Lakefront Live season
Preparing the Downtown Columbia Lakefront for 60 free events is no small feat. But it’s all in a summer’s work for CA’s Open Space crew, who keep the Lakefront looking immaculate for the community to enjoy 🎉.
So. much. mowing.
Each and every day, CA’s Open Space team contributes to a more beautiful community by mowing, pruning and weeding 3,600 acres of open space.
