Carrie Murray's July Newsletter 🌞

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Another successful year of summer camp ended and we were grateful to hold space for 130 campers to wildly experience the natural world! As the fall season unfolds, and families settle into the school year, we look forward to offering programs and events that keep our sense of community and connection to the natural world strong. Look out for opportunities to reflect on and enjoy the beauty of autumn changes, such as warm campfires, colorful forest hikes, and encounters with local wildlife.
We hope to see you here!

Can you think of ways you can step away from technology and step into nature?

Click on the calendar icon for our September Events!

On our website, we use a traditional calendar view to display all of our upcoming events. Take a look at what we have planned for September!

Highlights from August

We were overjoyed to host special students from the Johns Hopkins University Whiting School of Engineering YES! Connect Program. These intelligent and talented young students had the opportunity to explore Gwynn’s Falls Leakin Park with the Wild Adventures Summer Camp. Through nature based art projects, outdoor exploration and play, and intentional learning activities, they began to form new connections with the park and relate STEM learning objectives to tangible environmental experiences.

This Summer we served over 200 inner city children between ages of 5 to 12. Children from Chic Webb Recreation Center had hands-on experiences with artifacts and got a chance to meet live animals from the Carrie Murray Nature Center's collection during an engaging visit with our naturalist Sarah.

Did you know Periodical cicada populations emerge from underground as an nymphs all at once in the same year because they are developmentally synchronized? Nymphs like to climb the nearest available tree, and begin to shed their nymph exoskeleton. this process normally takes an hour however our curious campers took minutes to create a Shell shirt with Amber our naturalist.

shout - out a big hip hip hooray for these two wild adventure campers that worked together finding balance using the tools of nature.

Shinrin-Yoku- "taking in the forest atmosphere". Ted Martello of Tree Baltimore guided a group of hikers on a nature therapy wonderland. Forest bathing is an open ended practice that can have a positive effect on cardiovascular and immune systems as well as improving mood and cognition. The benefits of a nature therapy walk are limitless!

On the Horizon
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We are very excited to host the 7^th annual Mushroom City Art Festival! This event will be on Saturday, October 5^th, from 1:00- 9:00 PM. There will be a lot of inspiring and fun activities, speakers, and educational engagement. Look out for all day events, such as yoga, art, plays, hikes, delicious food offerings, and documentary screenings. Come join us for this special opportunity to learn about the medicinal, culinary, and ecological benefits of the Fungi Kingdom, and to spend a peaceful, beautiful, and healing day full of nature and community connection.

This is a free and donation based event.
Please visit http://mushroomcityartfestival.org/
for more information or Mushroom City Art Festival on Facebook.

On Saturday, October 5^th, the Carrie Murray Nature Center will be attending the Urban Bird Fest Celebration with Friends of Stony Run Park. The event will be from 1:00-4:00 PM, and we will be bringing a special animal ambassador. Come join us to learn about this fascinating bird that is native to our forests!

Eastern Screech Owl

Seasonal Changes
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As local wildlife uses the months of fall to prepare for winter, traces of their activity can be found throughout the park. The key to making special finds and awe-inspiring observations in nature is to move mindfully. Taking your time to walk slowly and intentionally through the forest as you quietly use your senses to observe the vibrant world around you will often bring great rewards. While hiking with students and campers, we often take time for silent hiking or quiet nature sit-spots. This August, we observed a juvenile Black Rat Snake spiraling up the branches of a Magnolia Tree. Black Rat Snakes tend to present with a dark brown pattern on their backs until they begin to exceed 2.5 feet in length. After this, their color starts darkening into the glossy black that we are familiar with.

We'll see you on the trails!
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Carrie Murray Nature Center
1901 Ridgetop Rd. Baltimore, MD 21207
Monday - Friday: 9am - 4pm
Saturday: 10am - 3pm
Second Sundays: 10am - 3pm

Thank you!