3.1 Community Partnerships
Summary
CVP actively forms partnerships with community and environmental groups, schools and government entities. These partnerships are summarized below.
Cromwell Valley Park Council
A group of volunteers dedicated to the preservation of CVP and use for environmental education and passive recreation. CVP Council supports park staff and programs with funding and volunteers, equipment, staff professional development.
Baltimore County Public Schools
-- Office of Science uses CVP as a host site for Stream Investigations for high schoolers (since 2013)
-- CVP is host site for BCPS field trips on BioBlitz for 5th graders
-- CVP has worked with BCPS to support Environmental Literacy standards as a provider
-- Special in-school programming for students
-- Professional development for teachers
Gunpowder Valley Conservancy
-- Sponsors annual tree plantings in the park to expand our stream buffers
-- Maintains trees on CVP property
-- We provide meeting space in Sherwood Mansion
France-Merrick Foundation
-- Provided funding for the lime kiln restoration
Towson University
-- TU's annual "Big Event" provides CVP with hundreds of volunteers for maintenance and park clean-up
-- Project Serve brings over 100 TU freshmen to the park for service projects
-- Student volunteers help with community festivals like CVP's Fall Harvest Festival
Baltimore Bird Club
-- Partner in leading bird walks once a week during spring and fall migration and encouraging the use of CVP eBird monitoring trails
Girl Scouts
-- We provide merit badge help and nature programs
-- We advise Gold Award Projects
Boy Scouts
-- We provide camping opportunities and merit badge help
-- We supervise Eagle Scout and Life Scout projects
-- Planted 10 new apple trees in the Sherwood Orchard in 2021
Hampton Garden Club
-- Partnering with Pinehurst Nurseries, took on a major renovation of our Native Plants beds in the Children's Garden (2016-ongoing)
-- Donated new native plants
Halton Garden Club
-- Maintains herb garden in front of Sherwood Mansion
REI
-- We provide space for team-building meetings at picnic areas and fire rings
-- They supply tents and sleeping bags for our family camp-outs and funding for habitat projects
Oberon Associates
-- Partners with us in the Children's Garden by planting heirloom vegetable varieties since 2011
JOINS (Juvenile Offenders In Need of Supervision)
-- We provide supervised community service in the Children's Garden on a regular basis, March through November, since 2010.
-- They conduct a stream clean-up once a year.
-- We look forward to this group of hard-working high school students who share the success of working hard and making a contribution.
University of Maryland Extension, Maryland Master Naturalist Program
-- We collaborated with Marshy Point Nature Center to offer Maryland Master Naturalist classes in 2017. We enjoy the contribution they make to our park in activities like: monitoring bluebird boxes, assisting with school field trips, helping to plan and maintain the Children's Garden, and developing interpretive displays and signs in the Nature Education Center and Children's Garden.
Phoenix Wildlife Rehabilitation
-- They made presentations at our Fall Harvest Festival and Migration Celebration
-- They donated an opossum to our Nature Center
Itineris
-- We provided a work site for young adults with autism. They worked with us and their job coaches in the Children's Garden, where they learned garden maintenance and life skills.
University of Maryland Extension, Maryland Master Gardener Program
-- We frequently access the online information provided by the Master Gardener program for our agricultural programs.
University of Maryland Extension, Grow It Eat It Program
-- We frequently access the online information provided by Grow It Eat It for growing vegetables in the Children's Garden. Grow It Eat It staff have visited CVP and complimented our garden practices.
Lutherville Garden Club
-- Assisted Boy Scouts with planting 10 new apple trees in the Sherwood Orchard in 2021.
Wild Birds Unlimited
-- Donated 4 bluebird boxes in 2021.
Notre Dame Prep
-- Green School Committee, along with the Environmental Club removed trash and garbage in the Willow Grove area of the park, especially bordering Cromwell Bridge Road.
-- NDP students have been involved at the park in their WINternship programs. In 2021, a rising senior volunteered as a camp counselor for the nature camps. Another worked on website enhancements, social media postings and took digital photography images throughout the park for our marketing efforts.
-- The AP Environmental Science class has two main tasks at the park, both working with the Department of Environmental Protection. The first is working on water quality testing, solutions and potential improvements of the Minebank Run. The second is identifying invasive and native species of vegetation in the park and clearing out sections of invasives.
Dr. Bill Schindler
-- Archeologist and primitive technologist provides expertise for the Primitive Technology Weekend annually
Volunteers
-- Maintain Children's Garden and trails
-- Maintain gardening equipment and machinery
-- Lead field trips
-- Teens help in the Nature Center by feeding the animals, preparing crafts, cleaning up and assisting naturalists.
-- Summer volunteers assist as summer camp, help in the Nature Center and work in the Children's Garden
A group of volunteers dedicated to the preservation of CVP and use for environmental education and passive recreation. CVP Council supports park staff and programs with funding and volunteers, equipment, staff professional development.
Baltimore County Public Schools
-- Office of Science uses CVP as a host site for Stream Investigations for high schoolers (since 2013)
-- CVP is host site for BCPS field trips on BioBlitz for 5th graders
-- CVP has worked with BCPS to support Environmental Literacy standards as a provider
-- Special in-school programming for students
-- Professional development for teachers
Gunpowder Valley Conservancy
-- Sponsors annual tree plantings in the park to expand our stream buffers
-- Maintains trees on CVP property
-- We provide meeting space in Sherwood Mansion
France-Merrick Foundation
-- Provided funding for the lime kiln restoration
Towson University
-- TU's annual "Big Event" provides CVP with hundreds of volunteers for maintenance and park clean-up
-- Project Serve brings over 100 TU freshmen to the park for service projects
-- Student volunteers help with community festivals like CVP's Fall Harvest Festival
Baltimore Bird Club
-- Partner in leading bird walks once a week during spring and fall migration and encouraging the use of CVP eBird monitoring trails
Girl Scouts
-- We provide merit badge help and nature programs
-- We advise Gold Award Projects
Boy Scouts
-- We provide camping opportunities and merit badge help
-- We supervise Eagle Scout and Life Scout projects
-- Planted 10 new apple trees in the Sherwood Orchard in 2021
Hampton Garden Club
-- Partnering with Pinehurst Nurseries, took on a major renovation of our Native Plants beds in the Children's Garden (2016-ongoing)
-- Donated new native plants
Halton Garden Club
-- Maintains herb garden in front of Sherwood Mansion
REI
-- We provide space for team-building meetings at picnic areas and fire rings
-- They supply tents and sleeping bags for our family camp-outs and funding for habitat projects
Oberon Associates
-- Partners with us in the Children's Garden by planting heirloom vegetable varieties since 2011
JOINS (Juvenile Offenders In Need of Supervision)
-- We provide supervised community service in the Children's Garden on a regular basis, March through November, since 2010.
-- They conduct a stream clean-up once a year.
-- We look forward to this group of hard-working high school students who share the success of working hard and making a contribution.
University of Maryland Extension, Maryland Master Naturalist Program
-- We collaborated with Marshy Point Nature Center to offer Maryland Master Naturalist classes in 2017. We enjoy the contribution they make to our park in activities like: monitoring bluebird boxes, assisting with school field trips, helping to plan and maintain the Children's Garden, and developing interpretive displays and signs in the Nature Education Center and Children's Garden.
Phoenix Wildlife Rehabilitation
-- They made presentations at our Fall Harvest Festival and Migration Celebration
-- They donated an opossum to our Nature Center
Itineris
-- We provided a work site for young adults with autism. They worked with us and their job coaches in the Children's Garden, where they learned garden maintenance and life skills.
University of Maryland Extension, Maryland Master Gardener Program
-- We frequently access the online information provided by the Master Gardener program for our agricultural programs.
University of Maryland Extension, Grow It Eat It Program
-- We frequently access the online information provided by Grow It Eat It for growing vegetables in the Children's Garden. Grow It Eat It staff have visited CVP and complimented our garden practices.
Lutherville Garden Club
-- Assisted Boy Scouts with planting 10 new apple trees in the Sherwood Orchard in 2021.
Wild Birds Unlimited
-- Donated 4 bluebird boxes in 2021.
Notre Dame Prep
-- Green School Committee, along with the Environmental Club removed trash and garbage in the Willow Grove area of the park, especially bordering Cromwell Bridge Road.
-- NDP students have been involved at the park in their WINternship programs. In 2021, a rising senior volunteered as a camp counselor for the nature camps. Another worked on website enhancements, social media postings and took digital photography images throughout the park for our marketing efforts.
-- The AP Environmental Science class has two main tasks at the park, both working with the Department of Environmental Protection. The first is working on water quality testing, solutions and potential improvements of the Minebank Run. The second is identifying invasive and native species of vegetation in the park and clearing out sections of invasives.
Dr. Bill Schindler
-- Archeologist and primitive technologist provides expertise for the Primitive Technology Weekend annually
Volunteers
-- Maintain Children's Garden and trails
-- Maintain gardening equipment and machinery
-- Lead field trips
-- Teens help in the Nature Center by feeding the animals, preparing crafts, cleaning up and assisting naturalists.
-- Summer volunteers assist as summer camp, help in the Nature Center and work in the Children's Garden
Halton Garden Club maintains the Sherwood Herb Garden. JOINS tackles invasive vines.
Hampton Garden Club and Pinehurst Nurseries renovated our Native Plant Garden.
Towson University arrives in droves!!!
Young adults from Itineris learned life skills in the Children's Garden. JOINS helps with summer weeding.
Bob Eder and Wayne Skinner maintain the trails and take on construction projects. Officers Jen Scott and Paul Oswald supervise the JOINS program in the garden.
Thom Grizzard is known as the "Ambassador of the Children's Garden" for the countless hours he volunteers and the visitors he reaches. Teen volunteers are a huge help with craft projects with the Children's Garden Club!