Filed under: Baltimore Gardens And Parks | Tags: Baltimore Composting Toilets, Cylburn Arboretum, Green Building
Grand Opening of the The Vollmer Center at Cylburn Arboretum Saturday, May 1st
Grand Opening –
The Vollmer Center
Saturday May 1, 2010
11:00 am – 12:30 pm
Ribbon Cutting and Dedication
12:30 pm – 5:00 pm
Celebration Events and Family Activities, Family Garden Events, Exhibits, Demonstrations, Food and Nature Museum.
From the Baltimore Messenger:
Now, after being closed since the fall of 2008 for a $6 million expansion and renovation, the city-owned arboretum reopens officially May 1, with a visitor center; a classroom addition to the greenhouse; a repaved, two-lane road; two parking lots; new underground water, telephone and electrical lines; and Baltimore’s first composting bathrooms.
To visit the Cylburn Arboretum’s website, CLICK HERE.
Filed under: Biking In Baltimore | Tags: Baltimore Cycling, Biking, Michael Byrne Citypaper, One Less Car
Citypaper Calls For Cyclists To Speak Up For Better Baltimore Bicycling
In a thorough review of the status of cycling in Baltimore by columnist Michael Byrne in a recent article in the Baltimore Citypaper, Byrne points out how far we’ve come and how much further we need to go to become a city that is safe for the bicycle commuter. He points out that surprisingly Baltimore ranks 11th in the nation for those who bike or walk for transportation, but 33rd in the amount the state spends on bike and pedestrian funding.
Byrne speaks about the accomplishments of One Less Car, nonprofit advocacy voice of bicycles and pedestrians in Maryland, such as the 3-foot passing law, but also points out:
-It is largely focused on state issues, and as One Less Car Executive Director Carol Silldorff notes, “I’m a one-person staff.” While there is an expectation among many riders in Baltimore that Evans is the be-all end-all of making Baltimore a better place, he is quick to say, “I can do so much, but I can’t do everything.” Evans mentions the Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Committee, a close-knit group of City Hall insiders that makes recommendations to city government. However, “the group is still within the city government,” Evans says. “They can only do so much.” He then hesitates slightly and adds, “They don’t want to step on any toes.”
What Baltimore cyclists need is someone stepping on toes, fighting constantly at City Hall.
For the full article in the Citypaper, CLICK HERE.
Filed under: Events, Remington 25th Street Station | Tags: 25th Street Station, Baltimore Walmart Remington, Belinda Conaway, Bmore Local
Meet Bmore Local at Free Film Screening
On April 19th Councilwoman Belinda Conaway introduced to the City Council a PUD (Planned Unit Development) for the proposed 25th Street Station Wal-Mart development project in downtown Baltimore. This introduction of the PUD to City Council is the first step in getting the project approved for the required zoning changes. Although these things generally take time to go through various committees and then hearings before they are approved, there is a lot of pressure from the developers to move this particular piece of legislation along quickly.
On Tuesday, April 27,2010 Bmore Local is holding a free film screening for Wal-Mart: The High Cost Of Low Prices at the 2640 Space in Charles Village. Come check out the film and discover what kind of an impact a Wal-Mart could have on your environment. In addition, meet members of Bmore Local and learn how you can get involved in the group who opposes the proposed 25th Street Station Wal-Mart development as it currently stands.
Bmore Local is a coalition of residents, businesses and community leaders in Baltimore who have come together to promote smart development, good jobs and healthy neighborhoods in Baltimore City.
Filed under: Biking In Baltimore, Birding In Baltimore | Tags: Baltimore Earth Day, Jones Falls Trail, Maryland Birding, Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Happy Earth Day Baltimore
In celebration of Earth Day, Baltidome would like to share with you some images of Yellow-crowned Night Herons, a group of which are currently nesting along the Jones Falls Trail in downtown Baltimore.
The Yellow-crowned Night Heron (Nyctanassa violacea) is a night-feeding heron, generally found in swamps along the coastline. They tend to nest in groups and both male and female build their nests, incubate the eggs and feed their young.
According to the Atlas of the breeding birds of Maryland and the District of Columbia, the Yellow-crowned Night Heron is “the rarest colonial nesting heron in Maryland. It is locally common in the lower part of the Chesapeake Bay and rare in the rest of the state”. The surge in coastal development in the last century has forced the Yellow-crowned Night Herons into urban and residential areas and in close proximity to humans. The existence of these birds in our city should be a reminder of how finite our natural resources truly are.
Filed under: Events | Tags: Baltimore Ravens Earth Day, Gwynns Falls Trail, Parks and People Foundation
Ravens Go Green On Earth Day
(Media-Newswire.com) – The Baltimore Ravens are teaming with M&T Bank to tackle an Earth Day beautification project on the Gwynns Falls Trail on Thursday, April 22. Baltimore City Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake will be in attendance at 2 p.m. to join the service effort.
Coordinated by the Parks & People Foundation, close to 100 volunteers will collaborate in several service activities, including landscaping, trash removal and tree care, in an effort to revitalize Baltimore’s unique urban environment, cultural resource and historic landmark. In addition, a number of volunteers will man canoes to remove litter contaminating a lake alongside the Trail.
The Gwynns Falls Trail is a continuous recreation corridor that connects over 30 neighborhoods in West and Southwest Baltimore. Local residents and visitors are able to bike, hike, rollerblade, fish, picnic, watch for birds and other wildlife, undertake environmental education activities, enjoy nature, host community festivals and meet friends and neighborhood residents along this coveted neighborhood Trail.
WHERE: Gwynns Falls Trail ( Carroll Park Golf Course entrance )
2100 Washington Blvd.
Baltimore, MD 21230
WHEN: Thursday, April 22, 2010
1:00 p.m. Volunteer arrival
1:30 p.m. Volunteers to worksites
2:00 p.m. Mayor Rawlings-Blake on site
Filed under: News, Remington 25th Street Station | Tags: 25th Street Station PUD, Baltimore Walmart Development, Belinda Conaway, church, Remington, WV Urban Development
Wal-mart Project Developers Would Demolish 19th Century Church
Despite repeated pleas by Remington community members, the former Royer’s Hill Methodist Episcopal Church will not be saved if WV Urban Development has its way. You wouldn’t know it though, by looking at current designs for the development, which show a church-like structure at it’s location.
The viable 19th century stone building, which would likely far outlast any new structure built at the site under natural forces, is located at the corner of 24th and Sisson Streets and is currently being used as a storage space. In February, Baltimore Hertage, a citywide, nonprofit historic and architectural preservation organization, came out in solidarity with residents and stated on their blog that the church “should be preserved and utilized to help establish a successful transition between the large commercial development and the historic residential Remington neighborhood”.
The developers of the proposed 25th Street Station apparently lack the creativity to incorporate the building into their ground plan and continue with their intention to demolish the church as they are gearing to present the project to the City Council. In last week’s meeting with residents, a member of the WV Urban Development team explained that the building “can not be saved” and in exchange they are considering creating a facade in the form of the church in order “to maintain the original character of the corner”, which is the church-like configuration rendered in the current plan.
The bulldozing of the church raises further questions about the developer’s ability to respectfully reconcile community concerns about the controversial development. A rally is being held Monday at City Hall at 4pm before the anticipated introduction of the Planned Unit Development (PUD) for the development by City Council Member Belinda Conaway to the Baltimore City Council. Community members who are concerned about the development are encouraged to attend the rally, which is organized by Bmore Local, and urge City Council not to approve the PUD unless certain demands by the community are met.[tweetmeme http://www.URL.com]
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