Groundwork USA Newsletter                                   Winter 2012/13
Hello!
Portland 2012
Building Rain Barrels in Portland

Though the chill of winter is upon us, we are taking the opportunity to warm up with some news and memories from summer and fall 2012. 

From hands-on youth trail improvement projects to tree plantings and energy efficiency programs, last year was filled with fantastic outcomes across the network, a good deal of hard work, and plenty of fun. We also welcomed two new Trusts into our growing network: Groundwork Cincinnati - Mill Creek and Groundwork Richmond, Virginia.

Please take a moment to read about what we've been up to and look out for more news from us as we ramp up our 2013 projects and programs.
 
Best,
The Groundwork USA Team - Rick, Anjali, Kate & Curt
In This Issue
GW Elizabeth at Morristown NHP
GW Dona Ana's Grecia Nunez & the Sierra Vista Trail
GW Bridgeport at Goosetown Park
GW Somerville's Grand 2012
GW Anacostia & the Ticket to Ride
GW Denver Wins State-wide Award!
GW Richmond CA Greening Richmond
GW Hudson Valley in Downtown Yonkers
 
 
 

Groundwork Trust News

Groundwork Elizabeth Takes Part in Post-Sandy Clean-up      

The Groundwork Elizabeth Green Team spent time this summer at nearby Morristown National Historical Park in New Jersey doing trail repair, helping out at the Cross Estate Gardens, and learning about rehabilitating birds of prey at the Raptor Trust. With Hurricane Sandy having wreaked considerable havoc in the region in the fall, the Groundwork Elizabeth Green Team continued work through the winter to help with post-Sandy clean-up work needed at the Park. For more information about Groundwork Elzabeth's great programs, click here.

 



Groundwork Doa Ana Youth Director Grecia Nunez talks about working on the Sierra Vista Trail in Doa Ana, NM

Sierra Vista 2

Have you ever seen the expression on the face of someone who just came to the conclusion that they might have underestimated a challenge? Well standing at the half-way point of a 9 mile stretch of trail that they were to remediate and maintain, the GWDA Green Team all sported that expression on their face. It was only ten o'clock in the morning and already 100 degrees outside; the dry New Mexican summer was greeting the GWDA Green Team with no mercy. The 14 Las Cruces youth were challenged beyond their expectations of the journey they thought they had signed up for when they got hired to work the Sierra Vista Trail (SVT) Project. The youth left their sweat and hard work on the rough terrain of the Sierra Vista Trail and their ideas and opinions were incorporated into the completion of the project, from the planning stages to on-the-ground work, all while developing their professional skills.

 

In the end, Groundwork Do�a Ana County remediated 9 miles oSierra Vista 1f the Sierra Vista Trail, which included designating trailheads and parking areas, removing large rocks and invasive species, addressing erosion problems, and installing informational kiosks. The GWDA Green Team also built 1.5 miles of trail across "A-Mountain" located west of the Sierra Vista Trail. The 14 Green Team members became great friends while completing the Sierra Vista Trail work, and through their communication skills and problem solving training, they were able to surpass the expectations of all the project's stakeholders. Working together and striving for success allowed the GWDA Green Team to learn about the importance of community and the environment. The project was completed with the help of the Bureau of Land Management's Las Cruces District Office, the Talavera community, and local hikers and bikers, thanks to a New Mexico Youth Conservation Corps Grant. For more about Groundwork Doa Ana, click here.
  
Also, a hearty welcome to new Executive Director Tim Fulton, and many thanks and best wishes to departing ED Denice Hardy!


Bridgeport Goosetown Park 2012Goosetown Park & Greening Bridgeport, CT

Goosetown Park was originally dedicated to the memory of Tim and Kim Donnelly who were brutally murdered in their jewelry store in 2005.  Since then, Groundwork Bridgeport has maintained the park in their memory. This year Groundwork took on the needed upgrades and rededicated the park-- the original sign was replaced with a new stone monument that Groundwork selected and arranged to be carved; the park was cleaned and re-landscaped with new shrubs and bushes, and several hundreds of new bulbs were planted. The photo here shows the Donnelly's children, Tara and Eric, unveiling the new stone with assistance from Jack Dillon, along with Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch.

 

Bridgeport GT 2012Groundwork Bridgeport was also featured on the local Channel 12 news with the Mayor marking the planting of the last tree of the year: the 2,441st tree planted in Bridgeport in 2012, far exceeding their goal of 2,012! GW Bridgeport's Green Team planted over 880 of those trees, along with several dozen shrubs, three dozen rose bushes and over 1,000 bulbs.

 

 



Groundwork Somerville Looks Back On 2012    

Groundwork Somerville hit several high points in 2012, most receSomerville GT 2012ntly with celebration of the passage of the Community Preservation Act (CPA) in Somerville by 75% of the vote! The CPA establishes a fund for Open Space, Affordable Housing and Historic Preservation projects, and will be matched by state funds available in 2013. This will help make possible future expansion of the South Street Urban Farm to a neighboring site, tripling our production capacity, and extension of the Community Path, which will complete a linear bicycle/pedestrian park through Somerville to Boston! Right now we are getting ready for the maple syrup harvest. Our Green Team is looking forward to next summer and working again with State and National Partners like the Blessing of the Bay Boathouse, Olmsted Center of Landscape Preservation and the Minuteman National Historic Park. A highlight of last summer was working with the National Park Preserver Crew to uncover a little-known site in the Minuteman Park: a 300-year old cattle bridge, made of a single slab of stone (pictured).

 

Click here for more about GW Somerville's projects and programs. 



Washington DC Youth Travel on the Ticket to Ride Program 

Anacostia Tix to Ride 2012

Groundwork Anacostia DC, partnering with Environmentors and Earth Force, took 230 students (3rd to 12th grade) on eight in-park environmental education field trips in the fall of 2012.

 

The National Park Foundation (NPF) asserts that one of the greatest barriers preventing our youth from experiencing the national parks around them is transportation. In light of this fact, NPF awarded grant funding under the Ticket to Ride program to schools, organizations and non-profits around the country to transport 30,000 students to experience their local national parks during the fall.  
 
The students from Washington DC traveled to the Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts in Vienna, Virginia, and participated in a variety of hands-on environmental education activities, including nature hikes, scavenger hunts, learning about tree species, watersheds and pond ecosystems, as well as water monitoring. The younger students even were awarded Junior Ranger badges. The teachers really enjoyed the activities and the children loved being able to run around in all the open space while learning. Everyone had a great time! 
  
Click here for more information about Groundwork Anacostia DC's projects and programs.
 
 


Groundwork Denver Youth Inspire Others to Pursue Energy Efficiency  

Denver Take Charge 2012

  
Take Charge! Student Energy Education and Action program received the 2012 Environmental Education Award for Excellence from the Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education!  

 

Groundwork Denver would like to thank Colorado's Department of Labor and Environment, Workforce Development Council and State Energy Sector Partnership for their sponsorship and ongoing support of the project. The Take Charge! program has engaged 1,113 Student Energy Ambassador volunteers, who have reached 15,207 students and another 20,244 adults all across Colorado with resources on how to save energy. The Student Energy Ambassadors exchanged 6,250 incandescent porch bulbs for compact fluorescent bulbs, resulting in enormous savings of 431,250 kWh per year and energy costs of $38,813 per year. Follow up evaluation has found that the students inspired people to become much more energy efficient, saving an additional $340,000 per year and reducing CO2 emissions by 2,500 tons per year. Thank you to all the Student Energy Ambassadors who have made it possible to go above and beyond the program goals!  

 

Learn more about Groundwork Denver here.



Greening the City of Richmond

Groundwork Richmond, in California, starts the new year with new Executive Director Sarah Calderon. Welcome, Sarah!  

 

Groundwork Richmond initiated a neighborhood tree planting program last Fall, and launched its partnership with the City of Richmond and the National Park Service - Rosie the Riveter National Homefront Historical Park - to form the Hometown Richmond Green Team. In this photo, Green Team members Verbin and Xavier show off the first tree they planted. The GWR Green Team continues to contribute to the City's tree planting effort by canvassing for tree-adopters in the neighborhoods surrounding the Richmond Greenway, taking part in on-going "Tree Parties".

 

As part of the City's Urban Forest initiative, GWR has engaged another group of young people, the Green Screen Team, to prepare a video that highlights the City's urban forestry improvement efforts. The video will underscore the benefits of trees and feature information about the City's tree canopy and tree-planting program. GWR hopes to organize a community screening for the video in Summer 2013 and use it as part of its ongoing community outreach and education effort in the City of Richmond.

 

Please click here for more about Groundwork Richmond's programs and projects.  



Groundwork Hudson Valley Celebrates Downtown Yonkers River Park
 
Riverfest on September 8 marked the public opening of a beautiful new river park in Downtown Yonkers. Officially named Van der Donck Park, this is the grand result of a long road that started in 2001, when Groundwork first began to provide support for the idea of daylighting the Saw Mill River with its partners the City of Yonkers and Scenic Hudson.
  
The interpretive signs on display in the park are the result of a collaboration between Groundwork Hudson Valley and the City of Yonkers, Yonkers Riverfront Library, Friends of Philipse Manor Hall, and the Yonkers Historical Society. Signs cover the history of the Saw Mill River and the Yonkers railway system, as well as fascinating details of the park's re-engineering and the biodiversity supported by the new river park.
 
The American Eel Outdoor Classroom is a key feature of the daylighting park, showcasing an intricate 9-foot x 16-foot mosaic of the eel's migration made by local artist Haifa Bint-Kadi and local high school interns, a sign with a 6-foot carved eel, and split-log benches. This project was funded by grants from the Hudson River Foundation and the US EPA.

Learn more about Groundwork Hudson Valley's projects and programs by clicking
here.

 


Groundwork USA newsletter edited by Anjali Chen.
Groundwork USA, 22 Main St., 2nd Floor, Yonkers, NY 10701