Greetings!
April is the month to celebrate the Earth and the trees! Earth Day is observed on April 22 and Arbor Day on April 27. Did you know, Cincinnati Parks has over 585,000 trees within its system?
A beautiful grove of trees was planted this Saturday at
Burnet Woods
through the generosity of the Martin Family and Matinee Musicale in memory of Louise Dieterle Nippert. Special thanks to UC students from the Delta Tau Delta Fraternity for participating through their
Clean Up Cincy Project
.
In your April Friends of Parks eNews you’ll find more information about how Cincinnati Parks Foundation is celebrating this month and how you can support our mission to conserve and enhance our city’s parks and greenspaces.
Thank you for your friendship and support of these beautiful, top-rated urban parks!
With gratitude,
Jennifer Hafner Spieser
Executive Director
|
|
Cincinnati Parks Foundation, the official philanthropic partner of Cincinnati Parks, is committed to building broad-based private/public partnerships supporting the conservation and enhancement of our city's parks and greenspaces.
|
|
|
|
This month's volunteer spotlight is Emily Buckley. She has helped immensely with the Hats Off Luncheon PR & Communication Committee. She joined the HOL Marketing Committee in 2017 and was amazed and impressed when she saw the magic of the Hats Off Luncheon.
This year, she has taken the lead on posting all of the updates to the
Cincinnati Parks Foundation Facebook page, as it relates to the luncheon. In addition, she has been helping secure media coverage of this special event. She has had so much fun connecting with the volunteers, learning more about the parks and helping promote the excitement of the
Hats Off Luncheon.
"Seeing everything that happens in our city parks, learning about the educational offerings and programming, and realizing how many volunteers give back to keep the park system a destination for all to enjoy, I happily joined the
Women's Committee this year too!"
When asked for her favorite park, she couldn't narrow it down to one! She has made many wonderful memories at so many of the parks. Her favorites are
Eden Park,
Mt. Echo,
Ault Park, and
Smale Riverfront Park. "Pick any of the city's parks to take a break and decompress. You'll be glad you did!" Thank you, Emily - we couldn't do it without you!
|
|
Earth Day is on its way, and there are a lot of us who are looking to see what we can do to celebrate this special day. Looking for something to do to help our Earth? It can be as simple as planting a tree, keeping the car in the garage, unplugging the t.v., or taking a hike! Have you updated your light bulbs yet? Stopped drinking bottled water? Planted a garden? Whether it's big or small, anything you do to help the Earth will have a great impact on our future.
Imagine what we could do if we took care of the environment every day, and not just on Earth Day? Why not look into what can be done throughout the year, and make taking care of the environment a regular part of how you live? Celebrate our beautiful Earth!
|
|
We all are aware that pollution exists. Did you know that
plastic pollution is among one of the worst forms? This Earth Day, remember these three facts, and consider how you can help!
Fact #1:
9.1 BILLION US Tons of plastic has been produced since plastic was introduced in the 1950s. The amount of plastic produced in a year is roughly the same as the entire weight of humanity!
Fact #2:
Virtually every piece of plastic ever made still exists in some shape or form (with the exception of the small amount that has been incinerated).
Fact #3:
Nearly TWO MILLION single-use plastic bags are distributed worldwide every minute.
Plastic pollution is killing our planet, and harming all of us. It’s choking our oceans, poisoning our food and water supply, and wreaking havoc on the health and well-being of humans and wildlife worldwide.
Reduce - Reuse - Recycle!
|
|
At the corner of Eleanor and Dorchester, in Mt. Auburn and within sight of Christ Hospital, is one of Cincinnati’s very special parks. Rising above the city,
Jackson Hill Park
overlooks the Ohio River, downtown Cincinnati, and the Kentucky hills. It's named after the Jackson nursery that occupied the spot until the early part of the 20th century.
In 1940, the Southwestern Ohio Chapter of the 37th Division,
AEF Veteran Association
sponsored an observation of the "Twelfth Night", by creating a huge bonfire of Christmas trees in Jackson Hill Park.
It was estimated that the pile of Christmas trees was
30 feet in diameter and
25 feet high! The trees were doused with kerosene and then lit. The resulting bonfire could be seen all over the city and lasted over an hour and a half. The practice ended during World War II, most likely on the advice of the Fire Department! When you have a moment, stop by the park and you can just imagine what that bonfire looked like.
|
|
Flooding at Riverfront - Update
|
|
The lower half of
John G. & Phyllis W. Smale Riverfront Park, along Mehring Way, is in the Ohio River floodplain. That became overwhelmingly apparent this February when the Ohio River rose to 60.5 feet and thousands of Cincinnatians flocked to the riverfront parks to witness the big event. We are so thankful to the Cincinnati Parks staff and all of those who volunteered their time to help clean up after the flood!
Before the flooding began, the Cincinnati Parks staff was very busy preparing the riverfront parks for the 2018 flood. The
Giant Foot Piano’s 7000 pound keyboard was hoisted out of the ground with a crane and relocated, as were the
Roebling Bridge Comfort Stations. These trailer-type restrooms, neatly tucked under the north vault of the Roebling Bridge, were designed to be hauled to higher ground. The next time you saunter under the Roebling Bridge to enjoy these Smale Park features, you might appreciate why this walkway, the footprint of Cincinnati’s first street, was aptly named
WATER STREET!
|
|
Coming Together as a Community
|
Cincinnati Parks Foundation would like to extend our thanks to
Zip’s Café and
Great Lakes Brewing Company for their continued support. As part of Great Lakes Brewing Co.’s “April Month of Service,” their employees are teaming up with the employees from Zip’s Café to once again make a difference in the Cincinnati region.
The two organizations have partnered for the past several years to help environmental nonprofits throughout Cincinnati. Additionally, the two companies both made donations to Cincinnati Parks Foundation, which will be raised through the "Have a Girth, Save the Earth" campaign in April. We thank them for their gifts of talent and time.
Go on out and support them!
|
|
|
Save the Dates - Smale Family Fun Days
|
|
|
|
Do you love spending time outdoors immersing yourself in all the natural beauty around you?
Explore
Mt. Airy Forest
, and become a member of the
Hiking Club
of Cincinnati Parks Foundation. Each Tuesday, guides will lead you through
Mt. Airy Forest
to experience beautiful trails. All hikes start and end at Everybody's Treehouse.
The Cincinnati Parks Hiking Club meets every Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday at 8:00 am, and every Wednesday at 4:30 pm.
It's easy to join. Simply click on this
link and fill out the form. Hope to see you there!
|
|
Butterfly Show - Don't Forget!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
