Spring Program Registration

Registration for spring programs begins at 10:00 A.M., Monday, February 13, 2012 for residents of Centerville and Washington Township. Registration for nonresidents begins at 10:00 A.M., Monday, February 20, 2012. Participants can register for programs online at ActiveNet, over the phone at (937) 433-5155, or in person at Park Headquarters, 221 N. Main Street, Centerville. Park Headquarters is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M.

OPRA Award Announced

Ohio Parks and Recreation Association (OPRA) has announced its 2011 Annual Awards of Excellence winners.
 
The Centerville-Washington Park District won a 3rd place award in the Youth and Family Programs category for the Fairy and Gnome Home Festival held on September 10, 2011 at Grant Park.
 
Approximately 100 children and adults came together for this outside opportunity to experience tactile connections with natural materials as they constructed miniature multi-level homes, high-rises, theaters, garages, and bridges. Most arrived in costume, but all enjoyed story-telling, face painting, and drinking fizzy fairy floats while listening to the sounds of harps and flutes.
 
The objective of the festival was to demonstrate how easy it is to build using natural materials and that all it takes is a little imagination. One measure of success was hearing a few of the families planning to create a fairy or gnome home in their own backyard.  

The OPRA Annual Awards of Excellence will be presented at their banquet on February 7, 2012 at the Kalahari Resort and Conference Center in Sandusky, Ohio.
 
The 2011 Governor’s Award for Parks and Recreation will also be presented and includes a $500 contribution to the winning parks and recreation foundation.
 
The awards are judged in a two-tiered process, which includes a panel of parks and recreation professionals from across Ohio, as well as, the association’s Board of Directors.

Watch Us Grow

Several non-native species of Honeysuckle are threatening Ohio’s woodlands. These vigorous shrubs shade out native vegetation, particularly in the woodland understory. They are able to out-compete native plants and wildflowers for light and other resources. Bush honeysuckles green up earlier in the spring than most other plants, giving them an advantage over other species.

Tackling Invasive Honeysuckle

One effective method of control for large infestations is a fall foliar herbicide application when there are no desirable species actively growing in the vicinity. Over the next few weeks the Park District will be conducting foliar application to control Honeysuckle at many park locations. Native plant species including wildflowers will be given the opportunity to flourish in the spring after the removal of this invasive species. For more information about Honeysuckle and other non-native plants threatening Ohio’s landscapes visit:

Ohio Department of Natural Resources

Ohio Invasive Plants Council

Read the Naturalist Notes page for additional online resources.

Park District Director is Award Recipient

Carol Kennard, Director of the Centerville-Washington Park District, has been named a 2011 recipient of the Ten Top Women award by the Dayton Daily News. The honor, initiated in 1962, recognizes leaders in the community who contribute time and talent for the greater good.

A graduate of Pennsylvania State University, Carol began her career at the Park District in 1982 as the program coordinator and became the director in 1997. Major park development realized under her leadership includes Oak Grove Park, Oak Creek South Park, Schoolhouse Park, the Grant Park Nature Nook, and the Iron Horse Trail.

Carol's contributions to the community are many and include leadership positions in the Centerville Rotary Club, Centerville-Washington Diversity Council, Hithergreen Center Board, and the Ohio Parks and Recreation Association. Carol also served on the Create the Vision Committee and initiated the Multi-Use Trail Task Force to address the need for multi-use trails in the community.

You will not want to miss these videos:

• Athletics Partners
• School Partners
• Park Commissioners Responsibilities
• Volunteer Naturalist Program
• Volunteering

• Nature Programs
• Recreation Programs
• Fitness and Wellness Programs
• The Value of Open Space
• Park Operations

Do you have concerns about your Austrian Pines? Wendi Van Buren, Regional Urban Forester of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, supplied the following information:

If mature Austrian Pines are dying, it would be likely to be Diplodia Tip Blight. Austrian Pines which are short lived tree species in this area because at about 15-20 years they succumb to Diplodia Tip Blight which is a fungus that commonly attacks mature trees that have been under stress from drought, root restriction, or other planting site problems. A telltale way to determine if a tree is infected with Diplodia tip blight is to look for the signs of the pathogen, which consist of tiny black, fungal fruiting bodies (pycnidia) that are formed on the surface of infected needles and infected cones.

It is common practice to plant Austrian Pine along with spruce and some deciduous trees in a border. The Austrian Pine trees are fast growers and will grow anywhere. The trade off is that they die early. That is why you have the spruce and deciduous trees that are slower growers but then are longer lived. The Austrian Pines die and the spruce and deciduous trees are still there.

Visit the OSU site for more information.

Dupont's product Imprelis may also have an impact on your trees, especially Norway spruce and white pine. Please contact your lawn company to determine if Imprelis has been used on your property. If Imprelis has been used on your lawn alongside CWPD park land, please contact Ken Carter at 433-5155.

Visit Dupont's web site for more information.