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Announcements |
National Public Lands Day 2008 |
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Posted by: nkanarek on 09/25/2008 09:01 AM
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Join us at Trailhead 2 of the Gwynns Falls Trail (Leakin Park at Winans Meadow) for this day of service!
Directions available at: http://www.gwynnsfallstrail.org/trail_info.cfm
Event occurs on 09/27/2008 from 09:00 AM to .
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Located in West Baltimore, Gwynns Falls and Leakin Parks together comprise more than 1,000 acres - one of the larger urban wilderness preserves in the United States. A triumph of urban planning, private philanthropy, and community activism, they represent an invaluable recreational educational and aesthetic resource for the greater Baltimore community.
A variety of recreational and special purpose facilities and historic sites are located in the Park, but its distinguishing feature is its predominantly natural character. Incorporating a segment of the Gwynns Falls Valley, it consists largely of undisturbed mature oak/tulip/beech forest, interspersed with streamside meadow and rocky cliffs. The Park's wilderness character and habitat diversity, combined with its large size, make it home to an impressive variety of plant and animal species as well as a comfortable "rest stop' for many migratory species.
Park History
Early maps of the Gwynns Falls valley show a number of mills located along the stream and large estates on the higher ground. The creation of a park in the Gwynns Falls valley was proposed by the landscape design firm of Olmsted Brothers in 1904.
The Olmsted vision for a network of parks and parkways had a significant influence in shaping Baltimore's rapid growth during the first half of the century, and the Gwynns Falls Park took shape through the gradual purchase of land along the Falls.
In the 1940's the city added a large portion of the Winans estate, "Crimea," to its parkland holdings in the Gwynns Falls Valley. Baltimore was home to the Winans, builders of the Russian railroad between Moscow and St. Petersburg. While contiguous with Gwynns Falls Park, this tract was named "Leakin Park," in accordance with the terms of the bequest from John W. Leakin which funded its purchase.
The Friends of Gwynns Falls / Leakin Park
In 1983, many of the community activists who had been involved in the effort to stop the extension of I-70 through the Pak felt the need to follow through on this success. The Friends of Gwynns Falls / Leakin Park was formed for the purpose of protecting the Park from future threats and to promote education and recreation use by the community. The group's activities include
- Sponsorship and/or support of special events such as:
- Park festivals
- Carrie Murray Center events
- The Herb Festival
- The Gwynns Falls / Leakin Park Walk / Run
- Extensive garden plantings
- Organization of park clean-ups
- Liaison and cooperation with community organizations and public
agencies on activities which impact the park
Layout © 2005 Seth Rosenberg., All rights reserved
Content © 2005 The Friends of Gwynns Falls Leakin Park Inc. Content may be redistrbuted with credit.
Created on 2005-03-29 16:27:30 by seth
Updated on 2008-08-14 20:12:03 by seth
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