Donation of Bear Mounts for Catoctin Creek Nature Center

Parks and Recreation staff want to thank the Department of Natural Resource staff for their donation of some new animal mounts for the Catoctin Creek Nature Center. Ms. Clarissa Harris and Ben Smith from DNR met with Frederick County Parks and Recreation staff last week in Washington County to view multiple mounts that are currently on display at the Sideling Hill Mountain rest stop. Several of these exhibits, including a bear and cub mount, will be donated to the new nature center this spring and be on display for everyone in Frederick to enjoy as they visit and enjoy nature this fall. Other mounts include a coyote, and a turkey.

Middletown Recreation Council supports Catoctin Creek Nature Center

The Middletown Recreation Council has "opened its doors" to any interested volunteers wishing to support the efforts/programs at the new Catoctin Creek Nature Center and Park. The Middletown Recreation Council has activities for all ages and in all seasons. Their goal is to provide recreational opportunities for the Middletown Community. The Council plans on developing a subcommittee of volunteers who have a desire to be a part of nature programs/activities etc. at the Catoctin Creek Nature Center and Park.

Fountain Rock Park and Nature Center has it's own Nature/Recreation Council that supports multiple educational programs and activities at the Fountain Rock Nature Center in Walkersville. The Middletown "Nature Committee" may be very similar in purpose.

The new nature center is in a great location to provide educational and recreational opportunities for all of Frederick County residents, especially those of Middletown, Burkittsville, Jefferson, and Brunswick. If you are interested in being a part of volunteer programs and activities at the new Catoctin Creek Nature Center please visit the Middletown Recreation Council's website at http://www.middletownrec.com/index.html and plan on attending one of their meetings.

More Pictures from last week's construction!

New Construction Video of the Nature Center

New Pictures from January 19th

Construction workers prepare to pour the slab at the Catoctin Creek Nature Center.

The Playground at Catoctin Creek Park

Unique playground features are planned for the Catoctin Creek Park. One element of the planned playground structure is a componet similar to those seen in this photo. "Diggables" as they are called, bring a new element of discovery to sandboxes. It creates an excavation adventure where kids can unearth replicas of dinosaur bones and fossils. The one seen here is engineered by Playworld Systems. The playground at Catoctin Creek will have a variety of features from climbing aparatus to discovery features. These features will give guests to the park an opportunity to play and explore at their leisure.

Green Roof Technology at Catoctin Creek Park

It may have snowed this morning, however I thought it would be nice to showcase another new "Green" technology at Catoctin Creek Park and Nature Center. Catoctin Creek Nature Center will be the first Frederick County building to have a "Green Roof". Many benefits can be achieved with virtually all green roof infrastructure systems. Below are a couple of the economic benefits that the Nature Center may experience with this system.

1. Protection of roof membrane resulting in a longer material lifespan (it is estimated that green roofs will last up to twice as long as conventional roofs), resulting in decreased maintenance and savings in replacement costs.

2. Savings on energy heating and cooling costs, depending on the size of the building, climate and type of green roof. Environment Canada found that a typical one floor building with a grass roof and 10 cm (3.9 inches) of growing medium would result in a 25% reduction in summer cooling needs. Field experiments by Karen Liu in Ottawa Canada, found that a 6 inch extensive green roof reduced heat gains by 95% and heat losses by 26% compared to a reference roof.

The new Nature Center will have access capability for supervised school groups and program participants to visit the roof and learn first hand what Green Roof technology is all about.

Snow or no Snow construction continues!

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New Video of the Parking lot and Nature Center entrance area

New entrance road photos from December 21st

Updated photos from December 21st construction

What you can see in these photos is the "forms" for the walls of the nature center being constructed.