LWLA aids in efforts to restore a Baltimore County park.

LWLA’s Larry Weaner and designer Rebecca Kagle recently participated in daylong brainstorming session to explore restoration possibilities for the Robert E. Lee Park, an over 500-acre park in northern Baltimore County. This large Park features a range of habitat types, including wetlands, meadows, and mature hardwood forests as well as varied site amenities. The Park also features a serpentine barren home to numerous rare and endangered flora and fauna.

Larry and Rebecca joined a consulting team that includes Carol Franklin, a co-founder of Andropogon Associates and Roger Latham, an expert in serpentine barrens and grasslands. The team met with members of the Robert E. Lee Park Nature Council to review maps, visit sites throughout the Park, and discuss possible next steps.

The day-long meeting was well attended by people who care deeply about the Park and are extremely knowledgeable about its flora, fauna, and history (one participant is conducting his own phenological study of flora in the serpentine barrens). The group visited a variety of the Park’s features, including the boardwalk connecting to the nearby light rail station, the serpentine barrens, the meadow, and plantings associated with the Baltimore Checkerspot butterfly.

The day even included a delicious lunch–prepared by our good friends Kay McConnell and Kimberly Warren, both of whom are very involved with work in the Park–at Kay’s home overlooking the Park.

Based on this visit, LWLA and other members of the consultant team prepared a proposal to develop a framework master plan for the Park. Given the Park’s dedicated and knowledgeable user groups, the plan will emphasize work that can be done by volunteers. We’re so pleased to be invited to be involved in this project and look forward to its continued development.