Carrie Murray Nature Center

Last updated
Carrie Murray Nature Center
Carrie Murray Nature Center.jpg
Carrie Murray Nature Center
Type Nature Center
Location1901 Ridgetop Road
Baltimore, Maryland 21207
Created1985
Operated byBaltimore City Recreation and Parks
Website carriemurraynaturecenter.org

Carrie Murray Nature Center (CMNC) is operated by Baltimore City Recreation and Parks. CMNC offers environmental education programs for children, families, and adults as Baltimore City's only nature center. A native live animal collection, outdoor bird aviary, and indoor exhibits are features of the center, which is nestled in the expansive and historic Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park, the largest urban forested park east of the Mississippi River.

Contents

The nature center serves an estimated 30,000 visitors annually, including individuals and families as well as groups from schools, faith-based groups, recreation centers, and camps. During the school year, the nature center offers field trips and outreach programs for students of all ages, including the Forest Preschool at Carrie Murray Nature Center, a forest immersion program for preschool-age children. The nature center also offers summer camps, public programs, special events, and volunteer opportunities.

Background

Baltimore City Recreation and Parks (BCRP) established the nature center after receiving a generous donation from former Baltimore Orioles baseball hall-of-famer Eddie Murray. [1] The center was dedicated in 1985 and was named after Eddie's mother, Carrie Murray. Ms. Murray’s gentle spirit and strength of character greatly influenced her twelve children. She instilled in them the importance of family, respect for nature and a sense of responsibility, leadership, and accomplishment.

The nature center hopes that the values by which Ms. Murray lived her life will inspire others to fulfill her mission to care for nature and each other.

Programs

Outdoor Discovery

Children are guided to use their senses, hone motor skills, and notice the multi-faceted natural world around them. The afternoon sessions include hiking, inquiry, exploration, and nature-themed art and activities. In addition, children will meet the nature center's live animal ambassadors.

School field trips

The nature center offers a range of school field trips that promote science, natural history, environmental education, and STEAM-based approaches to curriculum. The trips encompass outdoor learning, hiking, and exploration in Gwynns Falls Leakin Park

Schoolyard visits

In lieu of a field trip, outreach programs offer a convenient way to meet live animals, participate in group activities, and discover nature in your schoolyard. Science inquiry includes identification of plants, invertebrates, and other wildlife during outdoor games and a scavenger hunt.

Weekend programs

Nature discovery and a variety of free or low cost guided programs for all ages happen every Saturday.

Animal encounters

Children can interact with live animals from the nature center's collection during an engaging visit with a naturalist. Participants will have hands-on experiences with artifacts and learn how scientists classify various animals based on their physical and behavioral adaptations.

Summer nature camp

Summer camps allow children to get outdoors and explore. They will search for native birds, insects, and animals in the forest, and discover fish and other creatures in the stream. They will enjoy the shade of the trees and discover insects in the meadow. Nature arts and crafts are part of the fun.

The Forest Preschool and Childcare program

The Forest Preschool was created to help young children, families, and teachers draw closer to the natural world. Children have a right to learn and play outdoors. Nature-based learning has immense benefits that are available to all children regardless of where they live. Baltimore City Recreation and Parks (BCRP) has an extensive network of parks throughout the city, just waiting to be discovered. A Forest Preschool program was launched at Carrie Murray Nature Center in 2018 and expanded to childcare in 2020.

Master Naturalist Program

The Certified Maryland Master Naturalist Program is offered as an Extension of the University of Maryland. The Nature Center is a host site for the program and provides sixty hours of instruction and immersive outdoor experiences. Participants will hike, observe wildlife, and learn with seasoned instructors to hone naturalist skills based in the Piedmont region of Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park. Following completion of the course, Master Naturalists are required to serve at their host site for forty hours per year. For more information about this course, visit the University of Maryland's Master Naturalist Extension page.

High school volunteer opportunities

Every first Saturday of the month, students are invited to earn service hours by working on projects at the nature center. The nature center offers on-going individual projects as well as larger projects for groups. Students can also create their own projects based on service learning objectives set by their school. After service hours are completed, the nature center conducts exit interviews which include individual conversations and time for reflection.

Partners

The nature center works closely with their partners to amplify there presence and share the wonder of the natural world with Baltimore residents and beyond.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deep Creek Lake State Park</span> State park in Garrett County, Maryland

Deep Creek Lake State Park is a public recreation area occupying more than 1,100 acres (450 ha) on the northeast side of Deep Creek Lake in Garrett County, Maryland, in the United States. The park features water activities, camping facilities, and recreational trails and is located about 18 miles (29 km) south of Interstate 68 on U.S. Route 219.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earthplace</span>

Earthplace is a non-profit science education organization, in Westport, Connecticut in the United States. Its main focus is on the natural world and sustainability.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catalina Island Conservancy</span> Conservancy that manages and protects most of Santa Catalina Island near Los Angeles, CA

The Catalina Island Conservancy is a nonprofit organization established to protect and restore Santa Catalina Island, California, United States. The Conservancy was established in 1972 through the efforts of the Wrigley and Offield families. The Conservancy was created when both families deeded 42,135 acres (170.51 km2) of the island over to the organization—88% of the Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adkins Arboretum</span>

Adkins Arboretum is a 400-acre native garden and arboretum located within Tuckahoe State Park at 12610 Eveland Road, Ridgely, Maryland. The grounds contain five miles of paths through meadows and native plant gardens on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Its gardens contain a "living collection" of more than 600 species of native shrubs, trees, wildflowers and grasses, used to promote land stewardship practices in the Chesapeake Bay region.

Greenleaf State Park is located near Braggs, Oklahoma, and is situated around the 930-acre (3.8 km2) Greenleaf Lake. Greenleaf Lake was built in 1939. There is an 18-mile (29 km) hiking trail that begins inside the park and makes its way around Greenleaf lake and into the adjacent government land of Camp Gruber.

Pioneers Park Nature Center, established in 1963, is a 668-acre (2.70 km2) nature preserve located within Pioneers Park, which is located at the intersections of South Coddington and West Van Dorn Streets in Lincoln, Nebraska. Both Pioneers Park and the Nature Center within it are operated by the Lincoln Parks and Recreation Department.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Windsor Mill Road</span> Road in Maryland

Windsor Mill Road is a road that runs through parts of Baltimore, Maryland and its western suburb Woodlawn. The road starts as a one-way street named Edgewood Street, then makes a slight left corner and becomes Windsor Mill Road. The road, which is approximately 7½ miles in length, runs parallel to nearby Liberty Road and Security Boulevard, and is often used as an alternative to these routes. Though Windsor Mill Road has no interchange with the Baltimore Beltway, it crosses over the highway, and this point is frequently mentioned in traffic reports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandy Point State Park</span> State park in Maryland, United States

Sandy Point State Park is a public recreation area on Chesapeake Bay, located at the western end of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. The state park is known for the popularity of its swimming beach, with annual attendance exceeding one million visitors. The park grounds include the Sandy Point Farmhouse, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The historic Sandy Point Shoal Lighthouse stands in about five feet of water some 1,000 yards (910 m) east of the park's beach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohican State Park</span> Park in Ohio, USA

Mohican State Park is a 1,110-acre (450 ha) public recreation area located on the south shore of Pleasant Hill Lake, five miles (8.0 km) south of Loudonville in Ashland County, Ohio, United States. The state park is located along Ohio SR 3 and Ohio SR 97 and is surrounded by the 4,525-acre (1,831 ha) Mohican-Memorial State Forest. The Clear Fork of the Mohican River flows through the park carving a narrow gorge and joins the Black Fork about a half-mile east of the park to form the Mohican River. The park is open for year-round recreation including camping, hiking, boating, mountain biking, fishing, and picnicking.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gwynns Falls</span> Stream located in Maryland

Gwynns Falls is a 24.9-mile-long (40.1 km) stream located in Baltimore County and Baltimore City, Maryland. Its headwaters are located in Reisterstown in Baltimore County, and the stream flows southeast, entering the city of Baltimore and emptying into the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River. The Patapsco drains into the Chesapeake Bay. The watershed area of Gwynns Falls covers 66 square miles (170 km2), with 133 miles (214 km) of streams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irvine Nature Center</span>

Irvine Nature Center is a nature center in Owings Mills, Maryland. The center, which is set on 210 acres (0.85 km2) of land in the Caves Valley Historic District, includes a 17,200-square-foot (1,600 m2) green exhibit hall, classrooms, outdoor classroom, a Native American Education site, amphitheater and 8+ miles trails. Irvine is home to the Nature Preschool and Earth Friends Homeschool. Irvine has 80,000 visitors a year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shaver's Creek Environmental Center</span>

Shaver's Creek Environmental Center is located between State College and Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, in the Stone Valley Recreation Area. This is part of the Penn State Experimental Forest. The center operates on 7,000 acres (28 km2) and contains 72-acre (290,000 m2), freshwater Lake Perez. Each year more than 100,000 people visit the center, which is open daily from February 1 to December 15. The Environmental Center contains an amphitheater; classrooms; Welcome Center, Pennsylvania Nature Book and Gift Shop; herb and flower gardens; picnic areas; raptor center; and other displays and exhibits. The center describes its mission as follows: "Shaver's Creek Environmental Center is committed to extending the University's outreach mission of instruction, service, and research."

The Nature and Wildlife Discovery Center is a multi-campus nature preserve and educational center in Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. The NWDC is a 501 (c)(3) tax-exempt corporation which includes a 611 acres (247 ha) mountain park, lodge, gift shop, and museum in Beulah, a small museum and educational center as well as an open-space park on the Arkansas River in Pueblo, and an adjacent raptor education and rehabilitation facility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park</span> Park in Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park is the largest woodland park in an East Coast city, constituting a contiguous area of 1,216 acres (492 ha). Envisioned as a "stream valley park" to protect Baltimore's watersheds like the Gwynns Falls from overdevelopment and to preserve their natural habitats, Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park today offers a rare opportunity for the public to explore a diverse natural environment characterized by stream valleys, ridge tops, and meadows; enjoy opportunities for active recreation; and experience historic structures from an earlier era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gwynn's Falls, Baltimore</span> Neighborhood of Baltimore in Maryland, United States

Gwynn's Falls is a neighborhood in the Southwestern District of Baltimore, located between Irvington (west) and Gwynns Falls Leakin Park (east). Frederick Avenue marks the neighborhood's boundary to the north; Wilkens Avenue draws its southern edge. Caton Avenue separates it from Irvington to the west.

Piney Run Park is a nature park in Sykesville, located in Carroll County, Maryland. It is Carroll County's oldest developed park and hosts thousands of visitors annually. The park encompasses 550 acres of fields, forest and open spaces, features over 15 miles of hiking trails, a 300-acre lake and many sports and recreational facilities. Prior to being a park, this land was a private farm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cromwell Valley Park</span> Park in Maryland, United States of America

Cromwell Valley Park is a public park just to the north of Baltimore City. The park initially opened in 1993, on 426 acres (172 ha) of rural farm land. It is primarily open fields, woods, cultivated gardens and orchards. The varied terrain provides an excellent habitat for local wildlife, particularly birds of prey which feed on large populations of mice, rabbits and other small mammals. Healthy populations of white-tailed deer, red fox and local songbirds can also be found throughout the park. Several miles of trails traverse the park making it popular among local hikers, birdwatchers and photographers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gwynns Falls Trail</span>

Gywnns Falls Trail is a 15-mile (24 km) series of hiking and bicycling trails inside Baltimore, Maryland, named for the Gwynns Falls, whose course it follows, and the surrounding Gwynns Falls Leakin Park it passes through. The trail uses unique alignments, sidepaths on existing streets, and on-street sections. The trail consists of one 10.75-mile (17.30 km) mainline, plus a number of branches, including the Middle Branch Trail, the Hutton Trail, and the Dickeyville Trail. All of these trails carry signage designating them as the Gwynns Falls Trail; their individual names are designated on the mile markers designating their route. The entirety of the Middle Branch Trail, as well as the section of the mainline trail east of the Middle Branch Trail's northern terminus, are part of the East Coast Greenway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamaica State Park</span> State Park in Windham County, Vermont

Jamaica State Park is a 772-acre state park in Jamaica, Vermont, on the shore of the West River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge</span> Nature center in Texas

The Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge (FWNC&R) is a nature center located between Lakeside and Lake Worth, Texas within Fort Worth, Texas city limits. It consists of prairies, forests, and wetlands. The nature center offers a glimpse of what the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex looked like before settlement. FWNC&R covers 3,621 acres (1,465 ha) and includes over 20 miles (32 km) of hiking trails. It is one of the largest city-owned nature centers in the United States.

References

  1. The Baltimore Sun, Jan 14, 2006