Earth Day Talks — 2024

The Friends sponsored 3 informative talks on Earth Day this year that were videotaped and are now available on YouTube. Jack (Wildlife) Turner produced the videos with funding provided by the Arts Council of Anne Arundel County.

When Quiet Waters Was a Farm, Quiet Waters Farm was one of many along the Annapolis Neck Peninsula that were actively farming through the 1950’s. These farms produced both agricultural products such as corn and vegetables and raised livestock – cows, chickens, sheep, and horses. Members of three families who lived on the Farm before it became a park shared their memories of growing-up on this land and the way of life that it offered.

Invasive Vines and What to Do, While Quiet Waters is a bucolic and natural setting with winding pathways and bubbling streams, there are many invasive plants that compete for sunlight and nutrients and are not as supportive of the birds, insects, and pollinators native to this region. The group, Save our Trees, is working in partnership with the Friends and Park Staff to identify and remove invasives and replace them with native plants. This talk offers more information about why invasives are a problem and what homeowners and park-lovers can do about them.

Quiet Waters Deciduous Forests with Jim Collatz. Take a virtual walk in the park with a curious naturalist who has spent hours and days in Quiet Waters noting its inhabitants and their patterns. He shares fascinating stories about what is happening right under our noses that we may not be aware of and brings us closer to what life in the Park is all about.

Each talk adds a new element to our understanding of the history and ecology of Quiet Waters Park.