Friends of County Grounds Park August Update |
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A New Park Sign - Three Events This Weekend An Award - Tosa Green Summit Welcome our Regional Engagement Coordinator |
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NEW SIGN INSTALLATION! For many years the central parking area has been missing any signage welcoming people to County Grounds Park. In 2020, FOCGP started the journey to get the sign. There were plenty of challenges, but this past month the sign was installed! There are a lot of people to thank in getting the sign developed and installed: Hoppe Tree Service who generously donated the seed money for us to take on this project - and whose logo appears on the front and back of the sign. County Parks - who partnered with us on sign development, standardized park rules, final approval, and installation. The cost of the sign and installation doubled over the course of the project - and County Parks kindly covered the funding gap. Mark McNally who helped steadily shepherd the sign forward over that whole period including the permitting process. Allison Carlson (County Parks Field Marketing Coordinator) championed this project, including securing the final funding and working through the sign fabrication and installation vendors. Years of Generous Donors - many people have donated to Friends of County Grounds Park - contributing the fabric of improvements - including this sign. THANK-YOU!
For those interested in contributing time, talents, or treasure to future park signage, content, creation, and installation - please email friendsofcountygroundspark@gmail.com |
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SIGN CELEBRATION THIS SATURDAY! The bottom center of the new sign starts out with the encouragement to "HAVE FUN". We plan to do just that, in hosting a SIGN CELEBRATION this Saturday, August 17th at 8:45 am, including coffee and donuts. No registration needed - everyone is welcome to join. County Grounds Park has no formal address, but can be found and navigated to via Apple/Google/Waze Maps searching “Sanctuary Woods Parking”. That parking circle is 0.5 mile north and west of 87th & Watertown Plank Road. The sign is installed at the parking lot in the center of the park, see park map image below, and here: www.countygroundsfriends.org Dress for the weather. There are no onsite restrooms. Friendly pets on leash are welcome. |
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Saturday, August 17th @ 9am County Grounds Park / Sanctuary Woods History Tour The new sign lists 9 points of historical interest. We plan to visit several of those Saturday morning. In honor of the sign dedication, we have the first history tour of 2024 from 9-11am! Visitors can come for either the Sign Celebration or History Tour - OR BOTH! No registration for the sign celebration. Registration is requested for the tour, outlined below. Jonathan Piel has extensively researched and documented the history of the relics in County Grounds Park from 1860 forward. As tour guide, he includes photos, maps, stories, and 1950s video that bring over a century of park history alive including visiting many of the remaining remnants. The ~1-mile guided hike includes several stops: 120-year old field-stone stairs, split-boulder pavilion, 110-year-old 6' stone dolphin vase, former waterfalls, 300-year old oak forest, former sunken gardens, and extensive onsite mental health hospital history. The event is free, registration is requested for planning and pre-event communications. Eventbrite Sign-Up |
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Sunday, August 18th @ 4pm County Grounds Park / Sanctuary Woods Eddee Daniel Hiking Tour County Grounds Park includes the ever-popular Sanctuary Woods, along with over 50 acres of rolling grasslands with a spectacular view of downtown Milwaukee. The Monarch Trail, Forest Exploration Center and 65 acres of flood detention basins are nearby. The County Grounds has a wealth of options! The terrain is hilly but not too strenuous. It may well be muddy, so be prepared for that. Sunscreen and bug spray are recommended! Very few spaces remaining on this tour. The event is free, registration is requested for planning and pre-event communications. Eventbrite Sign-Up Photography Credit: Eddee Daniel |
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2023 Award by The Park People to Friends of County Grounds Park The Park People supports dozens of Friends Groups across the Milwaukee County Parks system. They have supported Friends of County Grounds Park (FOCGP) since our 2020 inception providing a tax-exempt status, online donation management, umbrella insurance for our events, equipment for our weed outs, social media outreach, and more! They feature a friends group each year, and this past week honored FOCGP with their 2023 award. They cited some of our fantastic 2023 activities including: 969 volunteer hours, 124 different volunteers (6) Weed-Out/Buckthorn-Removal Events (3) Trash-Out Events (1) Tree Planting & recurring Tree Watering Events (20) tours/events: birding tours, cemeteries tour, forest tour, history tours, photography tour, tracks & trails tour, Asahi fitness, Shinrin Yoku experience (208 attendees) StoryWalk Experience Winter Bird Count Event Park Shed Erection project
We appreciate the recognition and joining the ranks of dozens of other friends groups who strive to support the Milwaukee County Park system |
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Welcome Danielle Pahlisch County Parks Department's new Regional Engagement Coordinator Including for County Grounds Park Regular event participants will already know Danielle, who has been volunteering at the park since 2019 for buckthorn removal, weed outs, tours, tree planting, and more! Below are a few words from Danielle on her new full time job! Hello FOCGP members and supporters! My name is Danielle Pahlisch, though some of you may recognize me as the local "coyote lady". I am happy to announce that I'll be serving and supporting County Grounds Park as the brand-new Regional Engagement Coordinator for the central region of Milwaukee County Parks. Essentially, I will act as your close advocate, guide, and liaison between County Grounds Park and the Parks Department. I bring to the role a wide skillset and professional background that I've cultivated through my 5 years of ecological restoration experience on the MKE Co. Parks Natural Areas team, prolific volunteering (including at County Grounds Park), and an educational focus on Natural Resources Management. I hope that my experience will complement the hard work and dedicated support of the FOCGP community and will help to shape a balance between recreational needs and the unique, thriving ecosystem that the park hosts. I look forward to collaborating with each and every one of you! |
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2024 Tosa Green Summit Saturday, September 7th @ 8am to 1pm Several Friends of County Grounds Park will be staffing a table at the 2023 Tosa Green Summit. Come meet us in person and find out more about the park and how we live out our mission: To protect and improve the natural areas and wildlife habitat of the County Grounds and to continue the tradition of using this land to promote community health and wellness. Also meet lots of other like-minded organizations in and around Wauwatosa - along with a presentation by Eddee Daniel who kindly supports our group through his photography, tours, donations, and volunteerism. More info at: https://www.facebook.com/TosaGreenSummit/ |
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Reporting Suspicious Activity The Milwaukee County Grounds is patrolled and enforced by the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Department Please be part of the solution and directly report any suspicious activity: Thanks for helping take clear ownership for our shared space
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Sincere appreciation for a community that has been such good stewards for this precious space. We have a lot to be proud of, the ability to make a difference, and hope for the future. Thank you!! |
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