Thank YOU!
Together with the Turner Station Conservation Teams, Inc., NeighborSpace presented a case for support of a new half-acre park in the Dundalk neighborhood of Turner Station as part of a #GivingTuesday Campaign. You more than stepped up, donating over $4,500 for the cause - THANK YOU SO MUCH! The project is important because of:
(1) A LONG HISTORY OF RACIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL INJUSTICE
- In a 2019 Sun article, Jonathan Pitts described the community as being "born in an out-of the-way spot ... as a direct consequence of racial prejudice." Why? Discrimination kept African-Americans who migrated to the area for jobs at Sparrows Point from living anywhere else.
- The Environmental Integrity Project has written that "Turner Station's experience with ... pollution is unique because of its close proximity to Sparrows Point. For decades, inadequate ... oversight at the ... Steel Mill meant that pollution ... was visibly deposited on ... residents' cars, roofs, and clothes hung out to dry."
- In addition, the Md. Dept. of Natural Resources' Park Equity Mapper shows all of Turner Station to be in medium-high to high need of additional parks.
(2) STRONG VISION & LEADERSHIP IN THE COMMUNITY
- In the wake of a 2003 Planning Department Survey that revealed many challenges in Turner Station, the community rallied around a conservation plan for addressing them.
- The Turner Station Conservation Teams, Inc. (TSCT) was born and since that time has racked up a string of successes under the leadership of President, Gloria Nelson, shown at left. Among its achievements are developing the Sollers Point Multipurpose Center, attracting private and public investment to renovate mid-century housing, and bringing much overdo attention to improving Fleming Park.
(3) A CHANCE TO DELIVER ON THE VISION
- Last year, the TSCT approached NeighborSpace about acquiring a half-acre, triangular parcel on Dundalk Avenue just north of Chestnut Street in a section of the community known as "Old Turners." The Conservation Plan calls for providing additional recreational opportunities for residents and this site could fulfil that purpose.
- With your support, NeighborSpace acquired the site in March and worked with the TSCT all summer and fall to clean it up, sometimes starting as early as 6 AM to beat the heat! The TSCT is an unbeatable partner!
- Now, with funds in hand to hire a student designer from Morgan State University's Graduate Program in Landscape Architecture and purchase initial plantings, TSCT and NeighborSpace can get down to the work of design and construction! THANK YOU!
Live Music and Ribbon Cutting at Graystone 7/28/26 | Will Kaselow, Community Conservation Manager
7/28/26 | Will Kaselow, Community Conservation Manager Thank you to everyone who came out to NeighborSpace’s final concert of the summer! After the original date was cancelled due to wildfire-related air pollution, we were able to quickly reschedule and ended up lucking into one of the most beautiful nights of the summer so far. We […]
7/29/2026 | Phyllis Joris, Executive Director Like many nonprofits, NeighborSpace operates on a fiscal year that runs July through June. This month, NeighborSpace staff and board members took stock of progress made in the past year and drafted a work plan for the coming year. More details will be provided in NeighborSpace’s Annual Report, which […]
Thanks to donations from generous supporters like you, NeighborSpace was able to hire three interns this summer. We want to help young conservationists gain fieldwork and behind-the-scenes experience, and staff is grateful for the extra hands and minds! We introduced you to our stewardship interns last month.Now read on to meet our communications intern, Mykiah. […]
Barbara Waters While I grew up in Massachusetts and then spent 6 years in Northern Maine, I have now lived in Maryland for nearly 32 years. I had been involved in many things in the community, but that involvement really ramped up once the pandemic started. To combat isolation, I started walking daily, and have […]
Thanks to donations from generous supporters like you, NeighborSpace was able to hire three interns this summer. We want to help young conservationists gain fieldwork and behind-the-scenes experience, and staff is grateful for the extra hands and minds! Read on to meet our two stewardship interns, Ashley and Katie. Hi! I am Ashley Metzbower. I […]
6/29/26 | Will Kaselow, Community Conservation Manager This month we welcomed the summer with song, hosting live music events at two of our sites! First, Patrick Alban and his Buena Vista Social Club joined us at Ridgely Manor Park in Towson on one of the hottest nights of the year so far. Despite the heat, […]
6/29/26 | Conor Harrington, Land Steward This spring, NeighborSpace installed its first microforest/Miyawaki plantings at Tollgate Wyndham Preserve in Owings Mills. With the help of some very dedicated volunteer groups from BGE and Stanley Black & Decker, we planted about 150 trees and shrubs in three contained locations of the preserve. The area covered by […]
6/29/2026 | Phyllis Joris, Executive Director NeighborSpace recently added a new site to its portfolio! With the addition of Stonegate, a beautiful 16-acre property in Catonsville, NeighborSpace now protects 116 acres across 22 sites for current and future residents of urban Baltimore County. This property is co-held with Maryland Environmental Trust (MET), the state’s land […]
This month we would like to thank Christie Bianco for her time and dedication as a NeighborSpace volunteer! Christie has lived in the Dunmore community for 21 years and first connected with Levickas Woods through her children, who would play in the woods and catch crayfish in the stream. She considers the woods to be […]
