On January 29th, NeighborSpace hosted our first annual Stewardship Luncheon at Bluestone Restaurant in Timonium. Initially conceived as a way to thank our stewardship partners for all of their hard work, the luncheon also fostered communication and cooperation between various park stewards. As Rosa, our stewardship partner at Carroll Watkins park, said, “We had a great time at the stewardship luncheon. We were amazed by how much we had in common with the other neighborhoods in Baltimore County…The camaraderie was outstanding.”

Stewardship partners are vital to the work that NeighborSpace does. They are neighborhood leaders who donate endless hours of their time and energy to acquire, design, construct, and – most importantly – maintain their neighborhood sites. For this event, we were fortunate enough to have representatives from eight NeighborSpace parks in attendance: Bear Creek Heritage Trail, Cherry Heights Woodland Garden, Chestnut Park, Carroll Watkins Park, Graystone Community Open Space, Powhatan Park, Ridgely Manor Park, and Tollgate Wyndham Preserve.

Throughout the luncheon, amidst the food and festive atmosphere, stewardship partners were up and mingling, getting to work discussing ideas and difficulties with their respective parks. Stories of success were shared and common challenges discussed, as well as ideas for programming. NeighborSpace plans to co-host several fun, social, and educational events with stewardship partners at different parks this year. Stay tuned!

Bolstered by the joyful cooperation witnessed at this event, NeighborSpace plans to continue to help facilitate this cross-county exchange in an annual series of stewardship partner appreciation and communication events. Hopefully, with shared knowledge and support, park stewardship challenges can be overcome and the care for Baltimore County’s green spaces can be strengthened. Thank you to everyone who came out, and to all of our stewardship partners!