Patty Lazos from Great Kids Farm works with Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake’s AmeriCorps representatives Michelle Dann, Gillian Morton and Denise Proctor to remove a fence during the 2011 Martin Luther King, Jr., National Day of Service on January 17, 2011.
This past Monday, I joined my fellow AmeriCorps and went to Great Kids Farm in Catonsville to do whatever work they needed done. We spent the morning removing about 20 sections of eight-foot high chain link fence with barbed wire on top. With bolt cutters and pliers, we figured out how to get the fencing and barbed wire off. Trees had grown into it and through it over the years and it was frozen into the ground in some places. We then discovered that the top bar lifts off in very long lengths. The fence posts were much harder to remove. After going at them with sawsalls, shovels, mattoxes, and pick axes, we decided to leave them and their poured concrete footings in the frozen ground for another crew to tackle on a warmer day.
The great folks at the farm wanted the old fence removed so that they could build another one farther out. The farm is 33 acres, but about 2/3 of it are wooded. The deer have been eating so much of the understory that the land is suffering. Extending the fence further from the educational buildings will also provide a greater area for kids’ exploration and learning.
The Mission of Great Kids Farm: “Great Kids Farm provides opportunities for Baltimore City school students to understand and participate in every aspect of food preparation – from seed to fork – and prepares them to lead 21st century sustainability efforts.” It used to be a nature center, in its past life, but was neglected for awhile. The Farm is new and growing. It was an exciting place to be in the middle of January – I can’t imagine what it’s like at the height of the growing season!
Learn more about Great Kids Farm here: http://www.greatkidsfarm.org
And about National Service on MLK Day here: http://mlkday.gov
