The Friday Letter | January 4, 2019

The

Accounting Tip for the week:

Make sure you keep signed credit card receipts.

Nature Preserves and Natural Resources A Boost for the Spotted Salamanders of Reedy Creek Nature Preserve An abundance of recent rainfall should benefit our Spotted Salamanders. These beautiful black and yellow amphibians spend much of the year underground but come up to the surface in early winter for breeding, which takes place in temporary or seasonal woodland pools.

While the pools may become well developed after a wet fall and winter, they tend to be shallow enough that they will mostly or completely dry up during the warmer and drier months. This temporary feature prevents fish and other predators of permanent water bodies from occurring in the pools. This allows the larval (tadpole) stage of the salamanders to develop with less danger of predation. There are also numerous insects and other arthropods in the pools, which are a food source for the developing tadpoles.

Spotted salamanders once occurred in much greater abundance throughout Mecklenburg County. It’s likely that the loss of habitat and impacts to water quality have contributed significantly to the reduction in their populations, and we are fortunate that they can still be found in some of our nature preserves and natural areas of our parks and greenways.

A recent stream restoration project in Reedy Creek Nature Preserve might benefit these salamanders. Numerous temporary pools were constructed in areas adjacent to the restored stream channel and in spots where the original channel was filled in. Although they are known to show strong fidelity to the pools that they were born in, unusual weather patterns, habitat changes or other factors can impact the quality and conditions of their natal sites. In an effort to learn how they would respond to new, artificially-created pools, Natural Resources staff will monitor some of these pools for the presence of egg masses in late winter to determine if or when they will be utilized as breeding habitat by the salamanders.

These animals play an important role in our natural communities and provide a benefit to us by reducing the numbers of pests, including mosquitoes and ticks.

Without adequate habitat and protected areas that are of high quality, these animals would disappear from the environment, which would be a loss for all of us.

Nature Preserves and Natural Resources

Community & Recreation Centers West Charlotte Recreation Center: Visit from the Raptor Center The West Charlotte Senior Trailblazers recently received a visit from the Raptor Center. They learned about some of the most magnificent birds of prey in the area. They saw hawks, falcons and their personal favorite, owls! The birds put on a show as they were fed their meal for the day and showed off their beautiful feathers. We were excited to have them visit us and hope to have them return soon!

For more information about our programs here at West Charlotte Recreation Center, call us at 980-314-1120 or email us at WestCharlotteRecreationCenter@MecklenburgCountyNC.Gov.

Community & Recreation Centers Mallard Creek Recreation Center: Senior Ugly XMAS Sweater Party Mallard Creek Seniors at the Creek had their Ugly XMAS Sweater Party and we enjoyed their beautifully home-made colorful Christmas sweaters. They were able to do some line dances, sing along holiday karaoke and give-a-ways and let’s just say, they showed out! We also were able to play a few fun games and one of them included our special guest, Santa Clause! The seniors got to come together and spread a lot of holiday cheer amongst each other.

For more information about our pre-school programs like Senior Annual Celebrations please contact the Mallard Creek Recreation Center at 980-314-1121 or email Mallard CreekRecreationCenter@MecklenburgCountyNC.Gov and don’t forget to check out www.ParkAndRec.com for other fun activities county wide.

Community & Recreation Centers Albemarle Road Recreation Center: AR invades Halton Arena!!!!

Albemarle Road Recreation Center was able to successfully recruit 20 neighborhood girls to play in the countywide league this year. On December 28, 2018, both teams had the opportunity to attend a UNCC Women’s Home Basketball game against Bethune Cookman. At halftime, Rams Blue and Rams Gray were given seven minutes to scrimmage against each other. It’s safe to say, the future of the game looks bright on the Eastside.

For more information on youth programming at Albemarle Road Recreation Center, give us a call today at 980-314-1101.

Community & Recreation Centers Ivory/Baker Recreation Center: Winter Break Camp Our 3-day Winter Break Camp concluded with some happy participants looking forward to attending our summer camp for the first time. During this winter program, participants rode bikes while others learned the skills needed to ride on their own. They also explored Reedy Creek Nature Preserve by hiking and completing a scavenger hunt as well as geocaching.

For more information about our programs, please call 980-314-1112 or email: IvoryBakerRecreationCenter@MeckNC.Gov.

Community & Recreation Centers Methodist Home Recreation Center: Start Smart Basketball It is never too early to start playing basketball! Methodist Home Recreation Center just wrapped up its final Start Smart program of 2018. Participants learned the basics fundamentals of basketball and the importance of teamwork. We are anxious to see these kids in a Bulls uniform next year!

For more information about our programs, events and outreach opportunities, contact MethodistHomeRecreationCenter@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov or call 980-314-1123.

Community & Recreation Centers Methodist Home Recreation Center: What’s Next?

Methodist Home Recreation Center is gearing up for a busy 2019 calendar year.

We are currently enrolling for our Lil’ Cooking Club, Lil’ Art Adventures, Start Smart Basketball and much more! Keep an eye out for new and exciting programs offered at MHRC in the early Spring!

For more information about our programs, events and outreach opportunities, contact MethodistHomeRecreationCenter@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov or call 980-314-1123.

Community & Recreation Centers Berewick Recreation Center: Brunch with Santa Children, ages 2-5 years, had the opportunity to put in their final Christmas wishes to Santa Claus last week when he made a stop at the Berewick Recreation Center to have brunch with them. After the children ate some goodies and made a holiday craft, they all gathered round to first play “Santa Says� before Santa had them sit down to read them a story. Children listened intently and answered his questions as he read. Afterwards, they lined up to get their pictures taken and tell him want they wanted for Christmas before he headed back to the North Pole. Everyone had a good time as they left smiling and hopefully with full bellies.

A special thanks to Gabe Hackney for coming in and playing the part of Santa.

For more information regarding preschool programming and other upcoming events, contact staff at BerewickRecreationCenter@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov or call 980.314.1102.

Community & Recreation Centers Shamrock Senior Center: Shamrock Seniors Celebrating the New Year 5,4,3,2,1... HAPPY NEW YEAR! As the clock counted down to 12 noon on Monday, our seniors got ready to bring in the new year together. We spent time reflecting over the past year, laughing and telling stories, as well as posing for photos and toasting apple cider at noon. Our participants enjoyed having an early counted at noon, knowing most will be fast asleep when the midnight hour rolls around. Events like these give our seniors a chance to celebrate and spend time with friends and put a smile on their faces. We at Shamrock want to wish everyone a safe and Happy New Year!

For more information about upcoming programs and events contact us at 980-314-1175 or ShamrockSeniorCenter@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov.

Community & Recreation Centers

Recreate All Year!

5841 Brookshire Blvd.

Subscribe to the Park and Recreation E-Newsletter to learn of new and exciting way stop continue recreating during the spring and summer months. Subscribe to the Park and Recreation E-Newsletter to stay up to date on activities that may be available to you.

www.parkandrec.com Please submit all news for the Friday Letter to your Division Director for review and routing.

Park Partners may contact The Friday Letter Team at Richard . McNeill @MecklenburgCountyNC.gov for publication assistance.

The Friday Letter Volume 9 • Issue 50 • January 4, 2019

CHARMECK ALERTS The CharMeck Alerts Notification System relays accurate and timely emergency notifications. You control how you’re contacted— whether it’s on your cell, work or home phone, via text, email or voice message. You can receive up-to-the-minute notifications about events and emergencies that may affect your home, workplace or other points of interest—anywhere in Mecklenburg County. Sign up here or call CharMeck 311. To receive CDOT-specific alerts, you must sign up for that item in the list.

Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Senior Leadership Team Lee Jones, Director Peter Cook, Deputy Director Renea Barber, Human Resources Liz Morrell, Strategic Planning and Evaluation Lorraine Bias, Sr. Fiscal Administrator Vacant, Capital Planning Terri Stowers, Community and Recreation Center Services Vacant, Park Operations Chris Matthews, Nature Preserves and Natural Resources