For some it may be difficult to remember the exact moment that shaped their career choice, but for me it was in the third grade. It was during a reading of Dr. Seuss’s book The Lorax that I realized my calling to try to make the world a better place. For those of you unfamiliar […]

What do World War II and Y2K have in common? Not much you say? Well, think again! Next time you step in the door at your workplace, take a look at the people around you. Believe it or not, only a small percentage of today’s workforce remembers Germany’s decline after The Battle of the Bulge. […]

On a walk with my family at Glenwood Gardens, I witnessed two more signs that spring is fast approaching: a cornelian cherry tree (Cornus mas) and snowdrops (Galanthus sp.) were both in bloom along the Garden Loop Trail, bringing color and contrast to the landscape. While both are non-native to North America, they have been […]

Last week at Embshoff Woods Nature Preserve, I saw it! A first sign of spring: yellow wild flowers blooming in the warm February sunshine. What a great surprise for fellow Operations employee Eric Estridge and me. We discovered the open petals in the forest floor while reviewing the area around the maintenance building. It was only a week […]

Park(ing) Day is just a little mischievous – like the urge you get before you skip a stone across the lake or when you set out your first refreshment stand at the end of your driveway. By temporarily redesigning parking spaces as parklets, commuters and neighborly cohorts have a space to come together on shared […]

Working maintenance in the parks and recreation field, I am always amazed at some of the questions I get from others as I describe the work that I do. At times there are some very interesting questions, but usually I get the same two questions: “What is your typical day like?” and “What do you […]

Have you noticed any small emerald green beetles flying around? You are likely seeing the emerald ash borer (EAB), a non-native, invasive insect pest. These insects, whose adults begin emerging in mid-May, are infesting native ash trees throughout much of the Midwest and are causing more than 99% mortality in untreated ash trees. EAB is […]

The Great Parks of Hamilton County landscape department has partnered with the Diamond Oaks horticulture program for several years. The early periods of this partnership involved the horticulture program producing plants for Great Parks. We were also fortunate to pick up an outstanding landscape technician, Brandon Garman, through an internship with the Diamond Oaks horticulture […]