Dear Family and Friends,

We are excited to announce the upcoming Grand Opening of the second Caitlin Dunbar Nature Center (CDNC). This one is located at Girl Scout Camp Ilchester in Ellicott City, Maryland.

The Grand Opening ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, March 9, 2008, 1:00-4:00pm, at Camp Ilchester. In addition to the ceremony we will have tours through the Nature Center and around the Camp.

This branch of the CDNC will focus on environmental studies. We have two active honeybee hives on the Camp property along with an observation hive inside the Nature Center. The bees and Girl Scouts will be involved in a climatology study with NASA. We will co-sponsor educational programs for our members with the Howard County Beekeepers Association.

As spring unfolds at Camp, several gardens will come to life. One of these is a native wildflower garden which is located in front of the Nature Center. It will attract birds, butterflies and insects for observation. A small patch of sunflowers will soon begin growing. This is the first phase of an energy garden project which we hope will reach beyond Camp Ilchester and into the homes of each of GSCM’s members.

Elsewhere on the property you will find other gardens. We will support the gardens by composting plant waste in composting bins built by Girl Scouts. Water conservation will be encouraged with rain barrels created by Girl Scouts. We will recycle and reuse as much material as we can.

Embedded into the central wildflower garden will be a small pond which will become home to a group of hatchling Diamondback Terrapins recently donated to us. Other animals waiting to move into their new homes at the Nature Center include: Madagascar Hissing Roaches, an Emperor Scorpion, a Corn Snake, and an Eastern Chain King Snake. Fish tanks will be well stocked. Many other critters will also find new homes at the Caitlin Dunbar Nature Center.

Girl Scout-built bird houses as well as bat boxes are beginning to appear around Camp. Programs are under development to study how these homes are utilized. Will the intended residents actually move in or will other critters take up residence? Various Girl Scouts are creating their own plant and wildlife identification books that will be unique to Camp Ilchester.

If you are able to join us on Sunday, March 9, 2008, for the Grand Opening, please RSVP to Billy Heinbuch, Girl Scouts of Central Maryland, by phone at (410) 358-9711 extension 240, or email bheinbuch@gscm.org. Parking at Camp is limited, so main parking will be across the street at Ilchester Elementary School. Special parking and drop-offs, however, will be on the Camp parking lot.

Hope to see you there.

Alex, Marty, Kelsey and Kristy Dunbar