The City of Takoma Park has been a “sanctuary city” since 1985 and actively supports and welcomes immigrants and refugees.  The City’s Takoma Park Arts cultural series will celebrate the lives and legacy of immigrants in a free film screening and poetry reading at the Takoma Park Community Center at 7500 Maple Avenue.

Vintage Movie Night: Immigrants and Refugees 

Thursday, Sept. 12 at 7:30 pm 

Local filmmaker Richard Hall will lead a cinematic journey through a century of films about immigrants and refugees, from early 20th century silent films encouraging immigrants to assimilate to World War II films about refugees and more recent classroom films. See how America’s ideas about immigrants and refugees have changed — or not changed — over the past century. This screening is presented in partnership with Docs in Progress.

Poems of Migration and the American Immigrant Experience

Thursday, Sept. 19 at 7:30 pm 

Three poets who are immigrants from different ethnic backgrounds will share their poetry about the joys and pitfalls of migrating to the United States, including a sense of exile or welcome and struggles against discrimination. The featured local poets include Indran Amirthanayagam, Zeina Azzam, and Vladimir Monge.

Amirthanayagam is an award-winning poet who was born in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) who moved to London when he was a child and then to Honolulu half a world away before resettling in the D.C. area. As the daughter of Palestinian refugees, Azzam spent her childhood in Lebanon before moving to the United States when she was 10 years old. Monge was born in El Salvador and attended the University of El Salvador and the National University of Costa Rica before relocating to the United States.

This reading is part of the Takoma Park Arts Third Thursday Poetry reading series which features free poetry readings on the third Thursday of most months. You can sign up for our weekly e-newsletter to receive info about all of our upcoming events.

Photo credit: Thomas Hawk  

Numerous tree care professionals in our area have become concerned about the number and relatively quick demise of mature (primarily white) oak trees in our area. This situation is occurring not only in the City of Takoma Park but in the entire DC Metropolitan Area and beyond.

Updated Resource – 09/11/19: 
Bartlett Tree Experts – Factors of Oak Decline (White Paper)
by Dr. Kevin Chase, PhD, Entomologist

The first question being asked is why?

The short answer is climate change.

The more detailed answer involves the record amount of rainfall last year over an extended period of time, as well as earlier this year, which resulted in super saturated soils and areas that experienced elevated water levels. Tree root systems in these areas were damaged by low oxygen levels in the soil, resulting in root loss for many trees.  In urban environments, the issue of heavy rainfall and saturated soils is compounded because the root area for trees is already limited by soil compaction, space, and other constraints.  Also, the health of the trees that have died may not have been the best, to begin with.

Looking even further back to 2016 and 2017, there were very cold temperatures (in the teens) in the early spring after weeks of mild weather. This could have had an impact on the vascular system of the tree, impacting its ability to maintain existing root systems.  These past injuries make a tree even more susceptible when periods of heavy rains or high temperatures take place. As time passes, the failing root system reaches a tipping point where the water needs of the canopy can’t be met leading to branch dieback and decline.

With the trees in a weakened state, other pathogens and insects (particularly beetles and borers) take advantage and are secondary contributors to the demise of the tree.

The heavy rainfall this year was followed by a period of intense high temperatures and periods of drought this summer. The stress of the heat and drought led to the already compromised large trees dying in very short periods of time.

One area of concern is that many of the beetles and pathogens in the dead tree can quickly spread to other trees around them. It is essential to have the dead tree removed off-site to keep the infestation from spreading.

Experts from the University of Maryland Cooperative Extension Service, US National Arboretum, the Maryland Department of Agriculture, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the US Forest Service have been contacted and there are efforts underway to better understand and document what is taking place.

What Can You Do for Your Trees?

First and foremost, you should have your trees evaluated every couple of years or as needed by a Licensed Tree Expert/Licensed Arborist. They can take a close look at the tree and its surroundings and diagnose possible problems and recommend a treatment plan. To find a Certified Arborist (Treesaregood.com)

If possible, while minimizing damage to root systems of large existing trees, try to improve your yard’s drainage, particularly in wet areas.

You may also want to add mulch (2-3” max) in a 6’ to 10’ radius around the trunk of a large tree.  It is best to keep mulch several inches away from the trunk itself. Adding mulch around your tree provides vital nutrients and promotes macrobiotic activity essential for good soil.

Limit damage to a tree’s root system when mowing.  It is better for the tree to create a mulched area around the trunk of a tree rather than grass.

White oaks, particularly hit hard this year, are an upland tree species.  White oaks do not deal well with waterlogged soils. Therefore, when planting new trees, it is best to understand the species and its preferred growing environment. During dry spells, new trees especially need watering, particularly in the first 2 to 3 years after planting.

Visit our webpages for additional resources on Tree Care:

• Tree Care and Resources
• Tree Saftey 101
• Tree Ordinance Review and Tree Canopy Goal: The Takoma Park City Council is currently reviewing the Tree Ordinance and may establish a tree canopy goal.
• Tree Permits

Resources

Plant new trees – Make a Difference!

City residents can take advantage of the City’s Fall 2019 tree planting program (print form here) with a check made payable to:  City of Takoma Park, for the number of trees selected, plus tax = Total Order.

The following links are a helpful resource in selecting tree species:

• Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conversation Landscaping
• Casey Trees Urban Tree Selection Guide

The City offers assistance for tree removal of dead or hazardous trees for low- and moderate-income residents (85% of the median income for Montgomery County.  The Emergency Tree Fund Criteria and Homeowners Application can be found here:

• Application for Emergency Tree Fund Homeowners Application
• Emergency Tree Fund Criteria

TPRD’s Fall Class Registration begins Thursday, August 15th for Takoma Park Residents.

Registration for all Fall 2019 classes (unless otherwise noted) will begin Thursday, August 15th at 8:30 a.m. online as well as in person for City residents only. Don’t wait to register, programs fill up fast! For more information, please visit us online at www.takomaparkmd.gov/government/recreation, or contact the Recreation Department at 301-891-7290.

Please Note: New Fees for Classes Effective With Fall Registration, including $5 per multiple week course for 55+ programs.

Non-resident registration opens Thursday, August 22nd.

Click here to view the City Guide.

By Rick Henry

Since its founding in 1976, Takoma Park’s Dance Exchange has been a literal and metaphorical “mover and shaker,” using physical movement as a catalyst for inspiring collective “movements,” such as community engagement, healthy living and creative aging.

A major assist from the City of Takoma Park will allow the organization to expand its reach in the creative aging arena. A community grant award of $10,000 will help launch the Dance Exchange’s Creative Aging and Intergenerational Exchange. The organization will launch a series of workshops with local housing  communities and multi-family residential buildings in Takoma Park, such as Victory Towers, Edinburgh House, Parkview, Cambridge House, Winslow House, Essex House, and Hampshire Towers to provide creative aging programs to their older adult residents.

“These ongoing workshops will use movement, dancemaking, and storytelling to encourage physical activity and health, individual and community expression, and community building,” said Cassie Meador, executive artistic director of Dance Exchange.

According to Meador, the exchange had been exploring these types of programs for a while, but it was City Councilmember Peter Kovar who helped bring the concept and the key players together.

“I’m a strong supporter of Dance Exchange’s innovative work and I appreciate the many contributions the organization makes to the Takoma Park community and beyond,” Kovar said. “Earlier this year, after I had a conversation with Dance Exchange staff about this topic, I helped put them in touch with representatives of local apartment buildings that have substantial aging populations and with groups that work on issues affecting older residents. So I’m delighted that they were approved for a grant that will enable them to collaborate with older residents in the City.”

Meador added that while the particular initiative that the grant is funding is new, it fits in perfectly with the Exchange’s history and overall mission. “Dance Exchange has enhanced the quality of life for older adults since its founding in 1976. Our Founder, Liz Lerman, began teaching dance to senior adults at the Roosevelt for Senior Citizens, a city-run residential facility in Washington, DC in 1975,” she said.

“Going forward, our long-term goal is to continue building an intergenerational creative community that uses dancemaking to improve the lives and wellness of local older adults by increasing social connection, opportunities for agency and choice making, and physical health through movement.”

The grant will support Dance Exchange artists in implementing and facilitating the program. In addition, a team of local and national contributors from the arts, health, and creative aging sectors will assess the value and impact of the work for individuals and communities joining the program.

During the pilot year, Dance Exchange will also document and share best practices within the arts, health and creative aging sectors. The organization will host a series of events, including an evening on the science of arts and aging, (co-hosted with the National Academy of Sciences as part of their LabX series) on Oct. 25 at Dance Exchange, and a three-day Organizing with Artists for Change Institute, Jan. 9-12, 2020. They are also planning a culminating performance event in May 2020.

Meador said that none of these initiatives would be possible without the grant. “Without this money, we simply could not launch the program in this coming season,” she said. “Our partnership illuminates how the arts and culture sector can intersect with local government to make a more robust, creative, and connected community.”

It all comes down to using movement to launch “movements.” As Meador said, “Through the Creating Aging and Intergenerational Exchange program, we will be moving for connection, moving for health, and moving together to question and expand the expectations of aging.”

This article appeared in the August 2019 edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. The Takoma Park Newsletter is available for download here.

We are thrilled to announce that Mayor Kate Stewart will be hosting lunches in restaurants in the Takoma Langley Crossroads neighborhood of Takoma Park. Listed below are the locations and dates of the scheduled lunches.  Everyone is welcome to join!

Lunch Schedule

All lunches are from 12:00pm – 2:00pm.

• Friday, September 27
  El Campeon Rotisserie Chicken & Bakery
  902 Merrimac Dr.
  Takoma Park, MD 20903