As the name implies, milkweeds – a group of plants in the genus Asclepias – are weedy plants. They are characteristic of disturbed habitats like forest edges and open meadows, and though they are perennials, they also produce copious wind-borne…
Athletic Field Survey
The Centerville-Washington Park District maintains 20 soccer game fields, 18 baseball/softball diamonds, 2 football game fields, 2 lacrosse game fields, 5 acres of lacrosse practice area, 5.5 acres of football practice area and 20 acres of soccer practice fields! We…
Yankee Park Playground: Design Preference Survey
The Yankee Park playground is getting an upgrade! The Centerville-Washington Park District is interested in learning which of the proposed playground designs the community prefers. Goals previously identified for this project are: an ADA safety surface, an ADA specific element,…
Where Have All the Insects Gone?
It’s the middle of summer; mosquitoes are buzzing, the nighttime chorus of crickets and katydids is picking up volume, and we’re just coming down from an emergence of periodical cicadas. It might seem like an odd time to be asking:…
New Park Commissioner Appointed
Jeff Senney has been appointed to serve a three-year term on the Board of Park Commissioners of the Centerville-Washington Park District. He will begin his first year of appointment as the Secretary of the Board. Mr. Senney is the 18th…
If You Build It, They Will Come
Birds’ nests serve a number of functions. One of those, of course, is to provide a secure place to lay and incubate eggs and, for many species, to raise young. In addition, the design and structure of nests may help…
Toads at a Cocktail Party
In some ways, frogs and toads (amphibians in the order Anura, meaning “no tail”) are visual creatures. Their eyes are finely attuned to movement, and they feed on insects that make the mistake of crossing their visual paths. But when…
CWPD 2020 Annual Report Available
It was no ordinary year for any of us in 2020. Your Park District, like businesses, schools, cities and organizations, had to adapt, adjust, and invent as the coronavirus pandemic spread. However, the parks were some of the only places…
Periodical Cicadas: What’s the Buzz?
Image: courtesy of Katja Schulz, Creative Commons I have lived in Dayton, OH, since 1986. This May and June, for just the third time in those 35 years, I look forward to the spectacle of Magicicada Brood X, the 17-year…
2021 Summer Camps Announced
We are ready for another fun summer in the parks! Resident summer camp registration begins online Monday, April 12 at 10 a.m. Nonresident summer camp registration begins online Monday, April 19 at 10 a.m. Phone registration will begin one day later. Jump on…