With the return of songbird nesting season, it’s time for cowbirds to get busy! But not everybody will be happy about that. Cowbirds are a native species, but their reputation is as invaders who displace other more “desirable” birds. The…
Pull Your Weight to Protect Your Parks
The Centerville-Washington Park District hosts an annual garlic mustard challenge each spring. Garlic mustard is an aggressive, non-native plant taking over natural areas. You can help restore and protect your native ecosystems with this fun volunteer challenge! Drop off 13-gallon…
2023 National Gold Medal Award Application
The American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration (AAPRA), in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), administers the National Gold Medal Awards for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management. Founded in 1965, the Gold Medal Awards program…
The Dragonflies of Spring
Ohio is home to something like 100 species of dragonflies, and to a large extent, they are creatures of summer. Both the abundance and the diversity of dragonflies peak in June and July. But a few species stretch those seasonal…
Centerville Farmers Market Moves to Activity Center Park
The Centerville Farmers Market will return this spring and summer in its new home at Activity Center Park! The Centerville Farmers Market is sponsored by the City of Centerville and Centerville Washington Park District. It will feature high-quality homegrown produce and…
Park District Recognized with Award for Community Partnership
Ohio Business Magazine awarded the Centerville-Washington Park District (CWPD) a 2022 Ohio Success Award. The award honors businesses, non-profits and governmental organizations’ success, focusing on the partnerships they form with each other to benefit their communities. CWPD prides itself on…
Oh, oh, oh, opossum!
For most of us, the word “marsupial” brings to mind kangaroos and koalas—animals we might describe as cute, or even charismatic. But those adjectives probably are applied less often to our one local marsupial, the Virginia opossum, Dildelphis virginiana. With…
CWPD Staff Receive National Recognition
The National Recreation and Park Association’s February issue of Parks & Recreation magazine released its annual 30 Under 30 list honoring top young park and recreation professionals who serve as everyday champions in their communities. Centerville-Washington Park District employees Alyssa…
Shane Dawalt
Shane was born in Mississippi. In 1977 his parents settled in Ohio and he moved to the Centerville area in 1995. At the time, his hobbies were computers, electronics and driving in time-speed-distance road rallies. Anything but exercise! Then Shane…
Planetree, Buttonwood, Ghost Tree: Sycamore!
Sycamore trees are easy to spot on the landscape. Sycamores thrive in well-drained riparian (streamside) soils, and from the air they are conspicuous as large white sentinels marking the paths of creeks and rivers. On the ground, even in summer…