Public Hearing: YES ☐ NO ☒ Department: Board of Commissioners - District 2
SUBJECT:
Title
Commission District(s): All Districts
To Appropriate $5,000 from District 2 ARP Funding for Park Naturalist Jonah McDonald Programming and Gear for use in Mason Mill Park.
Body
Information Contact: Commissioner Jeff Rader
Phone Number: 404-371-2863
PURPOSE:
To appropriate $5,000 from District 2 ARP Funding for Park Naturalist Jonah McDonald programming and gear for use in Mason Mill Park.
NEED/IMPACT:
Mason Mill Park usage has increased under the effects of COVID-19. The park also is home to the Central DeKalb Senior Center. Many seniors have been hesitant to return fully to indoor programming and have greatly benefitted from Jonah McDonald’s programming outdoors in the park, thereby reducing their social isolation. This additional budget for specific items and rationale are below:
• 3 laser pointers - $150
o Bird-friendly laser pointers use focused green light and are safe for birds’ and humans’ eyes for use on birding programs to help participants spot birds and point out creatures.
• 20 hand lenses - $300
o For use with participants on programs focused on wildflowers, mosses, lichens, fungi, etc.
• 2 draw knives - $150
o Help participants carve their own walking sticks, which is an excellent entry-point to try hiking.
• 4 hanging scales - $60
o Especially when we do forest and creek clean-ups, it’s important to weight the trash we’ve carted from the woods and from the waterways so we can record the amount for grants, reporting, and publicity.
• 3 D-frame nets + 3 kick nets - $750
o Nets used when testing water quality and will be used by Adopt-a-Stream groups, by the Naturalist, and during educational programs to gather macroinvertebrates to check stream health.
• 4 waders - $300
o For stream-water monitoring, trash pick-ups, and invasive removal in wetlands areas.
• 12 headlamps (with white and red LED settings) - $200
o For use on night walks, campfires, and other evening programming.
• 5 hammocks - $500
o To be used during campfire, intro-to-camping, and other more sedentary programming.
• 15 smartphone microscopes - $375
o These small devices clip on to participants’ smartphone cameras and increase magnification by 20x-30x.
• 10 field microscopes - $450
o Sunlight-powered microscopes for water samples and to explore microscopic organisms.
• 8 field guides or reference books - $200
o Field guides and reference books on-site allows for increase in knowledge for programming and to bring copies along on programs so participants can utilize reference material.
• 10 compasses - $200
o For use by participants on orienteering programming and for teaching children how to use compasses.
• 1 telescope - $1,300
o Full moon night walks have been so popular that with a high-quality telescope, we can draw citizens into learning about the night sky. Though there is a lot of light pollution at Mason Mill, a telescope can still provide us views of planets, stars, and of the moon itself.
Total cost $4,935 and supplies will be purchased from 4 DeKalb vendors (REI, Ace Hardware, Forestry Suppliers, Vortex)
FISCAL IMPACT:
Appropriate $5,000 from District 2 ARP POETA 105744.63258.521209.01.02.602479
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommended Action
To approve the appropriation of $5,000 from District 2 ARP to the Park Naturalist Program and Jonah McDonald under DeKalb Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs.