Wildflower Walk and iNaturalist Tutorial at the Oxford Conservation Park (THURSDAY)

An Eastern Shore Event!  

Larisa Prezioso and Cristina Niciporciukas will lead a wildflower walk in the Oxford Conservation Park (OCP). This should be a good time of year to view meadow wildflowers planted throughout the park. Larisa is the Director of Land Conservation at the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy (ESLC) and Cristina is Chair of the Maryland Natural Plant Society’s Eastern Shore Chapter.

The Park, once slated for development, was transformed into a public nature preserve through the efforts of Talbot County leaders and community stakeholders. In 2023, the Friends of OCP partnered with Talbot County Parks and Recreation, the ESLC, and Washington College’s Natural Lands Project to restore and expand the park’s habitat. With funding from the Department of Natural Resources, thirty additional acres has been converted from cropland into native meadows, featuring tree plantings, short grasses, wildflowers, and new walking trails. This expansion aims to improve water quality, support climate resilience, and restore rare early successional habitats vital to species like the Northern Bobwhite quail, sparrows, woodcocks, and salamanders. The project blends conservation, education, and recreation, turning the park into a sanctuary for both wildlife and the community.

Prior to the walk, Cristina will provide a tutorial on how to use iNaturalist, an online social network of people sharing biodiversity information to help each other learn about nature. We suggest that participants sign up for an iNaturalist app account prior to the walk. You will then be able to try out the app during the walk. Cristina, who documents the state’s native flora via iNaturalist, has created an iNaturalist project for the Oxford Conservation Park. https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/oxford-conservation-park.  This puts all iNaturalist observations that were made in the Park in a single place.  Feel free to join the Project as a member prior to the event.

The group will meet in the Park parking lot (Oxford Road & Boone Creek Road) at 9:00. Please wear comfortable and sturdy walking shoes—we’ll be both on the paved and on the somewhat rough grass park trails. We also recommend having water, sun and bug protection, a hat, and a pair of field glasses.

The walk and tutorial are sponsored by the Friends of the OCP. For questions and to join our email list, contact us at: oxfordconservationpark@gmail.com

This event is free to attend and no registration is required.