Author: Francesca Lyman

In the beginning was the Woods. And the woods were with dogs. In the woods were trail walkers, and children, hikers and joggers. While it’s hard to pinpoint any specific Genesis story, friends and neighbors of Finn Hill and Holmes Point, walking in the forests and parks, and bumping frequently into each other, started talking in the early 1990s about forming an organization to care for the plants, animals, birds, and the natural landscape of the area. In 1994, a county grant for “Exploring Your Backyard Waterways” gathered Finn Hill families for the adventure of bush-whacking trails, through the...

When it looked like one of our beloved, local neighborhood parks, O.O. Denny Park, could be at risk of development, citizens throughout the neighborhood, with help from DCNA, wasted no time—banding together to save it. The county nearly closed the park for want of funds to maintain it, so DCNA organized and led a community effort to propose that a local park and recreation district be funded to maintain and operate the park. As a result of DCNA’s campaign, voters a small levy on local property taxes, to fund a new parks commission, the Finn Hill Park and Recreation...