Community Relations Manager

What it Means to Be an ACLT Master Naturalist

January 17, 2025 By Community Relations Manager

By Jonathan Moreland, Master Naturalist Class of '24

Each spring, as our southern Maryland flora and fauna emerge from their winter rest, the ACLT begins its Maryland Master Naturalist training program. As staff and volunteers are busy preparing to welcome the next group of budding naturalists, I would like to take this opportunity to encourage interested readers to sign up and experience the arrival of spring like never before.

Weekly classes led by experts in our local ecosystems will provide the foundation for your training. You will learn basic ecology, dendrology, ornithology, herpetology, entomology and many more “ologies”, all in a local context. Each class will include relevant resources, engaging lectures, and hands-on experiences. You will have the opportunity to apply this new knowledge on ACLT field trips. The first of these trips is a nighttime “herp hunt,” where you will visit a vernal pool. Before the Master Naturalist program, I would have called it a puddle in the forest. Now I know from firsthand experience that in late winter or early spring that puddle is absolutely teeming with amphibian life in all its stages. More importantly, I have some understanding of the crucial role it plays in our local ecosystem.

Master Naturalist Students on a Herp Hunt

In addition to the herp hunt, there is a bug day, a bird walk, a tree hike, and, of course, a canoe trip on our beloved Parkers Creek. As a result of these field trips, your senses will become more finely attuned to the richness and complexity of our southern Maryland forests and streams.

As part of your training, you will complete a service project with a group of your classmates. ACLT will provide you with several options to choose from. I chose what turned out to be the most physically and mentally taxing option: removing, repairing, and relocating wood duck and prothonotary warbler nest boxes from one part of the creek to another. While removing the boxes, some of our waders sprung leaks and filled with creek water and muck. I was stung by a wasp. Carrying each box along two miles of trail pushed our cardiovascular systems to their limits. We also learned that when you dig a hole in a swamp, it tends to fill right back up with muck before you can put anything in it. Nonetheless, with a great deal of teamwork and a little trial and error, we were able to successfully accomplish our task. Even if a wood duck or prothonotary warbler never moves into the new homes we created for them, the bond we formed through this shared experience made the effort worthwhile.

The Master Naturalist program does include an open-note written exam and a couple closed-notes identification tests, but studying for them won’t feel like work. In May, while sitting in my backyard listening to bird sounds in preparation for the upcoming bird identification test, I heard a persistent call that did not match any of the sounds I had been studying. A little bit of investigation revealed that I was listening to a male scarlet tanager who had just arrived from South America in search of breeding territory and a mate. He soon departed to try his luck elsewhere, but I am glad I was studying when he stopped by.

After completing the training in June, you will have the opportunity to sample from the bounty of volunteer opportunities the ACLT makes available to its Master Naturalists. In the past six months, I have monitored water quality in local streams, surveyed and removed invasive species—including the notorious wavyleaf basketgrass—and guided canoe trips on Parkers Creek. As a recent fledgling, I am still finding my niche in the local Master Naturalist ecosystem, but very much looking forward to the advanced training and volunteer opportunities the new year will bring.

Master Naturalists at Work & Play

Thursday Trail Adventurers (TTA) Crew after a day of side-ledging trails

Creating bush pile for wildlife habitat

End-of-Year Party

Repairing Boardwalk and Raft Platform

Class Canoe Trip

Registration Now Open for the Class of 2025

Learn more about ACLT’s Master Naturalist Program here. Contact ACLT Land Manager Autumn Phillips-Lewis if you have any questions.

Hurry – Registration closes February 1st or when the class is full.

ACLT Wreaths – A Group Effort

December 5, 2024 By Community Relations Manager

ACLT hosts a Wreath & Greens sale every year on the 1st Saturday in December. For some of our supporters, it marks the official start of their holiday season. But what goes into the making of those wreaths and all the other unique items offered at the sale? Glad you asked!

It Begins with an Invasive Vine ...

Months before the wreath-making and sale, volunteers go out in the woods and cut Oriental bittersweet vines. Bittersweet is non-native and aggressively invasive.

The volunteers make good use of the vines by making dozens of wreath forms which will be used as the base for the wreaths.

Gathering the Greens

On the day before Thanksgiving (which happens to be a Wednesday), the Wednesday Woods Workers get to work gathering greens at Warriors Rest. As has been the tradition for years, they get to take a brief break when the Community Relations Manager arrives with coffee and doughnuts – but then it’s right back to work until the trucks are loaded down with a wide variety of greens.

A call is sent out to other volunteers requesting additional greens, which are added to the piles that are stacked in front of the ACLT office ready to be made into wreaths, swags, etc.

Scroll down to see more wreath-making photos.

Making of the Wreaths

On the Saturday and Sunday after Thanksgiving, more volunteers gather at the ACLT office to make the wreaths. We typically have about 10-15 volunteers there for the entire day on both days. Each wreath can take up to an hour (or more) to make!

Volunteer Spotlight

We are very fortunate to have several volunteers who come back every year to share their special talents. Barbie Hudson (right) is an experienced wreath-maker and makes all the extra-large/extra-full wreaths that you will see at the sale. Barbie also creates swags – some with buoys – and centerpieces.

John Parker (above) is another volunteer that we rely heavily on every year. John is our expert bow maker – he makes all the bows for the wreaths plus extras to sell at the wreath sale. You can also swap out the bow on your wreath if you’d like.

Ralph Nolletti (right), a member of the Outreach & Membership Committee, hand-made, donated and decorated a grapevine wreath that would look stunning on the side of a barn or house. The wreath measures over 36″ in diameter.

Not pictured: Beth Nolletti (suncatchers) and Kevin Donahue (tobacco stick decorations)

Sue Kullen (above) makes beautiful wreaths and is an excellent instructor for inexperienced volunteers.

Inspection & Pricing

The final step (before loading the wreaths into several vehicles and hauling them down to the South Side Trailhead) is to check each wreath to make sure it will last well into the holidays. Autumn Phillips-Lewis, Land Manager (seated) sets the price of each wreath while Addie Brown, CCCC Member, checks each wreath.

More than Just a Wreath Sale

Every year, the wreath and greens sale has grown little by little. This year we have exciting items that are unique to ACLT and will make great gifts.

Wreath Sale & Market Details

We hope to see many of our members and supporters at the wreath sale!

Saturday, December 7th
11am-1pm

South Side Trailhead
1985 Scientists Cliffs Rd
Port Republic, MD

Get there early! We sell out fast!

More Wreath-Making Photos

Forage Fish Surveys at ACLT and Beyond

November 22, 2024 By Community Relations Manager

Note: This blog contains two parts:

Part 1 expands upon an article written by CCCC Member Emily Dunsmore in the Fall 2024 Edition of the Watershed Observer, ACLT’s quarterly newsletter. Read the article here (pg. 10).

Part 2 explains how volunteers from various “Friends of Watersheds” Groups are expanding the fish forage surveys beyond the properties managed by ACLT.

"Small fish and aquatic bugs, called ‘forage’ species, are the unsung heroes of the aquatic ecosystem of Parkers Creek and beyond. These small fish and aquatic insects are the main food source for the larger predator fish and are chronically understudied in fish surveys. Surveys that do focus on forage species are usually limited to sandy beach habitats. This has left a critical gap in the knowledge of the forage species present in other ecosystems."

Emily Dunsmore-2024 Fall Newsletter

Part 1: Three Fish of Clark Creek

By Emily Dunsmore, 2023/2024 CCCC Member

This summer, ACLT started its first forage survey in the non-tidal waters of Clark Creek. Of the fish caught during this forage survey, there were three notable species that highlight just how important forage fish are to the ecosystems they inhabit.

Mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus)

Mummichog are a species of Killifish, which is part of the Cyprinodontidae family. They’re one of the most common small fish found in shallow aquatic habitats in the Chesapeake Bay. They were the second-most common fish caught during ACLT’s first forage survey. Often found in schools, this fish is an opportunistic feeder that eats a wide range of foods, including insects and aquatic worms, but most notably, mosquito larvae.

Mummichog were the first fish sent to space! As part of a mission in 1973, two mummichog and 50 mummichog eggs were sent to NASA’s space station, Skylab, to study the effects of microgravity on fish (Smithsonian National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute, 2024). Mummichogs can live in a vast variety of conditions and are found in both fresh and brackish water. They have a high pollution tolerance and a swim bladder that can act as a “primitive lung.” They can manually fill their swim bladder with air in conditions with little to no dissolved oxygen. This fish has little value to humans either commercially or recreationally, but they are often used in research due to their ability to tolerate a wide variety of conditions. They are often used in studies exploring the sensitivity of fish to environmental stressors (Schulte, 2013). Despite having little inherent value to humans, these small fish are an essential part of the Chesapeake Bay watershed food web. Mummichog, along with other small fish, are a key food source for larger, commercially-valuable fish and for predatory birds.

Brown Bullhead Catfish (Ameiurus nebulosus)

When you imagine a catfish, usually you’d imagine a large fish that would be impossible to find in a minnow trap. However, the small, juvenile catfish were a very common catch in the late summer!

Brown bullhead catfish are a native, bottom-feeding fish that are common in the freshwater and brackish streams that are tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay. They can grow up to 20 inches in length and usually prefer slow-moving, soft-substrate waters. They use their whisker-like barbels on the underside of their mouth to sense and find prey, which can include algae, insects, and other fish (Chesapeake Bay Program, 2024). As small fish, juvenile brown bullheads school in shallow water and are a food source for larger predator species including birds, perch, sunfish, and even snapping turtles.

American Eel (Anguilla rostrata)

The American eel has long fascinated humans due to its complex and mysterious life cycle. As the Chesapeake Bay region’s only catadromous fish, it lives most of its life in rivers, estuaries, and lakes before making the long, arduous journey to the Sargasso Sea to reproduce and die. These fish are carnivorous and often eat insects, fish eggs, and frogs. American eels are an immensely valuable species. They can serve as an indicator species due to their sensitivity to low dissolved oxygen (Hill, 1969), and they are an important food source for larger predatory species of fish and birds. These eels can also be an important host organism for native mussel larvae, which attach to the gills of eels temporarily, and then eventually drop off and burrow into the substrate. These native mussels play a large role in filtering the water of the Chesapeake Bay (Maryland Department of the Environment, 2024).

American eels are listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), due to a dwindling population as a result of both human and non-human causes. Barriers to migration, habitat loss, and climate change are only a few of the threats to this species (IUCN Red List, 2020). Despite being listed as endangered by the IUCN, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s assessment in 2015 found that it did not meet the standards to be listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, despite having depleted population numbers (IUCN Red List, 2020).

The American eel was my most surprising (and most slippery!) species found during the forage survey. Although they are common to find in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, it was interesting to find them in Clark Creek, so far inland from Parkers Creek and the Bay. Finding them in Clark Creek really showcased how far these fish travel from where they are born in the Sargasso Sea, about 650 miles away.

Part 1 References

Part 2: Friends Groups Take on Forage Surveys

Since April, the Friends groups of Southern Maryland have been participating in forage surveys to learn what fish are in their waterways and to expand the overall knowledge about forage species in different Chesapeake Bay tributaries. ACLT has helped form and coordinate six watershed Friends groups in Calvert County: Friends of Hunting Creek, Friends of St. Leonard Creek, Friends of Mill Creek, Friends of Hellen Creek, Friends of Fishing Creek, and Friends of Hall Creek. Of these six Friends groups, three have begun forage sampling, often off of Friends group members’ personal docks.

“Forage,” which is defined as small fish and invertebrates that sustain and feed a larger aquatic predator population, is chronically understudied in fish surveys. Additionally, all of the surveys focused on forage species in the Chesapeake Bay have primarily been done with seine nets on tidal, sandy beaches, meaning that other kinds of habitat have not been properly sampled. This has led to a critical gap in knowledge about forage species. This data gap inspired the creation of “forage surveys” across the Chesapeake Bay region, led by Morgan State University’s Patuxent Environmental Aquatic Research Lab (PEARL) and spearheaded by Dr. Tom Ihde. In years past, four other organizations have participated in these forage surveys, with sites in tidal waters as far north as Havre de Grace and as far south as the James River. This year, after two training sessions led by Dr. Ihde, the Friends groups joined the forage sampling effort, effectively adding three new watersheds to PEARL’s dataset.

Of the six Friends groups, three have taken up forage surveys in their watershed: Friends of Hunting Creek, Friends of St. Leonard Creek, and Friends of Mill Creek. Because these are citizen science surveys, they are dependent on citizens having access to waterways. Luckily, many active members of the Friends of Mill Creek and Friends of St. Leonard Creek have waterfront properties. As of July 2024, there are three citizens sampling three sites in St. Leonard Creek, and three citizens sampling six sites in Mill Creek. The Friends of Hunting Creek has fewer active members with waterfront property, so a core group of four members has joined together to sample one site. Because the forage surveys are citizen-led, there is flexibility for samplers to conduct surveys as frequently or infrequently as they are able. Some of the Friends groups’ forage samplers have conducted surveys daily or weekly, while others have committed to once a month.

Forage sampling is a great way to participate in citizen science efforts, get to know which fish species are in nearby waterways, learn how to identify fish, and add to the information available about forage species in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed as a whole. Additionally, it is relatively inexpensive to conduct forage sampling because almost all of the supplies (except the data sheets) are reused every time sampling occurs, making it a relatively accessible way to get involved with citizen science.

Want to get involved with forage sampling? Email Mary (mary@acltweb.org) to learn more.

Dining in the Field 2024

June 20, 2024 By Community Relations Manager

Dining in the Field – A Welcome-Home Celebration
By Miriam Gholl

“Welcome Home!” – That’s how Executive Director Greg Bowen began his speech to the 115 guests who were seated at the 140’ long table to dine in the picturesque meadow at the South Side Trailhead. For the land on which the magical evening took place was indeed home – home to the American Chestnut Land Trust. It was the desire to purchase and protect this property in 1986 that spurred several community members to form ACLT.

“Knowing the people who stepped up to organize to protect this land, it is no surprise to me what they achieved in forming a land trust and preserving the property. The surprise, though, is the vision that they had beyond preserving this parcel, the outrageous presumption that they could protect two whole watersheds. The second big surprise has been that the passion, energy, and commitment has not waned over 38 years. Our Board of Directors and auxiliary committees are enthusiastic, our staff is committed, and our many volunteers are energetic. And of course, our dedicated supporters – we would be nowhere without the support of everyone who keeps ACLT going.”

Greg went on to recognize and thank those in attendance who were among those visionaries – Don Dohmann, Gary Loew, and Peter Vogt – three of the signatories of the original documents that established ACLT, as well as many Charter Members who helped raise the money to purchase the original property.

This was the second year in a row that ACLT was chosen to be the benefactor of Dining in the Field – a fundraiser intended to shine a light on local farmers and food artisans from whom the dinner ingredients were sourced. The trio of Trish Weaver of Dream Weaver Catering & Café, Sue Dzurec, and Sue Kullen worked tirelessly to make the event an enchanted experience for all.

Trish, her Chef and Kitchen Manager Mike Cummings, and their crew created an exquisite meal for all to enjoy. She credited Chesapeake’s Bounty for procuring many of the fresh ingredients from 12 local farms and creameries. Several students from the Culinary Program at the local Career Technology Center were there to assist and to learn what it takes to pull off such a huge event. Their Instructor, Karl Hille, supervised the students as they helped with meal preparation, readying the table, and helping to serve the meal.

Sue Dzurec, “Decorator Extraordinaire,” outdid herself again this year. From constructing the bar and other tables to designing the centerpieces which were made up of an eclectic assortment of teacups that had been planted with native plants and served as a parting gift for the guests, to arranging driftwood and flowering plants throughout the site, Sue thought of everything. To add even more beauty to the event, the Double Oak Farm “Flower Girls” contributed three stunning bouquets of fresh flowers.

In addition to beer and wine supplied by Wemyss Liquors, who offered a generous discount, guests were again this year treated to a specialty drink concocted by Sue Kullen that included a simple syrup and garnish made from fresh strawberries from Swann Farm. Sue also spent endless hours baking 15 loaves of sourdough bread to be enjoyed by all.

Finally – Thank you to all the ACLT volunteers who once again work tirelessly, without whom none of our events would be possible. We cannot express enough how grateful we are to all who contributed to this delightful event that raised thousands of dollars for ACLT.

2024 Dining in the Field Photo Album

Photos by Isabelle Gholl Photography

Note: Some images may appear blurry until you click on an individual photo.

PCHT Oral History-Sisters Delois Harrod Johnson and Phyllis Harrod Dawkins

June 14, 2024 By Community Relations Manager

Introduction

The American Chestnut Land Trust Parkers Creek Heritage Trail project looks at all aspects of regional history, with a special emphasis on African American families and their experiences. This emphasis is strongly felt in the oral history effort. In September 2021, project team members interviewed Yvonne Mason Wills, age 93, who told about family connections to Brown’s United Methodist Church, where several of her family members have been buried. In December 2022, the team interviewed Ruth “Becky” Parker Harrod (1934-2023). Harrod had been employed over the years by the Gravatt family, founders of the Scientists’ Cliffs cottage community, and Dr. Page Jett, for many years the owner of Warrior’s Rest, a property at the mouth of Parkers Creek. In July 2023, the team interviewed Shawn Harrod, a man with many connections to people living near Parkers Creek. For more information about these and other remarkable families, see The African American Community of Parkers Creek, circa 1800-1960 https://bit.ly/PrkCrkCommBook.

On April 12, 2024, team members Darlene Harrod and Kirsti Uunila interviewed the sisters Delois Harrod Johnson, 72, and Phyllis Harrod Dawkins, 70, who spent much of their childhood at their grandparents’ farm on Scientists Cliffs Road, a short distance south of Parkers Creek. Also participating in the interview were Shirley Knight, Saroja Raman, and Carl Fleischhauer.

Scroll down for video excerpts from the interview.

Below are some highlights from the interview. Scroll to bottom to view video excerpts of the interview.

Life on Grandparents' Farm

In the 1950s and 1960s, parents George, Sr., and Helen Mae Wallace Harrod and their children, including Johnson and Dawkins, lived with grandfather John Cephas Wallace and grandmother Hattie Commodore Wallace on the Wallace’s 81-acre farm, bought in 1926. Dawkins remembered her grandfather working in the fields and orchard and her grandmother working in the house. Dawkins said, “He had . . . a vast [amount of] land. He stayed out for long, long hours. So, he would hook the plow to the horse, and would be plowing the field.”

“And while he [grandfather] did that [farming], my grandmother would be in [the] house. And they made sure that, you know, at lunchtime my grandfather would come in,” Dawkins said. “My grandmother just had a knack for [baking]. They didn’t measure anything. So, we never knew how much they actually put in. However they did it, it turned out [fine].”

The children enjoyed their grandparents’ farm. Dawkins said although they were told not to eat the green apples because “they weren’t ripe yet,” they did anyway and got stomach aches. They were also told not to disturb the watermelons, but they still sneaked into the patch. “So, we’d get chastised for that, but it didn’t matter,” she said. “To the right of the patch, my grandfather had a beehive. Yeah, he made his honey.”

Raising Tobacco

Phyllis Dawkins recalled working tobacco as a child, doing modest chores suitable for her age. “Yeah, kid things,” she said. “It taught us. And kids nowadays have no idea, . . . the, the history or the love that we shared as growing up as a big family on the farm. . . . And as the tobacco grew [and was ready to harvest], we’d drop the sticks. I wasn’t one to spear [the stalks for hanging] ’cause I didn’t know how to do that. So, I was the one that dropped sticks.” Delois Johnson mentioned that she liked working outdoors and helped with planting and stripping tobacco.

Connection to Brown's Church

Like most Black families near Parkers Creek in the mid-20th century, the Wallaces, Commodores, and Harrods attended Brown’s United Methodist Church on Parkers Creek Road. (Before the 1968 merger of Methodist denominations, the church was called Brown’s Methodist Episcopal Church.) Johnson said, “Our grandmother and grandfather, and our parents too. I mean everybody went. That was the church.” There are references in the historical record to a church near Parkers Creek as early as 1877. An 1884 deed names the trustees for the “Methodist Episcopal Church . . . for Parkers Creek,” suggesting that the name Brown’s came later, perhaps when the still-standing chapel was constructed, a building that served as a community center as well as a site for worship for many decades.

In the 1950s, however, attendance dwindled, and Brown’s finally closed in 1972. No doubt there were many reasons for this change but, in our interview, Delois Johnson pinpointed one important influence: the arrival of a charismatic minister who established the Greater Bible Way Church on Sixes Road, a short distance to the west.

Bishop Henry H. Brown came to Calvert County from the “mother” Bible Way Church in Washington, D.C. His message and ministerial style, together with an exciting form of gospel music, drew several families away from Brown’s Church. One of Bible Way’s founding trustees was Dawkins and Johnson’s uncle, Winsco “Dickie” Wallace.

The sisters are still active members of Bible Way. “Methodist religion is different from Pentecostal,” Johnson said. “They call it Holiness, Apostolic. I mean, the message is what drew people from the Methodist faith to the Pentecostal. But all of our grandfathers, grandmothers, you know, my great-grandparents, aunts, and uncles are buried at Brown’s Church.”

While Johnson and Dawkins were sharing their stories, they were also dealing with sadness from a recent loss. Their mother, Helen Mae, had passed away just six months earlier. They praised her hard work and determination. The sisters were extremely happy that she had kept her home on Scientists Cliffs Road. The sisters are determined to do everything within their power to hold onto the property and to keep it in good condition for the next generation.

Land Ownership

Johnson and Dawkins also recalled their elders’ decisions to sell parts of the land over the years, the most recent of which was the 1993 sale of 49 acres to the ACLT. “And when I look back now,” Johnson said, reflecting on the sales, “because we’re the old people now, but we were still old enough to have tried to convince them. . . . If we had been involved, possibly we could still have that property. That’s right.”

Memories at Warrior's Rest

Happier memories, however, predominated in the interview. As youngsters, the sisters and their siblings enjoyed playing and swimming at the beach at Warrior’s Rest. Dr. Page Jett owned the property at the time, and he let the children have fun in the water. Johnson commented, “All the boys could swim, not one girl could swim.” Dawkins chimed in, saying, “Tell them why.” With a big smile, Johnson said, “Why? Because we would go to the Bay and the boys would take us and throw us down in the water, so we became fearful of the water and never learned to swim. . . . That was a lot of girls that grew up in the neighborhood and none of us can swim, not to this day, (laughs), we can’t swim.”

Johnson said it has been at least 50 years since their last visit to Warrior’s Rest, now owned by the State of Maryland Department of Natural Resources and managed by ACLT. ACLT staff and volunteers are arranging a September visit by the sisters and other relatives, a return to their childhood playground on the Bay. And there will be an opportunity to visit their great-grandparent’s homeplace, owned by members of the Commodore family from 1898 until 1947, when it was bought and incorporated into Warrior’s Rest.

Conclusion

The interview ended on an upbeat note. Johnson said, “I wouldn’t trade my life, you know, all of the things I had to deal with all my life. I love saying this, over my seventy-two years, I wouldn’t, really, I wouldn’t trade it — I wouldn’t trade anything. . . . we had all — we were happy. Our parents taught us well. I mean, if we strayed it’s not because they didn’t teach us the right way, because they did.”

And we respond in kind, wishing Delois Harrod Johnson and Phyllis Harrod Dawkins a perfect day for the visit to Warrior’s Rest — sunny, memorable, joyous, and special. We thank you for letting us interview you and share your words with a wider audience!

We also invite anyone who would like to be interviewed to call Darlene Harrod at 410-535-6266.

Postscript: Visit to Warrior's Rest, 29 November 2024

ACLT arranged for Delois and Phyllis, and several other members of the extended family, to visit Warrior’s Rest over the Thanksgiving weekend in 2024. They were accompanied by Heritage Trail researchers Darlene Harrod and Carl Fleischhauer. The property is owned by the State of Maryland Department of Natural Resources and offers limited access to visitors.

The group visited the beach, site of Delois and Phyllis’s recollection of how the boys in the family acted up and prevented them from learning to swim. The group also visited a former Commodore family home on the property. During this stop, the Heritage Trail team learned that the house had once been the home of Willis Commodore, one of William and Suddie Commodore’s sons, and determined the actual location for the senior Commodore’s former home. This new information permitted the Heritage Trail team to correct errors in the webpage devoted to the William H. and Suddie Commodore family.

On the beach at Warrior’s Rest: Cleo Parker, Kailyn Hutchins, Karen Gross, Darlene Harrod, Phyllis Dawkins, Delois Johnson, and Annie Mae Gross. Tap image to zoom in.

At the former Willis Commodore house: Darlene Harrod, Karen Gross, Phyllis Dawkins, Annie Mae Gross, Delois Johnson, and Kailyn Hutchins. Tap image to zoom in.