New Date - Sunday March 1, 2026

Reclaim the Outdoors. Reconnect with Nature. Celebrate Community.

Due to forecasts of snow and rain, this event has been rescheduled from the original February 22 to March 1. 

Join the Friends of Gwynns Falls Leakin Park and the Carrie Murray Nature Center for a day of events celebrating Black naturalists.

Four different sessions - each is free and open to the public

10:00am to 3:00pm on Sunday March 1, 2026

Feel free to come in at any point and our staff will help you join the activity running upon your arrival

Please register so we know how many people to expect.

10 - 11 AM

Echoes of Resilience: A Winter Birding & Sound Bath Experience

Begin the day outdoors with a guided winter birding hike led by Black naturalists from across Baltimore.

Learn how to identify resident bird species and explore themes of resilience, migration, and adaptation.

We'll conclude with a restorative outdoor sound bath, inviting reflection and grounding.*

11 - 11:30 AM

Carrie Murray Nature Center Campus Tour

*Join us for a guided tour of the Carrie Murray campus, including indoor exhibits, education spaces, and the surrounding grounds.

Visit the bird aviary; see the center’s role in environmental education and wildlife rehabilitation.

Learn about the center's connection to broader efforts to care for the park and build community stewardship.*

11:30AM - 12:30PM

Conversation & Lunch with Black Naturalists

Gather for a facilitated conversation and complimentary lunch with Black naturalists working in and around Gwynns Falls-Leakin Park.

Explore opportunities to collaborate, access resources, and strengthen both individual and collective environmental work in Baltimore.

Learn more about the park’s transition to become Baltimore’s first state park.

Lunch and participation are free, and all are welcome to join.*

12:30PM - 3:00PM

Film Screening & Community Discussion: Rat Film

We will close the day with a screening of Rat Film. This documentary, directed by Theo Anthony, uses the history of rat infestations in Baltimore as a lens to explore systemic housing segregation, environmental inequality, and structural racism.

Following the screening, we will host a facilitated community discussion reflecting on the film’s themes and their relevance to environmental stewardship and equity in Gwynns Falls-Leakin Park.

This combined film and discussion event is free and open to the public.

The Carrie Murray Nature Center is named in honor of Carrie Murray, a Black woman and civic leader whose legacy continues to inspire community stewardship and environmental learning in Baltimore. There is no more fitting place to gather for Black History Month than a nature center that bears her name—where we celebrate the past, present, and future contributions of Black environmental leaders in our city.

Learn more about Carrie Murray here.