Maryland: walking on sunshine

Parks & Recreation, June, 2004

Residents of Anne Arundel County, Maryland, will soon launch into a new way to exercise--walking through the solar system. Friends of Anne Arundel County Trails, in a partnership with NASA and Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., has begun creation of the Friends Planet Walk that will teach hikers and bilkers about outer space as they cruise the Baltimore Annapolis Trail.

"It will bring the wonders of our solar system to our young students aim our residents of every age to enjoy," says Stan Lebar, manager of the Planet Walk for the Friends group.

Along the 4.6-mile trail, the Planet Walk will showcase art and educational displays at stations that mark where the sun and planets are in relation to how far residents walk, attempting to shrink the 3.7 billion-mile solar system into a few hours of hiking.

Each station along the trail will feature a unique art exhibit, as well as three level educational displays that cater to elementary school students, middle/ high school students and adults.

"There are other Planet Walks out there, with the same concept, but nothing like this," says Vice President of Friends of AA Trails David Greene. "We really wanted this to be an educational experience that students and residents could enjoy."

The first station to be completed will be the Sun Station, the first stop in the Planet Walk. The steel sculpture at the site, made by artist Judy Sutton Moore, will be 24-feet high, with nine circles--each representing one of the planet's orbits. Inside the rings are 48 prisms that will cost rainbows on the nine planet gardens and pathways surrounding the sculpture. Also at the stop will be educational graphics and fun facts about the sun. The ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held this month.

The Friends of AA Trails hope that the Planet Walk will be one small step for their residents, although the $1.5 million project was a huge step for them.