Hear ye, hear ye!
Here is your
SHERWOOD FOREST CRIER
June 1, 2023

From your President…

We know your time is valuable. Thank you for reviewing our newsletter.

I am delighted to highlight a few members that are using their time to improve our neighborhood. Our volunteers are not only inspirational innovators but they follow up their ideas with action. Pat Mason, Valerie Marcil and Larry Hembree are just three of these key neighborhood volunteers.

Pat Mason is our SFNA Vice President and my wingman. Pat is leading the team to establish our slogan and get Welcome signs installed. Our survey found that you feel the Forest is a safe and friendly environment. He is working with local business leaders for sponsorships to fund our innovations by launching the Business Friends program. He is even running for an officer position on the Columbia Council of Neighborhoods, sharing Sherwood Forest initiatives with other associations. He was part of a team that took on the challenge of freeing Cash the dog from his tether and abuse by going to court twice to fine the owner. If you want to join his Branding Task Force team, contact Pat at 803-467-9570 or email.

Valerie Marcil leads our Forest Friends team. Her recurring newsletter articles help us tend and mend our own forest plots. Her initiative to give away trees has taken root and we expect to continue this program on an annual basis. In addition, her support of the Gills Creek watershed and understanding of urban heat islands benefits all of us. If you want to join her team, contact Valerie at 803-331-1138 or email.

Larry Hembree leads our Artist Friends, a new initiative to bring more art in all forms to our neighborhood and an avenue for our neighborhoods to share their talents. We will partner with the Arboretum (date TBD) for an exhibition of 15 local artists to perform and display their passions. In addition, the team is developing ideas for Welcome to the Neighborhood gateway signage and murals. Larry is also tackling the challenges of restoring our non-profit status with the IRS, making it easier to get grants and further our great ideas. If you want to join his team, contact Larry at 803-354-3883 or by email.

There are many more volunteers, including our block captains, making our neighborhood a place to enjoy nature and raise families. They are behind the scenes generating a place where we are Taking Pride and Nurturing Roots.

Cash Flow News: Richland County Councilman Don Weaver donated $300 to our association and we got a $140 grant from the city to pay for litter collection which will pay for our poop bags. We offer opportunities for you to also provide financial support for our initiatives. Contact me or Pat Mason.

Following years of medically imposed distancing we are hungry for social interaction. Robin Hood court hosted a campfire and pizza night this week. Fifteen attendees shared important family news and fed our need to be together again. Please find an opportunity to share with your neighbors, too.

Gail Wojtowicz, President
Sherwood Forest Neighborhood Association
618-402-8736

Weaver Realty First SFNA Business Friend

SFNA welcomes Richland County Councilman Don Weaver and his Weaver Realty Team as our first Business Friend sponsoring at the annual Angel Oak level. Headquartered on Rosewood Dr. at Kalmia since 1991, customers have come to expect skilled real estate marketing services that include rental management, financing and rent to own solutions. Call Katherine Robinson at 803-269-5745. She knows Sherwood Forest real estate!

Weaver Realty and Prime Financial Services website…

SFNA Business Friends program information…

USC Belser Arboretum Open House
Sunday, June 18, 1-4pm

Open House is always the 3rd Sunday of every month. Open for walkers and volunteers Wednesday and Saturday 10am-noon, Thursdays from 4-6pm.

Follow the Arboretum on Instagram and see Facebook for event info.

Forest Friends
What ARE Native Plants, Anyway?

We’ve talked a lot about the importance of native plants in Forest Friends, but exactly what they are may remain a mystery. Basically, native plants are those that have grown in a particular area for hundreds or thousands of years and are part of an ecosystem where plants and animals support each other.

One example: a white oak (native) hosts more than 500 insects as opposed to a ginkgo (exotic, native to the Far East) hosts only 5. You may think that is a good thing (no “pests”!), but native insects do not destroy native plants. They nibble at them enough to grow and the insects, in turn, are kept in balance by our native birds. A clutch of Carolina chickadees needs around 9000 caterpillars to grow to fledgling stage!

Most of the trees (e.g. oaks, hickories, wild cherries, river birch, pecans, and both loblolly and longleaf pines) in our neighborhood are native, which is why we have a wealth of birdlife. Most of our shrubbery, on the other hand, is exotic. Many folks think that traditional Carolina landscape plants (e.g. camellias, sasanquas, gardenias, boxwood, and evergreen azaleas) are native, but they are not. These plants are mostly from Japan and China and host few native insects.

Think instead of blueberries, yaupon holly, beautyberry, spice bush, wax myrtle, and native azaleas. These and many others support pollinators, who in turn support our birds. And, by the way, more birds mean healthier people! Read more about why native plants are better for birds and people at the Audubon website…

All of this does not mean you should rip out your non-native landscaping, or that nothing but 100 percent native landscaping will do. Exotic plants have a place and can add interest and beauty to your yard. But as non-natives age out, think of replacing them with natives. Or if you have a yard of mostly turf (non-native), think of adding some native trees and shrubs, grasses, and vines! And stay tuned in the coming months for information on our next native tree give-away.

Many organizations offer great lists of native plants by area, but here is one from the National Wildlife Federation…

Email Valerie Marcil at forestfriends@sherwoodforestneighbors.org with questions.

Pick Up The Puppy Poop!

The Forest is great for walking with the dogs! SFNA has installed poop bag dispensers at the five way and on Bloomwood which our Appearance guy Dave Nelson refills regularly. But bagging the poop is only half the battle! To win the war, the plump poop bags need to be disposed of in the green rollcarts along with bagged household waste.

More info about poop myths and facts…

SFNA General Meeting
Wednesday, August 9, 6:30pm-7:30pm
Sherwood Forest ARP Church

If you have an issue you would like discussed at the meeting please let us know! A full agenda will be available on the website.

The meeting will also be available on Zoom.

Draft minutes from the 2nd quarter general meeting…

SFNA Adopt-A-Highway Clean Up
Saturday, November 18, 9:30-11am

Mark your calendars!

Contact Dave Nelson at 803-447-4793 or appearance@sherwoodforestneighbors.org for more information.

Join the Sherwood Forest Neighborhood Association

Become a member or renew your membership now for 2023!

The SFNA is a volunteer organization of neighbors working to create a greater sense of community in the Forest.

Hear ye, hear ye!
Here is your
SHERWOOD FOREST CRIER
May 1, 2023

SFNA General Meeting
Wednesday, May 10, 6:30pm-7:30pm
Sherwood Forest ARP Church

If you have an issue you would like discussed at the meeting please let us know! A full agenda will be available on the website.

The meeting will also be available on Zoom.

Draft minutes from the 1st quarter general meeting…

SFNA Adopt-A-Highway Clean Up
Saturday, May 20, 9:30-11am

Volunteers are invited to participate in the cleanup which is part of the Keep The Midlands Beautiful Adopt-A-Highway program. Meet at the Piggly Wiggly parking lot. Volunteers should wear closed toed shoes and bring your own gloves. Pickers and trash bags are provided.

Contact Dave Nelson at 803-447-4793 or appearance@sherwoodforestneighbors.org for more information.

Buy Nothing Friends Launched!
Thanks to coaching from Bill Fairchild, our Zone 7 & 8 Block Captain, we are now ready to invite all residents to download the Buy Nothing app and join in this wildly popular national project phenomena. When joining, be sure to identify Sherwood Forest as your neighborhood.

Buy Nothing offers people a way to give and receive, share, lend, and express gratitude through a worldwide network of gift economies in which the true wealth is the web of connections formed between people who are real-life neighbors.
– Buy Nothing website…

Also, for more fun check out Bill’s FB group: Buy Nothing Sherwood Forest…

USC Belser Arboretum Open House
Sunday, May 21, 1-4pm

Join the Arboretum Book Club as we read Upstream by Mary Oliver, selected by Nicola Waldron of USC’s Department of English Language and Literature. She’ll guide our discussion at 3pm.
Eventbrite tickets…
Facebook event…

Open House is always the 3rd Sunday of every month. Open for walkers and volunteers Wednesday and Saturday 10am-noon, Thursdays from 3pm-7pm.

Follow the Arboretum on Instagram and see Facebook for event info.

Forest Friends
To Mow or Not to Mow
You may have heard some of the buzz about No Mow May, which encourages homeowners with lawns to eliminate or reduce lawn mowing in the month of May to allow flowering plants in your grass to bloom to help support pollinators in the spring when sources of pollen are limited. Try it if you like, but an even better approach (for many reasons) is to begin to replace some of your turf with understory plants, and open pollinator gardens.

Understory plants are the small trees (like dogwoods) that love to live in the dappled shade of larger trees (the upper story), as well as native shrubs and perennials that thrive with a bit of shade.

If you have an open, sunny lawn, try adding a rain garden, a regular pollinator garden full of native perennials, or a sunny border garden full of native grasses and other plants. Taking these latter approaches can provide almost year round sources of pollen, seeds and berries for wildlife, while at the same time helping to improve absorption of rainwater, and reduce the pollution and chemicals needed to maintain a lawn.

This approach also allows you to maintain a tidy lawn where you really want some lawn, albeit a somewhat smaller lawn (phew! less mowing!).

Some links about alternatives to large lawns, and native plants to use instead:
How and why to reduce the area you mow – bit by bit…
Great resources from Clemson for creating rain gardens…
National Wildlife Federation plant finder for 29205 zip code…
SC Wildflower collections…

Email Valerie Marcil at forestfriends@sherwoodforestneighbors.org with questions.

Join the Sherwood Forest Neighborhood Association

Become a member or renew your membership now for 2023!

The SFNA is a volunteer organization of neighbors working to create a greater sense of community in the Forest.

Hear ye, hear ye!
Here is your
SHERWOOD FOREST CRIER
April 1, 2023

Parents’ Friday Night Out!
Friday, April 14, 6-8pm
Sherwood Forest ARP Church

Sherwood Forest ARP Church is hosting a Parent’s Night Out event featuring a Good News Bible Club sponsored by Child Evangelism Fellowship.

Children aged 5-12 will enjoy a meal, games, a Bible story, and music supervised by adults who have had training and background checks through CEF.

The event is free, but you are asked to register your child in advance by going to the CEF website and scrolling down an clicking on Sherwood Forest ARP, or by smart phone using the QR code.

If response to this event is good, then the church will consider holding an event like this monthly.

For more information, you can email Pastor Russ Harless.

Block Captain Update

As a Sherwood Forest resident, you can take deep pride-in and offer-up a high salute of thanks to the 10 neighbors volunteering as your 2023-24 Block Captains.

Please welcome the newest B.C.’s joining the team: Mary Battle Zone 1, Emilie Lewis Zone 2, Cary Perry Zones 4 & 9, and Lauren Bradley Zone 12. Please support their energy and join re-join for 2023. Big appreciation goes to former longtime B.C., Ron Hagell, who now joins the Branding Task Force.

Yes, all “B.C.’s” are busy with their life, family, jobs, etc. Many serving for many years, some even carry extra Zones which need B.C.’s of their own. In particular, the Kilbourne Hill and Cameron Court residents need B.C. leadership.

So, if you can find about 20-hours a year (90-minutes a month) please review the responsibilities and text me at 803-467-9570 with any questions.

Fun! Easy!

Thanks!
Pat Mason
vicepresident@sherwoodforestneighbors.org

See the current SFNA block captains and zone map.

USC Belser Arboretum Open House
Sunday, April 16, 1-4pm

Guest speaker will be naturalist, educator, and environmental consultant Josh Arrants of Arrants Outdoors, LLC.
Meet at 1:30 in the Outdoor Classroom for this month’s talk.

Book Club on The Mind of Plants meets Sunday, April 2, at 3pm in the Outdooor Classroom

Next Book Club will meet Sunday, April 23 at 4pm with USC’s Nicola Waldron. Book to be announced.

Open House is always the 3rd Sunday of every month. Open for walkers and volunteers Wednesday and Saturday 10am-noon, Thursdays from 3pm-7pm.

Follow the Arboretum on Instagram and see Facebook for event info.

Forest Friends

Spring is a great time to think about complimenting the larger plants in our forest (trees), with shrubs and perennials that attract pollinators, and thus support our birds and other wildlife.

Pollinators also play a huge role in food production, so if you are a backyard vegetable gardener, the pollinators will make your vegetable garden more productive, too! And what you want mostly is native plants that support all stages of the pollinators.

The Upstate Chapter of the SC Native Plant Society assembled a list of native plants for wildlife, broken down by shade, sun, wet, and dry, and also by trees, shrubs, and perennials. Even though upstate plants are featured, many, if not most, can be grown in the Midlands:
Native Plants for Wildlife pdf…

As luck would have it, the Midlands Chapter of the SC Native Plant Society is holding its spring sale Saturday, April 15 with a large selection of pollinators! This spring, the sale will be at the Canoeing for Kids site, 114 Riverchase Court, Lexington. For more information: Facebook event…

Valerie Marcil
vallg29205@gmail.com

Richland County Earth Day Free Drop-Off Event
Saturday, April 22, 8am-12pm
Columbia Place Mall, 7201 Two Notch Road, Columbia SC 29223

Material Accepted:

• Scrap Metal – appliances, bicycles, metal chairs, metal shelving, lawn mowers (drained of all fluids)
• Tires – car, light truck, motorcycle
• Household Hazardous Waste – paints, stains, sealers, solvents, household cleaners, household chemicals, pool chemicals, herbicides, pesticides, acids, bases, mercury, fire extinguishers, propane tanks
• Paper To Shred – limit five boxes or bags per household

Only open to Richland County residents. No businesses.

More info…

68th Annual National Federation of the Blind of South Carolina BBQ
Federation Center of the Blind of South Carolina
119 S. Kilbourne Rd, Columbia, SC, 29205
Thursday, April 27, 12noon-8pm

Our neighbor the Columbia Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of South Carolina is having their longstanding BBQ fundraiser for 2023!

Tickets are $12 and can be purchased in advance at the Federation Center or at the door. You have a choice of either a quarter chicken or 4 ounces of chopped barbecue and a bun. Each plate comes with corn-on-the-cob and green beans.

See the Columbia Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of SC website for more information or to buy tickets online.

SFNA General Meeting
Wednesday, May 10, 6:30pm-7:30pm
Sherwood Forest ARP Church

If you have an issue you would like discussed at the meeting please let us know! A full agenda will be available on the website.

The meeting will also be available on Zoom.

Draft minutes from the 1st quarter general meeting…

SFNA Adopt-A-Highway Clean Up
Saturday, May 20, 9:30-11am

Mark your calendars!

Contact Dave Nelson at 803-447-4793 or appearance@sherwoodforestneighbors.org for more information.

Join the Sherwood Forest Neighborhood Association

Become a member or renew your membership now for 2023!

The SFNA is a volunteer organization of neighbors working to create a greater sense of community in the Forest.

Hear ye, hear ye!
Here is your
SHERWOOD FOREST CRIER
February 1, 2023

SFNA General Meeting
Wednesday, February 8, 6:30pm-8pm
Sherwood Forest ARP Church

Come join us and share what is so special to you and your family about the Forest! We need your thoughts to develop an image and message that represents our neighborhood.

That professionally crafted image and message will be used to have welcome signage fabricated and installed at key gateways into the Forest, and used in other materials to promote the neighborhood.

If you have an issue you would like discussed at the meeting please let us know! A full agenda will be available on the website.

The meeting will also be available on Zoom.
Meeting ID: 863 8990 6648
Passcode: 649565
Meeting agenda…
Facebook event…

Unable to attend the meeting?
Please take a few minutes to have some family conversations, gather your thoughts, and share them via a short 4 question survey.

We have received a number of responses, but we need more to have a truly representative sample!

Draft minutes from the 4th quarter general meeting…

SFNA Adopt-A-Highway Clean Up
Saturday, February 11, 9:30-11am

Volunteers are invited to participate in the cleanup which is part of the Keep The Midlands Beautiful Adopt-A-Highway program. It usually takes less than an hour and it can really make a difference. Plus, it’s an easy way to meet your neighbors and a chance to do good.

Meet at the Piggly Wiggly parking lot on the Kilbourne Road side. Volunteers should wear closed toed shoes and bring your own gloves. Pickers and trash bags are provided.

Contact Dave Nelson at 803-447-4793 or appearance@sherwoodforestneighbors.org for more information.

Forest Friends
Spotlight on Longleaf Pines (Pinus palustris)

Can you spot a longleaf pine? They are the pines with super long needles (up to 18”!) that landscapers covet for mulching. They also have the largest cones in the Southeast (6-15 inches). Our neighborhood has remnants of the of an old longleaf pine forest that covered most of the southeast several hundred years ago before commercial lumbering reduced the stock to 3% or less of what it used to be

Our neighborhood is special – we still have some longleafs. Many yards in Sherwood Forest have a longleaf pine. See if you can spot them! Look for those giant cones and then look up for pom poms of very long needles. In the fall you can see the needles on the ground, too (they’ll be the length of your forearm, or more). Don’t throw them away – rake them up and use them around your shrubbery!

And treasure the trees. In addition to being great for mulch, longleaf pines have many other benefits. They have very deep taproots and strong wood, making them resistant to damage or toppling from storms. They are drought tolerant, and provide lovely filtered shade and habitat for a number of important species (including humans).

Visit this North Carolina State website for more information…

Let us know if you have a longleaf pine in your yard, and if you would like help with identification from the Forest Friends Committee, contact Valerie Marcil by phone at 803-331-1138 or email).

USC Belser Arboretum Open House
Sunday, February 19, 1-4pm

Open House is always the 3rd Sunday of every month.

Follow the Arboretum on Instagram and see Facebook for event info.

Check Out the SFNA Website!

In case you haven’t been there, we are working to provide useful and interesting information.

Crier newsletter archive, neighborhood calendar, contact quick reference (city services, utilities, libraries, schools, voting, elected officials, and more…), Forest Friends info, Welcome Packet including city ordinance info, meeting minutes, aerial maps, and how to join SFNA of course!

Take a look…

Join the Sherwood Forest Neighborhood Association

Become a member or renew your membership now for 2023!

The SFNA is a volunteer organization of neighbors working to create a greater sense of community in the Forest.

Hear ye, hear ye!
Here is your
SHERWOOD FOREST CRIER
January 1, 2023

Twelfth Night Adult Post Holiday Party
Friday, January 6, 6pm-9pm

The 12th Night adult gathering is set for Friday, January 6th hosted by Regina Monteith at 530 Kilbourne Road. The property is known as Bloomwood, the original 1920’s home of W. Gordon Belser.

This event is only for members of the Sherwood Forest Neighborhood Association. Begin or renew your membership for 2023 today.

If you are not feeling well, please do not attend.

Traditional potluck protocols (bring a dish to share!) will apply. A spiral ham and beverages (beer, wine, soft drinks) will be furnished by the Association.

Facebook event…

Join the Sherwood Forest Neighborhood Association

Become a member or renew your membership now for 2023!

The SFNA is a volunteer organization of neighbors working to create a greater sense of community in the Forest.

Dues are only $20 for a calendar year. Pay your dues now online at sherwoodforestneighbors.org/paypal or mail a check to Henry Nechemias, 4 Robin Hood Ct., Columbia, SC 29205, and you will be paid up through 2023!

The benefits of membership document on our website explains what it’s all about.

SFNA Needs Your Input!
Do you and your family like living in the Forest?

We hope so! But we want to know why. So please take a couple of minutes to fill out our resident survey.

Your input will help us settle on an image identity caption/message to represent our neighborhood to residents, visiting friends, nearby commercial businesses, buyer prospects, public officials, Realtors and vendors.

Our request is to take a few minutes to have some family conversations, gather your thoughts and answer a short 4 question survey.

Forest Friends

In Sherwood Forest, we are grateful to celebrate that our neighborhood is considered an urban forest. Our neighborhood includes the 9-acre Belser Arboretum with its 130 foot high poplars and over 130 varieties of wooded plantings, including seven of Columbia’s Treasured Trees. This urban forest also shelters an abundance of wildlife.

And while we as a neighborhood association cannot enforce a tree removal policy for your personal property, we have some thoughts to share.

While we acknowledge that there are reasons for tree removal due to disease or damage we are against clear cutting on a property. We have compiled a shortlist of some of the benefits of trees in all stages of growth. If you still want to remove trees, we ask that you consult a certified arborist to speak about your safety concerns. Before you proceed make sure your contractor is licensed, bonded and insured.

And finally, do not remove any trees from the City right of way on your property or face serious fines. The City will be glad to remove diseased or dangerous trees on the right of way for you, and will provide a replacement tree, too.

Embrace our forest life!

Benefits of Native Trees…

Grinding of the Greens
December 26, 2022 – January 19, 2023

Don’t let your Christmas tree end up buried with the trash; recycle it through the annual Grinding of the Greens program offered by Keep the Midlands Beautiful!

Bring your naked trees (no lights, tinsel, ornaments, etc) to the City of Columbia’s Compost Facility at 121 Humane Lane (off Shop Road on the way to the City’s Animal Services facility) Monday-Friday 8:30am-5pm. Other drop off locations are available.

Free mulch made from the recycled trees is available to the public on Saturday, January 21 from 8:30am until the mulch runs out at the SC State Farmer’s Market, 3483 Charleston Hwy, West Columbia, SC 29172.

More info…

USC Belser Arboretum Open House
Sunday, January 15, 1-4pm

Open House is always the 3rd Sunday of every month.

Follow the Arboretum on Instagram and see Facebook for event info.

SFNA General Meeting
Wednesday, February 8, 6:30pm-8pm
Sherwood Forest ARP Church

Mark your calendars!

The meeting will also be available on Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8035302436. Meeting ID: 803 530 2436.

If you have an issue you would like discussed at the meeting please let us know!

Draft minutes from the Annual meeting…

Curb Appeal Program

While few of us are lucky enough to have sidewalks we are blessed with extra wide streets. Please keep the street clear all the way to your soil edge. This allows ample room for our walkers and bikers, as they dodge passing traffic.

If you do have a sidewalk please keep it tidy, too. Tree and bush overgrowth, weeds, litter, leaf piles and trash bins make it difficult for all walkers and especially for physically disadvantaged to transit. The City spent a lot of money lowering curbs at corners to ensure access.

Please do your part to keep it clean!

SFNA Adopt-A-Highway Clean Up
Saturday, February 11, 9:30-11am

Mark your calendars!

Contact Dave Nelson at 803-447-4793 or appearance@sherwoodforestneighbors.org for more information.

Neighbor Information

The SFNA would like to know who our neighbors are, add you to our monthly Crier email, and how we can contact you if necessary.

All information is for the sole use of the Sherwood Forest Neighborhood Association.

Send us your info by emailing membership@sherwoodforestneighbors.org with your name, address and email (and contact telephone if wish), or fill out the form online.