Spend a little time learning more about the County and some of the resources in our 21 departments without leaving your home. If you’ve never been on a digital scavenger hunt, here’s how it goes. Follow the clues to track down info about some of the best of what Mecklenburg County has to offer. How many can you figure out without looking at the key? No peeking! 

History 

Map of Mecklenburg County that animates Charlotte and each of the 6 towns
  1. We’re on track to gain ONE MILLION more residents in our community by 2030. Which division is working to keep Mecklenburg County a “livable” place for all of us?   
  2. Roads are often named for people or special things that happen there. In Mecklenburg County,   Remount Road got its name because of this activity at Camp Greene.  
  3. One department helps you dive deep into information about a single location using only an address.  

Health and Relationships 

  1. One way thousands of local people get food is through farmers markets. There are seven local markets that accept SNAP benefits. (That’s the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.) What’s the closest farmers market to your neighborhood?  
  2. The pandemic may have had you thinking about Public Health more than ever before. But they’ve been active long before that making our community a healthier and safer place to live. In 2019 alone, one division of Public Health spearheaded how many changes? 
    a. 169, b. 87, c. 46, d. 378
  3. Going tobacco-free is a community affair. Tobacco-Free Meck provides resources for organizations to go tobacco-free, people looking to quit, keep children and teens from starting smoking. How can you find support?
  4. Another goal of Public Health is to address disparities in health issues. Name the program fighting obesity and increasing heart disease awareness among African American and Hispanic populations.  
  5. The Community Support Services Department provides help for local people in multiple divisions. Which program teaches 8th and 9th grade classes about teen dating violence?

Environment ♻️ 

People hand sorting recycling
  1. The closer we get to summer, the more Code _____ days we will see on the Air Quality Index.   
  2. You can volunteer with MANY county departments. What’s one way you can volunteer with Storm Water Services, that’s also something you can start doing while you’re at home?  
  3. Recycling right helps keep our workers safe while they sort recycled materials by hand. Which of the following CAN’T be recycled at the curbside but CAN be recycled at full service recycling centers? Batteries, car tires, lawn mowers, food, shredded paper, styrofoam, and glass bottles. 

Park and Recreation Resources  

Park and Rec resources animation including: skate parks, dog parks, pools, spraygrounds
  1. One of the major aims of Park and Recreation is protecting the County’s biological resources and to provide opportunities for all of us to learn about our environment. There are 24 large sections of land set aside throughout the county called nature preserves. What’s the difference between a park and a nature preserve?   
  2. Meck Playbook is a plan for the next generation of Park and Recreation in Mecklenburg County. Find the site where you can see the vision for Park and Rec.  

Civics 

twitter bird
  1. Which person creates and maintains a record of all Board of County Commissioners meetings?  
  2. You can help bring billions of dollars to our state by taking a survey mandated by the U.S. Constitution known as the _______.   
  3. The Finance Department has a robust five-year plan to pay for construction and information technology in schools, the library and Park and Recreation. What’s the name of the plan?  
  4. This department manages social media and the website for the County. 

You made it!

How did you do? Which categories did you crush and where did you bomb? If you need a little help (or maybe a lot), here are the answers: 

History
  1. Livable Meck 
  2. Soldiers from Camp Greene would remount. 
  3. It’s the Geospatial Information Services division of Land Use and Environmental Services Agency. Use the Geoportal! 
Health and Relationships
  1. Find your nearest market. Learn more about SNAP at farmers markets. 
  2. 169 changes! Learn more about Public Health. 
  3. Check out our Tobacco-Free Meck pages. 
  4. Village HeartBEAT.
  5. LoveSpeaksOut. Teens on the LSO SQUAD actively promote healthy relationships and speak out against dating abuse in their school and community.
Environment
  1. Orange. Learn more about what the colors mean and sign up to receive the air quality forecast on days where you should avoid being outside for too long. 
  2. Clean streams! See volunteer opportunities with Storm Water. 
  3. Batteries, car tires, lawn mowers, AND MORE! Food, shredded paper and styrofoam aren’t recyclable with Mecklenburg County. BUT you can put food scraps and some shredded paper in your backyard compost. You can recycle glass bottles curbside or at the recycling centers. 
Park and Recreation Resources
  1. Nature preserves are set aside for conservation and education while parks are created for active recreation. Learn even more about the differences. Then check out a breakdown of the resources available at each preserve.
  2. Meck Playbook. And just for fun, take this quiz to see what local park represents you! 
Civics
  1. The Clerk to the Board.
  2. The Census! When it’s a census year, take it online by phone or by mail. 
  3. The Capital Improvement Plan. 
  4. Public Information.
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