Earth Day Weekend at Radnor Lake

Earth Day 2023 was a multi-day event for us at Radnor Lake. Beginning on Thursday, April 20th through Saturday, April 22nd we celebrated Earth Day at Radnor Lake. This included multiple days of an army of volunteers working with our park staff on the natural area improving our trails and removing invasive exotic plants. Thank you to all of our volunteers who came out this past week to work with us!

Thursday, April 20th Foundry Commercial came to Radnor Lake to work with our park staff to re-mulch the Historic Valve House Trail via wheelbarrow. These 29 volunteers worked with our park ranger staff for 4 hours! Thank you, Foundry Commercial!

Photo Credit: Jack Foresman

In addition, we repurposed locally chipped trees into trail mulch thanks to help from Dan Beasley and Parke Tree Company. As part of our GO Green Sustainability efforts, these locally produced trees chipped into mulch reduce travel time, emissions, fuel and provide a valued trail surface for our trail system at Radnor Lake. Thank you, Parke Tree Company!

On Saturday, 31 volunteers began at 8am- noon working with our park staff on the Harris Ridge Trail Project. This future gateway trail from Franklin Road will be a 3-mile, free of invasive-exotic plant hike for thousands of visitors to hike in coming years. Our morning began with an interpretive hike to highlight the future parking area planning process, future trail route, historic and vegetative research prior to working on the ground.

Our volunteer focus on Saturday was two-fold:
1. The removal of invasive garlic mustard, with over 171 lbs. removed from the Harris Ridge Tract #3.

Photo Credit: Steve Ward

2. The removal of invasive exotic bush honeysuckle from a sensitive historic site location along the trail from our historical research the past 7 years with Dr. Doug Heffington. (enter pix of before/after removal of bush honeysuckle pulled by our volunteers on Saturday).

Photo Credit: Steve Ward
Photo Credit: Steve Ward

Thank you to all of our volunteers who came out on Saturday to work with us on the Harris Ridge Trail Project!

Last, Visitors enjoyed three hours of birds of prey interpretive programming by our park staff at the Barbara J. Mapp Aviary Education Center Saturday 10am-1pm. Our park staff members worked with our captive wildlife to educate the public on the vital role that birds of prey and reptiles play in the environment.

Photo Credit: Mackenzie Maness

Thank you to all of our visitors who attended our Open House at the Barbara J. Mapp Aviary Education Center to cap off Earth Day!

Special thank you to all of our park staff who worked Earth Day Weekend and for financial support from Friends of Radnor Lake to support all of these efforts on the ground!

Photo Credit: Steve Ward

Photo Credit: Steve Ward
Photo Credit: Steve Ward