Crow’s Nest: Tree planting and trail opening on newly preserved acres

By Daniel Barringer, Preserve Manager.

You may recall that at the beginning of 2020 we added about 8 acres to the preserve, fronting on Bethesda Road, one of two additions we profiled in March. I’m pleased to report that we’ve completed a trail there which connects Bethesda Road (next to French Creek) with the trails on the rest of the preserve. Above and below, the trail and preserve visitors using it. The trail is only minutes from the Creek Trail and the Tiny Library. To get there, after crossing the footbridge near the Tiny Library, turn left instead of the right you would take to get to the Chief’s Grove and beyond, and at the far, lower corner of the farm field follow the trail through the woods and out into this meadow.

We’ve also recently done a tree planting there to better screen the trail from neighboring property. Natural Lands received a donation of trees from Octoraro Native Plant Nursery and we grabbed a bunch for this area. Below, Alison, Aubrey and Colleen (staff members and Force of Nature volunteer) planting the trees last week in the snow (it was not as difficult as that sounds). The trees are now snug within cages to protect them from the deer and we’re excited to see how this area grows up and fills in.

Our first projects there were to remove a grove of invasive Ailanthus, remove some hazard trees from along the road side, and clean up some dumps on the property. Now we’re getting to the exciting stuff and we look forward to people enjoying this very nice addition to the preserve.