- This event has passed.
Hepatica Hike – SOLD OUT
April 14, 2024 | 1:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Event is sold out. Please connect with us on another outdoor adventure.
Preserve Manager Dan Barringer will lead this off-trail exploration of a rarely visited section of the preserve. We’ll search the woods along Mine Run (a tributary of French Creek) to look for round-lobed hepatica, one of the earliest-blooming spring ephemeral wildflowers. Boulder-hop through Deep Woods to find other harbingers of spring like wood anemone, rue anemone, and early violets.
This part of the preserve has mature forest with diabase rock outcroppings. Though it looks pristine today, it has a long history of human use, including small quarry pits used to source cobblestones. A long-gone nearby railroad line (the Warwick branch of the Wilmington & Northern Railroad, once known as the Boar’s Back, today part of the Horse-Shoe Trail) is lingering evidence of this industrial period that extended into the early 20th century.
Crow’s Nest is the gateway to the Hopewell Big Woods, a 73,000-acre expanse of forest that reaches north into Berks County. Just next door, you’ll find French Creek State Park and Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site, making Crow’s Nest part of one of the largest areas of protected land in the region.
The pristine French Creek runs through Crow’s Nest, flowing from French Creek State Park’s Hopewell Lake on its way to the Schuylkill River. The preserve’s streamside forest helps protect the creek’s water quality.
Wildlife abounds at Crow’s Nest! You may spot Wood Ducks or see signs of beaver construction along French Creek; hear the songs of Wood Thrushes, Vireos, and warblers in the dense forests; or track the footprints of fox, raccoon, and deer. The preserve is part of the Hay Creek/French Creek Forest Block “Important Bird Area” (a National Audubon Society designation).
Crow’s Nest is a haven for other wild creatures: children! For decades, the preserve has hosted both after-school programs and a summer day camp to help combat the nature disconnect today’s kids face. The preserve includes a NaturePlayGround to encourage creative, unstructured play, and hosts a variety of outdoor education programs for all ages.
- Meet in the parking lot by the red Natural Lands kiosk.
- The terrain is very rough and may be wet. Be prepared to walk a few miles.
- Bring a water bottle and binoculars.
- Please leave your four-legged friends at home.
Help us all stay safe:
- If you are sick or feeling unwell, please stay home.
- Masking is optional. Participants may choose to mask at any time.
Natural Lands is able to host more than 100 events a year thanks to the financial support of our members. If you aren’t yet part of our community of members, join us!
Registration
Event is sold out. Please connect with us on another outdoor adventure.
Cancellation:
Events may be cancelled due to inclement weather or low registration. In that case, we will make every effort to update our website and contact registrants. Note that we cannot offer refunds of paid registrations or ticket purchases, but rest assured that your donation will help us in our work to save open space, care for nature, and connect people to the outdoors.
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By registering for this event, I, as the participant, and/or parent or legal guardian of a minor participant, do hereby understand and acknowledge that by participating, in this, or any, Natural Lands’ event or activity, I am agreeing to indemnify and hold harmless Natural Lands, their respective administrators, directors, agents, officers, members, volunteers, employees, other participants, any sponsors, advertisers, and, if applicable, owners and lessors of premises on which the Activity takes place, (each considered one of the “RELEASEES” herein).
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I fully understand that: (a) the Program and related Activities involve risks and dangers of damage to personal property and serious bodily injury, including permanent disability, paralysis, and death (“risks”); (b) these Risks and dangers may be caused by my and/or the Minor’s own actions or inactions, the actions or inactions of others participating in the Activity, the condition in which the Activity takes place, or the negligence of the “releasees” as aforementioned; (c) there may be other risks and social and economic losses either not known to me or not readily foreseeable at this time; and I fully accept and assume all such risks and all responsibility for losses, costs, and damages I and/or the minor incur as a result of my participation or that of the Minor in the Activity.
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