Clearing the Way…Creating a New Trail

Buttonwood Nature Center will soon have a new woodland walking trail

Buttonwood Nature Center is improving and expanding woodland trails on the property. For this new trail, we’ve prioritized a 1,600-linear-feet section of trail on which we expect to invite some of our young naturalists during our spring 2025 school program sessions. The trail has been designed with a gentle 5% grade to support use by people of all ages. It will include special features such as study areas where groups of students can be seated for immersive learning in the forest.

This new trail has been a community effort with so many partnerships and helping hands. Along the way, we’ve had assistance from landscape architect Sarah Walter, owner of Penn Trails; Derek Furry’s team from Bartlett Tree Experts; Aaron Feather of Cumberland Valley Tree Service; Dr. Kimberly Bohn and Penn State Mont Alto students; stilt grass whacking volunteers Nora Slick, Matt Gunder and Dan Eigenbrode; plus the ‘dynamic duo’ of Bill Hofmann and Matt Oyer, assisting Dylan Zimmerman from T.E. Butts Excavating with the relocation of large woody debris piles.

Sarah Walter first visited Buttonwood back in September to make a plan. Much of the clearing and preparing the site happened in September—October.

On November 5, 2024 our woodland trail construction project continued with the arrival of Sarah and Tyler Walter and their Kubotas. John from Messick’s Equipment traveled across our new bridge with his big rig with relative ease! Equipment is rented with a generous 40% discount thanks to Neil Messick.

Our Penn State friends will return throughout their term as they assist on-the-ground with chainsaw work and development of interpretive materials and various trail management recommendations.