The lazy days of summer have officially arrived. But, for two Centre Region Parks and Recreation workers, the next few months mean plenty of excitement, energy and education.
Mandy Maguffey, program coordinator, and Melissa Freed, supervisor, work as curators, guides, educators and proprietors of the Millbrook Marsh Nature Center. Tucked away on Puddintown Road in College Township, the center sits on more than 60 idyllic acres dedicated to environmental appreciation. And, every season brings new features for park visitors to enjoy.
‘In 2015, we had over 13,000 visitors for our programs or facility rentals, not counting folks who just came and walked around,’ said Freed.
This summer, a pollinator garden and a new native garden offer chances for both learning and simple enjoyment. Additionally, both gardens give native wildlife protection and food, while enhancing the propagation of plant varieties so essential to a healthy ecosystem.
After parking in the new lot along Puddintown Road, a few steps lead to the pollinator garden. A fence surrounds the garden, ‘to deter deer,’ according to Maguffey.
A makeshift gate allows entrance to the site. Healthy stands of spiderwort, echinacea, ninebark and elderberry keep company with anise hyssop and plenty of the milkweed, which is so vital to monarch butterfly populations. A trellis stands at the south side of the garden.
‘That was built by a Girl Scout and her father,’ Freed said.
Freed said volunteers planted the garden, using many donated materials. ‘Danielle Lanagan, from the Native Plant Society, spearheaded the project and the Native Plant Society gave us a $250 grant.”
A few steps outside the garden stands a bench covered with swirls of vibrant greens, indigo, crimson, violet and gold. Local artist June Ramsay painted the bench as part of the “Book Benches of State College” program. ‘This bench shows all the phases of a monarch butterfly’s life,’ Maguffey said.
Close inspection shows milkweed, the egg, caterpillar, pupa and a full-grown monarch. It includes other marsh denizens, including a red-winged blackbird, cattails, dragonflies, jewelweed and, of course, the waterway itself.
Slightly north and west of the bench, the native plants garden grows in a shaded spot. This circular bed contains native ferns, bluebells, spicebush, bloodroot and twinleaf, just to name a few.
‘Native gardening isn’t as hard as some might think,’ said Freed.
And the two park naturalists have plenty of experience, tips and methods to share with anyone curious about it.
Following a grassy path east, visitors can observe marsh activity from a boardwalk that winds through the park. Bathgate Spring Run and Thompson Run both flow through the marsh. They join Slab Cabin Run, which then empties into Spring Creek. The boardwalk acts as a sort of classroom, too.
Frequently, groups of students will attend camps and other programs designed to educate and entertain. Programs include Knee-High Naturalists, Marsh Monday, Wetland Wednesday and Fantastic Flowers. The Millbrook Marsh website, www.crpr.org/millbrook/mmnc-menu.html, has more information.
Back in March, Millbrook won a Green Park Award, granted by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society. This grant recognized Millbrook’s dedication to education, stewardship, water protection and general environmental support.
‘It’s really exciting,’ Freed said, ‘and it honors all the volunteers and everyone who played role in bringing this park where it is today.’
From dawn to dusk, throughout the year, families, joggers, dog walkers, adventurers and those looking to relax can check out the gardens, observe the deer, herons, hawks and other wildlife that call the park home. Each season brings a new experience and each experience offers more education.
