Four work during volunteer day at Turtle Creek Park
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May 18—LEWISBURG — A rainy Saturday hosted a small gathering of volunteers for work at Turtle Creek Park in East Buffalo Township.
Township Supervisor Chair Jim Knight and landscape architect Brian Auman worked with volunteers Wendy McTammany and Elizabeth Capaldi at the park located along Supplee Mill and Furnace roads just west of Route 15 in East Buffalo Township. The four individuals worked on narrow boardwalks placed along wet sections of the trail, spreading mulch and gravel.
"My family lived out here for 12 years," said McTammany, who lives less than a mile from the park entrance. "We used this park in all its different iterations when it was just a dog park and when the church owned it. We used it for birthday parties, stargazing and sledding. It's part of our yard basically. We care about this place and we are very happy it's a park again. We're very happy with the way it's being managed."
The township purchased the property from Lewisburg Alliance Church on Nov. 4, 2022, for $954,750. The land, which includes a mix of open fields, wetlands, woodlands and streams, is being developed by the township with the assistance of grants.
"I'm a big believer in the township investment in the park and open space," said Capaldi, a board member of Merrill W. Linn Land & Waterways Conservancy. "Helping other people in the community get access to this and take advantage of nature is a big goal."
In April 2023, the supervisors joined with the Merrill W. Linn Land & Waterways Conservancy in declaring a conservation easement at the park, which will allow it to stay as a passive natural park forever.
Auman said environmental studies students and football players from Bucknell finished about 80 percent of the boardwalk sections in the park. There are eight 12-foot sections over locations of trails that are prone to flooding and muddy conditions.
"People go up to their ankles in water and mud," said Auman.
Another volunteer day will be scheduled for a less rainy day, said Auman.
