Wildwood Park - Experience Nature in the State Capital
by Karl Streckewald
Whether you enjoy hiking, an opportunity for viewing unique flora and fauna, fishing and boating, spending some time indoors learning about nature, or engaging in child-friendly activities, Wildwood Park and Olewine Nature Center have something for everyone.
Wildwood is part of the Dauphin County Parks and Recreation Department and encompasses 229 acres on the northern edge of Harrisburg. The park is an oasis in the middle of busy highways and an industrial complex.Wildwood Park has over 5 miles of trails in various forms: paved, mulched, bare dirt, and boardwalks. Much of the trail system is accessible and can also be used for jogging or bike riding. Dogs are allowed, as long as they are on a leash and any waste is cleaned up. Parts of the trail system are also a section of the Harrisburg Greenbelt so you may encounter ‘through hikers’ who are continuing on to other sections of the city.
Boardwalk through the meadow - Karen Carlson
Generally, the trails consist of a large loop around the 80 acre lake/marsh. One side of this loop is mulched so it’s still easy walking, but not quite as friendly to wheelchairs as the paved sections. The other side of the lake gives you both a paved option and a more rugged unpaved path. The boardwalks are loops off the main walk and are accessed near the nature center and parking. The more rugged trails split off from the main trails. Trails are well marked and the full layout can be found on the website and on maps throughout the park or in the Nature Center.
Red fox on the boardwalk - Karen Carlson
Great egret on the trail - Karen Carlson
With both woodlands and wetlands in the park, there is a wide variety of species of birds and animals. Along with herons, egrets, woodpeckers, raptors, and many other types of birds, you may spot deer, beavers, foxes, and an array of various snakes, turtles, and other reptiles. There are spectacular pictures of much of this wildlife posted on the website.
White-tail mother and fawn - Shannon O'Shea
In addition to the wonderful trails, the park includes the Olewine Nature Center. There are displays appropriate for children and adults along with an activity room for children which includes drawing and crafts. Make sure you spend some time in the viewing area overlooking the bird feeders, where you can see the various birds up close with identifying charts to help you determine which birds you are seeing.
Viewing area in Olewine Nature Center - Karl Streckewald
Wildwood Park has regular events for the public that range from celebrating Earth Day in the spring, regular summer camps for children in the summer, and Celebrating Wildwood in the fall. Also check the Art in the Wild exhibit where artists display their works of mostly natural materials at various locations along the trails from April 3 to September 30.
Save The Boardwalk! Bridges on two of the boardwalks were washed away by flooding in the last several years. There is a project to raise funds for the reconstruction of these sections of the boardwalks. The boardwalks are still open, but other routes have to be taken to cross the stream in the damaged areas. Work on repairing the bridges is expected to start at the end of summer 2022.
It should be noted that even in the park surrounded by trees and wildlife, you will sometimes still hear traffic and other outside noises over the bird calls. To some extent, that is a reminder of just how special this park is in that there is so much beauty in an industrial area in Harrisburg’s backyard and is so easily accessible by all of Central Pennsylvania.
Wildwood Park is located off Industrial Road just north of the main HACC campus. Trails are open from dawn until dusk year-round and the Olewine Nature Center is open Tuesday through Sunday 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM. You can pick up a map in the Nature Center when it is open. The staff members are happy to answer any questions and recommend trails that may be most appropriate for your situation. View their website at https://explorewildwoodpark.org/ for much more information and to check for any changes in the schedule before you visit.
Thanks go to Dale Rupert of Friends of Wildwood Park, Kayla Harbart of the Olewine Nature Center, and photographers Shannon O’Shea and Karen Carlson for assistance with this article.
Trivia Corner
by Bob Rebuck
What tree am I?
- My shape forms a rounded crown that can reach 80 feet high and is made up of many horizontal branches along with some drooping branches.
- I can live to be 300 to 400 years old and my bark is light gray, smooth and beautiful, until later in age it develops some dark blotches. I can reproduce by sending up new shoots from my roots.
- My fruit is enclosed in a prickly bur. When ripe the bur splits into 4 parts, but it usually contains only two fruits. About every three years I go nuts and produce a great abundance of fruit. Bears, deer, racoons, squirrels, turkeys and grouse enjoy my fruit.
- My leaves alternate along my twigs, their edges are saw-toothed, they turn yellow then brown in the fall and some hang on me all winter.
- I am known as the most shade "tolerant" northern hardwood tree.
- Because I have a European cousin, there are two words in my full name.
See answer below.
Sources: The Audubon Society, DCNR, and Penn State University.
Governor Pinchot Group’s 2022 Calendar of Events
All our members and friends are welcome! We are planning several events and outings, and we will be adding more as the year goes on. Before attending any event, please check the event on the local Sierra Club Governor Pinchot (GVP) website, www.sierraclub.org/pennsylvania/governor-pinchot, for details, latest updates, directions, and potential cancellations. Please register and pre-sign the electronic waiver form. Check the website regarding Covid precautions.
- Saturday, April 9 GVP Group: Adopt a Highway Cleanup
- Highway cleanup at 9 a.m. at airport end of connector. Contact Robin at broderickhasa@gmail.com
- Saturday, May 7 Yard Sale to benefit GVP Group
- Yard Sale to benefit GVP Group. (Drop off donations on the front porch at 3244 Green Street, Harrisburg, beginning May 2 and ending Friday May 6 at midnight.) Contact Robin at broderickhasa@gmail.com
- Sunday, May 15 Yoga and/or Opossum Lake Hike. Cumberland County
- Yoga and/or Hike. Gentle Yoga starting at 9 a.m. - 1 hour event Hike around Opossum Lake, Carlisle, starting at 10:45 a.m.3.6 miles easy with short elevation changes and some uneven (rocky) terrain. Bring camera or binoculars. Approximate time, 2 hours. Contact Carrie at yogasmile@comcast.net
- Saturday, May 21 Tree ID Hike at the Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art
- Tree Identification Hike at Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art in Dauphin County at 9:00 am followed by optional art gallery viewing with both the GVP and the Otzinachson groups! Contact Bob at bobrebuck@frontiernet.net
- Saturday, June 4 GVP Group: Adopt a Highway Cleanup
- Highway cleanup at 9 a.m. at highway end of connector. Contact Robin at broderickhasa@gmail.com
- Saturday, June 18 Bike Ride on the York Rail Trail
- Bike ride, York Rail Trail in York County. 10-12 miles, easy pace. Contact Tom at Thomxau@hotmail.com
- Saturday, July 23
- Hike with both the GVP and the Lancaster groups! Contact Bob at bobrebuck@frontiernet.net
- Saturday, July TBD
- Hike in Cumberland County. Date/ time TBD. Contact Carrie at yogasmile@comcast.net
- Saturday, July TBD
- Bike & Hike at Stony Valley/Beaver Dams at 9:30 a.m. Bike 7 miles & hike 3 miles with views of multiple beaver dams. Contact Bob at bobrebuck@frontiernet.net
- Saturday, August TBD
- Kayak on the Swatara Creek. Contact Bob at bobrebuck@frontiernet.net
- Sunday, September 11 GVP Group: River Cleanup on the Susquehanna
- Annual Susquehanna River Cleanup. Contact Robin at broderickhasa@gmail.com for time and meeting place.
- Sunday, September TBD
- Hike with The Friends of Tom’s Creek at Monterey Battlefield Park, in Michaux State Forest. Date/Time TBD. Contact bobrebuck@frontiernet.net
- Sunday, October TBD
- Wildwood Nature presentation
- Events marked TBD here will have the dates and times posted on the GVP website as soon as the details are decided – check the event calendar there for updates and new events!
Enjoy the outdoors this year,
Bob Rebuck
Chair
Sierra Club Governor Pinchot Group