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The Friends of Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center are currently undertaking a fundraising effort to support environmental education and preserve the natural, cultural and historic resources of the 725-acre Nolde Forest. The Friends of Nolde Forest, a non-for-profit, 501 C3 established in 2005 to support Nolde Forest, along with community support, have been instrumental in numerous projects that help make Nolde Forest a welcoming, safe, and accessible place for school students and families. Current fundraising initiatives are designed to make repairs to historic infrastructure including the 1830s Pennsylvania Bank Barn, support paid high school internship positions, and enhance outdoor teaching. The Friends of Nolde Forest have set their sights on raising $100,000 between now and February 1st, 2023.
Center Manager Brent Erb said, “The Friends of Nolde Forest are instrumental in supporting the educational programming and operation of Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center. Fundraising events such as this are paramount to our continued successes as the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s first environmental education center. The volunteerism efforts are truly remarkable! The Friends of Nolde Forest and volunteers demonstrate their dedication and support for this place that is beloved by school students and families from throughout our community.” A reprioritization of our communities lifestyles and leisure activities, along with a renewed interest in both in-person and informal environmental education programming has led to increased interest in Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center. David Pray, a Friend of Nolde Forest and volunteer added, “This fund-raising campaign calls upon our community to help us support Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center’s mission of “providing opportunities for enjoying healthful outdoor recreation and serving as an outdoor classroom for environmental education for present and future generations. As we give thanks this holiday season, we humbly ask for your support. An investment in Nolde Forest is an investment in our children.” For more information and to make donations through our secure site, please visit: www.paparksandforest.org Checks can also be made payable to The Friends of Nolde Forest and mailing it to: Attn—Friends of Nolde Forest, 3025 New Holland Road, Reading, PA 19607
A message and request from Sarah @ Nolde Forest EE Center. Greetings Nolde Friends and Volunteers! I hope you are all in good health and have survived the rain from Ida. I am writing because I would like to request the help of a handful of individuals to help pull stilt grass from the plantings around the Mansion and McConnell Hall. If you are not familiar, Stilt Grass is an invasive plant that was brought here as packing material in the 20s and 30s. It is extremely easy to pull (no digging or tools needed!) but it grows easily and produces 1,000s of seeds each year. The easiest control measure is to pull it when it begins to flower but before it goes to seed. This happens quickly and I believe this week (from now until about Sept 12) is the optimal time to remove it from the areas. Here is a photo of the plant in question. You’ll notice that each blade of grass has the very distinct silver stripe down the middle of the leaf. This is THE defining characteristic that makes it very easy to ID when mixed in among other plants.  Here are some websites for more ID and information:
JapaneseStiltGrass FS1237: Japanese Stiltgrass Control in the Home Lawn and Landscape (Rutgers NJAES) If you are willing and able to assist in pulling this plant over the week or so, please respond to spresogna[at]pa[dot]gov and let me know. We are not assigning a formal time to meet and pull as a group, as there are no tools or other equipment to hand out. Instead, we are asking for those who are willing to simply stop by when it suits them best, and to work in their designated area for as long as they can. Based on the response, I will assign you an area to work on, but most areas will be close to the mansion. I am happy to sign volunteer hour forms for any school or work requirements as well. Honor system! Once you begin to recognize Stilt Grass you will see that it has taken over large swatches of our lovely park. While it might seems overwhelming, by working in small sections each year, I hope that we can begin to move out and tackle larger areas in subsequent years. And of course, you are always welcome to rip out stilt grass when you see it on your hikes in the forest. As long as the grass has not set seed, it is safe to simply pull and leave the plant where it lays. It will not reroot and quickly composts. If you have any further questions, please ask! I hope that some of you are able to assist us this week and take advantage of the cooler weather. Sarah Presogna | Environmental Education Specialist Supervisor Department of Conservation & Natural Resources Bureau of State Parks | Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center 3025 New Holland Rd | Reading, PA 19607 spresogna[at]pa[dot]gov The Projects page has been reworked with two project subpages added. One for the Pollinator Meadow (which used to be THE project page) and one for the Sawmill.
More projects coming soon! Be sure to check out the progress made by our awesome volunteers on the pollinator meadow You'll find the progress at the bottom of the Pollinator Meadow page. Today, on Smokey Bear's birthday, the Friends would like to remind everyone that no open flames are allowed in Nolde Forest.
Smokey has an excellent page on safety tips for when you are camping in another park. Click that button below. Some updates have been made for readability and navigation. Sections are better defined on pages as needed with some information broken out into their own pages.
New projects will be added soon. Mansion Open House and Tours DCNR is loosening COVID-19 restrictions now that vaccination numbers are climbing and case numbers are declining. Mansion Open Houses and Tours will resume on Sunday, August 1st and continue the first Sunday of every month unless otherwise noted here or on the Facebook page. Pagoda Pacers: Run For The Ages Sunday, June 27, 2021 is race day at Nolde Forest. For race details and registration, click the button below. Updates to the FAQ page To see the updates, click the button below. #RecreateResponsibly  The position description and further details for these Education and Outreach Interns is below. Deadline for application is May 10th, 2021. The two vacant Semi-Skilled Laborer (SSL) positions for Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center will post on Thursday, March 18, 2021 and close on Thursday, April 1, 2021. Find that post at the link below. And good luck! The Friends of Nolde Forest look forward to meeting the new SSLs.
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©2025 Friends of Nolde Forest
The Friends of Nolde Forest is a chapter of the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation. |