Environmental education shared at Glade Run Lake
MIDDLESEX -- Supporters of environmental conservation gathered for an afternoon around the water at the Glade Run Lake Conservancy’s Community Conservation Day on Saturday.
The event, aimed at bringing outdoor activities and education to locals and visitors, gathered together conservation and environmental organizations at the lake to share resources on Glade Run Lake and beyond.
Last held two years ago, the event is one of the conservancy’s major outreach events, Karlee Holmes, an organization board member, said.
“We’ve seen record numbers here at the lake,” Holmes said. “Because of the pandemic, everyone is kind of coming and getting out and doing things, and are more interested in learning about that. I think that (with) the momentum, we just try to keep the ball rolling.”
The event was a finale to the string of free “Nature Series” talks hosted by the conservancy over the summer, said conservancy board member Lisa Busa.
“It was just our way to kind of get the public involved with conservation, and get them excited about things at the lake,” Busa said. “It was wanting to get people excited about the outdoors, and to see what all the lake has to offer.”
The Community Conservation Day featured raffles, giveaways, educational hikes, kayaking and paddle boarding lessons, face painting, food trucks, and an animal ambassador visit from Stormy Oaks Nature Conservancy.
“We wanted to make (the event) family friendly, because the kids, you want them to learn at a young age,” Busa said. “The more people learn about it, the more respect they have for the environment.”
Representatives from local and state environmental organizations and nonprofits shared their areas of expertise at the event.
Julia Schwierking, an insect educator, showed off a stick bug to a curious crowd, holding it gently in her hand.
“Some people are not as excited about (bugs) as others, but if you talk to me long enough, I’ll win you over,” she said. “I even created a podcast, ‘How to Love a Bug,’ to help people, because I was terrified of bugs and spiders and everything until I was 28 and I took an aquatic invertebrate entomology course, and I had to learn about some of the insects. It just completely flipped a switch for me.”
Insects are important for pollination and cleaning up the planet, Schwierking said.
“They decompose all sorts of stuff,” she said. “They also are useful in forensic science.”
Jessica Pierce of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Bureau of Forestry shared resources on sustainable forest land management to passers-by. Pierce works with private landowners to manage forests on their land.
“Any kind of conservation day like this (is a) great opportunity to reach out to the public and let them know that we are a resource for them,” Pierce said. “The vast majority of landowners in the state, especially Butler County, are privately owned, so we only have a few state lands in Butler County. It’s important that we all manage our land sustainably, and make sure that we have healthy forests for the future.”
Mary Alice Koeneke of the Penn State Extension Master Gardeners warned visitors about the spread of the invasive spotted lanternfly.
The spotted lanternfly, a brown-and-red-winged leaf-hopping insect, is an invasive species across much of the United States, and has recently been seen in Butler County. Anyone who sees spotted lanternflies is advised to step on them and report them to the state reporting tool.
“The Master Gardeners, most of their platform is education for the public, so between gardening and in particular the spotted lanternflies right now that are spreading,” Koeneke said. “We’re making people aware of the existence of the bug and what to look for, and how to prevent it from spreading. With the pollinators, we have a pollinator-friendly gardening program, so we are promoting that.“
