Featherbranch Planting Project

The Featherbranch Planting Project brought together community volunteers to restore native habitat near the Conestoga River at Historic Poole Forge Park in Narvon. On October 25, 2025, more than twenty volunteers planted 89 native trees and shrubs and 100 native perennials approximately 75 yards from the river, strengthening the riparian buffer and improving long term watershed health.

Raised Bed Education Garden + Community Event Kickoff

This project transformed a long closed, city owned site in Lancaster’s SoWe neighborhood into an emerging, community centered environmental education hub. Building on an existing rain barrel and compost bin, the first phase added a raised bed education garden and launched the space through a Fall Earth Day event. While the project will be completed in two phases, with expansion planned for spring 2026, the initial stage already exceeded goals for participation, partnerships, and neighborhood engagement.

Educational Enhancement of Stroud Water Research Buffer planting at Overlook Park

This project strengthens the 7-acre riparian forest buffer at Overlook Community Campus through a partnership led by the Stroud Water Research Center to improve water quality, habitat, and public understanding of watershed stewardship in Lancaster County. The completed first phase replaced invasive species with native plantings around existing educational signage, engaging more than 20 community volunteers to create a more inviting and biodiverse learning space. Ongoing phases will add an on-site educational pamphlet and engraved tree labels identifying native species and bird life, expanding opportunities for hands-on learning and encouraging visitors to connect riparian buffers to broader stream and watershed health.