Volunteers help clean up Jennings park
BRADY TWP. — Jennings Environmental Education Center in northern Butler County held its annual fall volunteer maintenance and clean-up event in the park as part of National Public Lands Day on Saturday morning.
National Public Lands Day makes up the largest nationwide hands-on volunteer effort to maintain and improve public lands, which include national and state parks, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. More than 110,000 people participated in volunteer projects across America on National Public Lands Day last year.
Participation in the volunteer projects at Jennings on Saturday was capped at 50 people for COVID-19 safety, but in previous years, the day has seen upwards of 80 volunteers meet to maintain trails and clean up park areas, according to park manager Wil Taylor, who commended the volunteers on their work.
“Your efforts are huge,” he said. “I'm still astounded that every year, we can ask people to come and help out, and they come.”
Lunches for volunteers were paid for through funds raised by the Glacier Ridge Ultramarathon and Trail Race, a race held in May that benefits Moraine State Park, Jennings Environmental Education Center and McConnells Mill State Park.
“A lot of the trail upgrades and facilities that we get really depend on that race,” Taylor said. “It's a great partnership.”Volunteer teamsVolunteers split up into several groups to work on trail maintenance across the park, hauling gravel, picking up stones, resurfacing paths and stabilizing walkways.Some volunteers were first-time participants, and others had returned after participating in National Public Lands Day in past years. Some volunteers spend even more time working in weekly volunteer cleanups at the park.“There are lots of folks who have been coming (to National Public Lands Day) for years,” said Miranda Crotsley, program coordinator at Jennings. “It's really cool that people are committed to our parks, and want to make them better. These events are like a family reunion.”Debbie Sale of North Versailles volunteers on a weekly basis, and helped lift rocks to strengthen the upper bank of a stream during the cleanup.“Last week, we put up signs and helped fill in the new trail,” she said. “Whatever they need done, we do.”Nancy Nalepa of Petrolia said that the work that the volunteers do helps to make sure that the park isn't overlooked.“We're a little bit of a forgotten park,” she said. “We're right next to Moraine. People will come up to us and ask, 'Where is Jennings?'“We're trying to educate the public about this park, since we don't have a big lake or a lot of recreational stuff. It's mostly the trails.”Volunteer Chuck Davies said that the park — and volunteering — have been regular parts of his and his family's everyday activity.“We have a dog, and we bring our dog down here to walk,” he said. “With living so close, it's always been a part of our lives.”
