Bridge Preserve celebration highlights new trail

MILFORD — An afternoon of family-friendly activities will celebrate a new interpretive trail at the Cornelia and Florence Bridge Preserve.
The Dingman Township Supervisors will host the "Bridge Preserve Day" celebration from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 20, at the preserve, located at 1082 Twin Lakes Road in Milford.
Supervisors will offer presentations about the preserve's features. Everyone is invited.
The supervisors have partnered with the Pike County Conservation District and the North American Land Trust to install educational signage at the preserve. Boy Scouts from Troop #71 helped identify plants and will install native plant identification signs along existing trails. Additional signage has been installed near the rain garden. A trail map will help identify the wonders along the trail.
"The Cornelia and Florence Bridge Preserve was an amazing — and heartfelt — gift from Charlie Bridge to us all," said Karen Kleist, Dingman Township Secretary and Treasurer. “This project further enhances the Preserve and provides an additional educational facet to Charlie's vision to provide an atmosphere of discovery, inspiration, contemplation and reflection, and all the other benefits spending time outdoors in nature provides."
The day will kick-off at 1 p.m. with an opening ceremony to highlight the work on the trail and the importance of the preserve. After the opening ceremony an educational presentation about rain gardens will take place. Participants are encouraged to explore the trails and new signs as they make their way to the wetland area on the preserve.
A presentation about wetlands and their role in the ecosystem will be held at 2 p.m.
Throughout the day, participants are encouraged to take part in a nature scavenger hunt that encourages participants to explore all areas of the preserve while learning about native and invasive plants.
Funding for this project has been provided by the Department of Environmental Protection’s Environmental Education Grants.