The Snyder County Conservation District (SCCD) nature trail is located just off Salem Road, between Salem Road and the Middlecreek Valley Antique Association (MVAA) grounds.
The trail was made possible with assistance from the Growing Greener Grants Program under the office of Pollution Prevention and Compliance Assistance, PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
{Frog along Nature Trail}
Parking for the trail is right along Salem Road on the extra wide berm just before the bridge at the unnamed tributary to Penns Creek, and adjacent to the Salem Glenn Development. Motor vehicles are not allowed to drive back the field (access) road. If you walk back this access you will notice a station marker on the left, # 1. This is where the trail begins and is marked throughout with numbered posts or station markers that will correspond with the guide pamphlet. (Contact Craig Bingman, District Manager, at 570-837-3000, x114, for an updated pamphlet.) Each station depicts a natural or unique resource along the trail.
Who owns the land?
The land was originally a transfer from DGS (PA Department of General Services-State School) to SCCD (Snyder County Conservation District). Then PennDOT (PA Department of Transportation) purchased the ground as part of the natural resources mitigation site for the construction of the Central Susquehanna Valley Thruway (CSVT) project. This mitigation work is evident from the old milking barns and silos along Old Colony Road , out past the Snyder County Prison and the MVAA grounds, and extending over to Salem Road. Technically, PennDOT does own the land. However, SCCD is now the land manager and is leasing it.
In an effort to preserve and enhance the area, SCCD has created the Selinsgrove Center Nature Trail. The trail of about one-half mile meanders through the woods and over and back across the stream. This was made possible with the installation of two foot bridges. Along the trail, you will find a picnic area with tables and benches built by Selinsgrove Area High School student Craig Hames of Kratzerville as part of his Eagle Scout project. Craig was assisted by his parents, grandfather, SCCD and Scout Troop #441. This picnic area is open for public use, but there are no waste receptacles, so anything brought in must be taken back out with you.
Maps for the Nature Trail:
Click Here
You will also see near the start of the trail an area that is fenced in. This is another part of the PennDOT mitigation project and a study of newly planted tree seedlings that are protected from the deer and encloses approximately one acre of land. This particular PennDOT project has a “yet to be determined” lifespan.
If you would like more information about the Nature Trail, contact Craig Bingman, District Manager, at 570-837-3000, x114.
Note: Much of this material in the "Nature Trail" section was supplied by the Penn Township Summer 2010 newsletter. Township Website: www.penn-township.net.
