Halloween, October 31, 2023, marks the 88th birthday of Glen Providence Park! Would you help us celebrate Delaware County’s oldest park with a donation to Friends of Glen Providence Park?

Founded as a bird sanctuary and arboretum in 1935, Glen Providence Park remains a 33-acre haven for people and wildlife alike, amidst ongoing development of open space in Media Borough, Kirk Road and throughout the county. We need Glen Providence Park today more than ever.

SInce July 2011, the intrepid volunteers of Friends of Glen Providence Park have been working to preserve and enhance this natural and historic resource that is so accessible to Media and Upper Providence Residents. 

Please, help us continue our activities that benefit the park and the community:

• citizen advocacy for the park land, water and wildlife
• free nature appreciation and education walks
• free and family-friendly Arts in the Park concerts
• citizen science projects such as water studies and Christmas Bird Count
• volunteer historical research, documentation and preservation

As public funding shifts, we need your support more than ever to continue our native tree plantings, trail maintenance and Arts in the Park. If you’ve enjoyed the park, and especially if you’ve participated in a Friends of Glen Providence Park event, please donate today!

For National Public Lands Day*, Friends of Glen Providence Park will again plant native trees and shrubs in the glen, this time on the Mountain Laurel Trail. This is our 11th annual NPLD project, working to improve wildlife habitat, reduce erosion, and beautify the park! 

Native Tree & Shrub Planting on the Mountain Laurel Trail!

Saturday, October 7
Rain date Sunday, October 8
9:00am-12:00 noon
Glen Providence Park – Main entrance
State Street

Our planting day is one of our most popular and fun events, and we are a part of the largest nationwide volunteer effort for public lands! We are incredibly grateful to Delaware County Parks & Recreation for providing funds for this project, and to the Delaware County Conservation District for the use of its Conservation Planting Trailer and supplies.

To help us plan our time effectively, and to plan for refreshments, we ask that you RSVP for this event – please let us know the number of volunteers in your party.

Volunteering details:

We will update this description as we identify other relevant details for volunteers, and we will email registered volunteers with more details and logistics.

Estimated time: 9:00am-12:00pm
Lunch and drinks will be provided for registered volunteers.

Activities will include:

• digging holes for the trees and shrubs
• planting trees and shrubs
• installing deer protection around trees and shrubs
• watering as needed

More logistics:

• We will provide the equipment, including shovels, spades, rakes, and wheelbarrows – but if you have favorite tools, feel free to bring them! If you do bring your own tools, please label them with your name.
• Bring work gloves if you have them.

Rain plan:
Our rain date is Sunday, October is 8 at 9:00 am. If the weather is not clear, we will post here and on our facebook wall by 8:45 am Saturday advising whether we will use the rain date.

Thank you, we hope to see you on National Public Lands Day!

Enjoy a gallery of past NPLD days in the park!

*National Public Lands Day is held this year on September 23rd, but we are celebrating two weeks later.

Media Borough, with participation from PennDOT’s Cultural Resources Management, has undertaken a revision of the sidewalks at the main State Street entrance of Glen Providence Park. Attention was paid to replicate the original slate pavers while updating the infrastructure and maintaining the historical bluestone walls, built in the 1930s through the WPA. We’re grateful for this update in advance of the summer season at Glen Providence Park. 

After being postponed by the rain and wind brought by Hurricane Ian, on Saturday Friends of Glen Providence Park held our 10th annual plantings for National Public Lands Day. Twenty-six adults and teens volunteered for a combined 94 hours digging, planting, mulching, installing deer fencing, and watering, all to improve wildlife habitat in Glen Providence!

This was Phase Four of our Kirk Lane project, which we started on National Public Lands Days in 2015, 2016 and 2019. We expanded on previous plantings with an additional 17 native trees and shrubs, and 13 native woodland plants – the complete list is below. The plants benefit wildlife by providing seeds, nuts, fruits, and nectar for mammals, birds, butterflies, and other pollinators, all while helping to slow down and absorb surface storm water runoff.

In addition, many of the plants provide food for humans – adding to the food forest we have started by the Kirk Lane entrance in previous years.

Thank you to the 26 volunteers who worked diligently all morning (and some into the afternoon!), and all who made this project possible:

Delaware County Parks & Recreation provided the funding for the plants and delivered a new bench and the mulch. Delaware County Conservation District delivered their Conservation Planting Trailer full of all of the tools we could need! Garden Influence and Redbud Native Plant Nursery provided invaluable expertise, Taylor Memorial Arboretum donated additional woodland plants, and Friends of Glen Providence Park donors funded the deer fencing and posts, snacks, two special trees, and other supplies for this project.

Additional groups of volunteers from Penncrest High School and Springton Lake Middle School provided invaluable manpower, and neighbors of the park allowed us to run a hose from their house to water the plantings. Cafe Isla donated coffee to fuel our volunteers, and Pinocchio’s Restaurant donated pizza for lunch. We are grateful to all of these people for making the plantings possible!

Here’s our native plant list from October 15, 2022.

And check out our photos (and video!) below:

This year was our 10th National Public Lands Day volunteering in Glen Providence Park! On Saturday, October 2, 27 lovely adults and kids volunteered a combined 101 hours removing and reusing deer fencing, installing tree guards, weeding, digging, planting, mulching, and watering. In addition, eight volunteers worked on site more than 20 combined hours the Friday before, preparing the site and carrying supplies down the hill.

Over the past ten years, we had planted over 222 native trees and shrubs in the glen. At this year’s event, we prioritized the maintenance of the existing plantings – we removed deer fencing from trees and shrubs that outgrew them, replacing a number of them with tree guards. We reused most of that fencing on new native trees and shrubs! We worked in the area of our 2017 Wildlife Habitat Plantings below the sledding hill fence, and our 2012 and 2014 Streamside Buffer Plantings below the pavilion and along the streambank. We also removed 21(!) contractor bags of invasive Japanese Stiltgrass from around the plantings!

The native trees, shrubs, and woodland plants help to restore the forest, protect the stream, and stabilize the hillside and streambank. In addition to helping control erosion, the plants benefit wildlife by providing habitat and seeds, nuts, fruits, and nectar for mammals, birds, butterflies, and other pollinators. We planted 27 native trees and shrubs, and 17 woodland plants – the complete list is below.

Thank you! We have so many to thank for their help with this project… starting with all those wonderful volunteers! It is inspiring to work with people who are generous and dedicated enough to our environment to spend a beautiful Saturday morning working to care for and plant trees.

Delaware County Parks & Recreation provided the funding for the plants and delivered the mulch. Delaware County Conservation District delivered their Conservation Planting Trailer full of all of the tools we could need! Friends of Glen Providence Park donors funded the tree guards, pizza, water, and coffee for volunteers, and other supplies for this project. Neighbors of the park allowed us to run a hose downhill from their house to water the plantings. Carol Carmon volunteered her time to video the bustle of activity. Keep Media Green and Media Rotary both helped recruit volunteers!

Garden Influence and Redbud Native Plant Nursery provided invaluable expertise selecting 20 native trees, shrubs, and perennials, Taylor Memorial Arboretum donated nine additional trees and shrubs, Garden Influence donated six additional woodland plants, and Patrick Burke donated five additional trees (and donuts)!

As a bonus, John Wenderoth donated three American Chestnuts, back-crossed with Chinese Chestnut pollen, which were grown at Mount Cuba’s nursery in Delaware. These were planted by the Kirk Lane entrance with our previous American Chestnut plantings – read more about American Chestnuts in Glen Providence Park and the efforts to restore this magnificent tree!

We are grateful to all of these people for making the plantings possible!

The next time you are in Glen Providence Park, look for these native plants, and check out the photos below – just click on any for a closer look or to scroll through them. Carol Carmon’s video on YouTube of our planting gives an excellent overview of the morning’s purpose and activity!

Trees:

• White Spruce, Picea glauca – 4
• Arborvitae, Thuja sp. – 1
• American Persimmon, Diospyros virginiana – 2
• Eastern Redbud, Cercis canadensis – 1
• Paw Paw, Asimina triloba – 3
• Washington Hawthorne, Crataegus phaenopyrum – 1
• Fringetree, Chionanthus virginicus – 1
• (At Kirk Lane) Hybrid American Chestnuts, Castanea dentata – 3

Shrubs:

• Virginia sweetspire ‘Merlot’, Itea virginica – 3
• Black Chokeberry ‘Viking’, Aronia melanocarpa – 1
• Black Chokeberry ‘Low Scape’,  Aronia melanocarpa – 1
• Blueberry ‘Jersey’, ‘Elizabeth’, & ‘Patriot’ Vaccinium corymbosum – 6

Woodland plants:

• Dixie Wood Fern, Dryopteris australis – 2
• Royal Fern, Osmunda regalis – 2
• Blue Mistflower, Conoclinium coelestinum – 3
• Hairy alum root ‘Autumn Bride’ Heuchera villosa – 3
• Wild Geranium ‘Espresso’, Geranium maculatum – 3
• Northern Sea Oats,  Chasmanthium latifolium – 3
• Wild Ginger, Asarum canadense – 1

Photos by George Tate, Stephanie Gaboriault, and Carol Carmon. Video by Carol Carmon.

You have likely noticed the seemingly whimsical stacks of rocks along the stream in Glen Providence Park. People have also been moving rocks in the stream to dam and redirect sections, and presumably to make it easier to cross on foot. We believe these activities are well-intentioned, but moving rocks in and around the stream has unintended negative consequences. 

First, it is harmful to wildlife

To quote Ben Lorson, of the PA Fish and Boat Commission’s Habitat Division, “A stream’s bottom — the substrate — has its own micro-habitats. The substrate provides the base of the aquatic food chain — from algae to macro-invertebrates all the way up to game fish. The surfaces of the rocks and the cracks and crevices between them are very important as habitat…”  

And from ausableriver.org: “Salamanders and crayfish also make their homes under rocks, and rock moving can destroy their homes, and even lead to direct mortality of these creatures. Every single rock is potentially a home to the larval stages of aquatic insects, including dragonflies, damselflies, mayflies, stoneflies, and caddisflies, and many others. They cling to rocks and capture drifting food particles. By moving and stacking rocks, the insects that are attached to or living on the rocks can be desiccated and burned by the sun.”

It is also causing erosion

Much of the rock-moving that has occurred has directed water outwards towards the streambanks, where it is worsening the already severe erosion. Large trees have been undercut by the stream and fallen. Over the years, our Friday morning Conservation Crew has worked to remove log jams in the stream — this is important to direct water away from the streambanks. Constructing dams, redirections, and crossings in the stream has the opposite, negative effect — it directs water to the sides, towards the already-severely-eroded streambanks. 

The County is looking at long-term solutions for the pond and stream to address the ongoing erosion and other issues, but it will take several years before large-scale solutions can be implemented. Until then, it is especially important that the water flow towards the center of the stream and away from the streambanks to minimize the already severe erosion.

We discourage any moving of rocks in or around the stream, without first consulting with Delaware County Parks & Recreation and/or the Delaware County Conservation District. 

This spring we held two cleanups in Glen Providence Park – the 23rd Annual CRC Streams Cleanup on March 20, and Keep Media Green’s Earth Day Cleanup on April 24! We coordinated projects for a combined 78(!) volunteers who spread throughout the park clearing invasive plants and trash from the trails and stream, along with some other stewardship projects.   

Thank you very much to our volunteers, to CRC Watersheds for their work organizing the cleanup at over 30 sites along the Chester, Ridley, and Crum Creeks, and to Keep Media Green for organizing several sites in Media Borough, and even sending volunteers to Rose Tree & Catania County Parks!

There are fun photos of both cleanups on Facebook, linked above.

See the individual events in our Calendar for more information and logistics. All events are free, family-friendly, and open to the public – we hope to see you in the park!

Friends of Glen Providence Park
2020 Schedule of Events

Schedule subject to change – please check back to confirm times, details, and meeting locations.

UPDATE: Covid-19 cancelations and postponements are noted below.

Winter Discovery Walk with Mike Rolli
Sunday, January 26, 1:00-3:00pm
Meet at State Street entrance
Rain, snow, or shine

Love Your Park Walk with Chris McNichol
Saturday, February 15, 10:00am-12:00pm
Meet at 3rd & West Street entrance
Rain, snow, or shine

Geology Walk with Charles Randall
Saturday, March 7, 2:00-4:00pm
Meet at 3rd & West Street entrance
Rain, snow, or shine

CRC Streams Clean-up – POSTPONED
Saturday, April 4, 9:00-10:30am
Meet at State Street entrance
Rain or shine

Spring Bird Walk with Dave Eberly – CANCELED
Saturday, May 9, 8:00-10:00am
Meet at 3rd & Kirk Lane entrance
Rain or shine

Arts in the Park: Kossler Duo – POSTPONED TO JUNE 2021
Saturday, June 27, 5:00-6:30pm
Main entrance
Rain date Sunday, June 28

Arts in the Park: Paul Downie & Friends – POSTPONED TO 2021
Saturday, July 11, 5:00-6:30pm
Main entrance
Rain date Sunday, July 12

Arts in the Park: Danie Ocean – POSTPONED TO 2021
Saturday, August 22, 5:00-6:30pm
Main entrance
Rain date Sunday, August 23

Arts in the Park: Malidelphia – POSTPONED TO 2021
Saturday, September 12, 5:00-6:30pm
Main entrance
Rain date Sunday, September 13

National Public Lands Day – POSTPONED
Saturday, October 3, 9:00–12:00 noon
Location TBD
Rain date Sunday, October 4

Wicked Plants & Ghost Walk with Marcia Tate & Stephanie Gaboriault – POSTPONED TO 2021
Saturday, October 31, time tba — Glen Providence’s 85th Anniversary!
Location tba
Drizzle, snow, or shine

Green Friday Walk with Holly Hoffmann & Aura Lester
Friday, November 27, time tba
Meet at State Street entrance
Drizzle, snow, or shine

Christmas Bird Count
Saturday, December 19, 8:00-10:00am
Meet at 3rd & West Street entrance
Rain, snow, or shine

And don’t forget the Great Media Easter Egg Hunt held by Media Lions & McCarrin Chiropractic – it’s the park’s longest-running event, held annually since 1954! This year’s date is Saturday, April 4 at 11:00am (sharp!), State Street entrance. – CANCELED

For National Public Lands Day*, the Friends of Glen Providence Park will again plant native trees and shrubs in the glen. This is our 8th annual planting project, working to improve wildlife habitat, reduce erosion, and beautify the park! 

Native Tree & Shrub Planting!

Saturday, October 5
rain date Sunday, October 6
9:00-12:00noon
Glen Providence Park – Kirk Lane entrance
Kirk Lane & Third Street, Upper Providence, PA

Our planting day is one of our most popular and fun events! We are incredibly grateful to Delaware County Parks & Recreation for providing funds for this project, and to the Delaware County Conservation District for the use of its Conservation Planting Trailer and supplies.

To help us plan our time effectively, and to plan for refreshments, we ask that you RSVP for this event at FriendsoftheGlen [AT] gmail.com – please let us know the number of volunteers in your party.

Volunteering details:

We will update this description as we identify other relevant details for volunteers. Please contact us to register.

Estimated time: 9:00am-12:00pm
Lunch and drinks will be provided for registered volunteers.

Activities will include:

• digging holes for the trees and shrubs
• spreading woodchips
• installing deer protection around trees and shrubs
• watering
• Squashing any invasive Spotted Lanternflies…

More logistics:

• We will provide the equipment, including shovels, spades, rakes, and wheelbarrows – but if you have favorite tools, feel free to bring them! If you do bring your own tools, please label them with your name.
• Bring work gloves if you have them.

Rain plan:
Our rain date is Sunday, October 6 at 9:00 am. If the weather is not clear, we will post here and on our facebook wall by 8:45 am Saturday advising whether we will use the rain date.

Thank you, we hope to see you on National Public Lands Day!

* National Public Lands Day is on Saturday, September 28, but we’re celebrating it one week later. 

Join us Friday mornings in Glen Providence Park! We remove invasive shrubs and vines that strangle beneficial native plants and crowd the trails, and work on other projects to support plants and wildlife in the park. Enjoy conversation and soak in the natural beauty of the glen – while making a positive impact.

Conservation Crew

Friday mornings
(weather permitting)
9:30 – 11:30 am
Registration required:
Email us at FriendsoftheGlen [at] gmail [dot] com

Since 2013, we’ve removed over 375 bags of invasive plants – liberating native trees and shrubs that were strangled and weighted down by vines – while beautifying and keeping open the trails. Some of our other projects? We’ve painted trail blazes, measured trail distances for trail posts, carried in native trees for planting projects, cleared branches from fallen trees damming the stream, repeatedly cleared the pond intake from blockages, and removed smaller limbs from fallen trees to unblock trails until County Parks could get in with chainsaws.

Logistics:

• Please take a quick read over our Invasive Plant Removal Guidelines
• Wear work clothes – ideally long sleeves & pants – including appropriate sturdy footwear.
• Please bring gloves and pruners.
• We will provide bags and any additional tools.
• Be prepared for hills and uneven terrain.
• We send out an email to our Crew on Thursdays with that week’s project and meeting location, with the next morning’s forecast in mind. Whether you can join us once or weekly, email us at FriendsoftheGlen [at] gmail [dot] com!
• We generally work when the temperature is between 35 and 80 degrees.

Coming soon:

• We’re usually too busy to snap photos, but we’ll add a few here from some past work days!

Glen Providence Park is owned and managed by Delaware County, and we work with the permission of, and in consultation with, Delaware County Parks & Recreation and the Delaware County Conservation District, in addition to consulting other natural lands managers and resources.

We take a pragmatic approach and prioritize those invasive plants that both cause the most harm and are effective to remove. We do not do structural trail maintenance or use power tools.