Nature Discovery Days at Peace Valley Nature Center traditionally were held only during the school year. This year, however — in celebration and recognition of the center’s 50th anniversary — the nature center has debuted these free, family-focused programs throughout the summer months, too.
Young explorers ages 3 to 12 can drop in with their families for the next Nature Discovery Day and learn about 'Tales from the Past' on Aug. 29 anytime between noon and 3 p.m. There is no preregistration required to participate.
Nature Discovery Days provide self-guided exploration stations with assistance from several teacher naturalists to facilitate the activities. Children can choose and start at any station they prefer. Each station offers participants a short background and an explanation of how to do the activity.
The August topic will cover multiple historically significant aspects of Peace Valley Park and Peace Valley Nature Center, explained Sarah Hoath, the center’s public engagement programs coordinator.
“One important element of the next Discovery Day is connected to the Indigenous cultures that were here before us. We want to honor and acknowledge the Lenape tribe who once lived on the land that we now consider Peace Valley Park and the surrounding areas,” Hoath said.
Children will learn about traditional games and activities that the Lenape tribe played and how they used natural resources found in the environment for tools and other daily necessities.
In addition, activities will involve how Lake Galena, located entirely within Peace Valley Park, was created by Bucks County in 1974. Because of ongoing storms and flooding, the county decided to create a dam from the northern end of Neshaminy Creek and form a lake for multiple purposes, including flood control, local water supply and recreation.
“We will have activities focusing on how the lake was man-made, formed as a result of the dam and how it became the popular destination for outdoor recreation that it is today. Before becoming Peace Valley Park, this area was once known as a mining town and caught the attention of people in search of galena, hence the name Lake Galena,” Hoath said.
Galena is a natural mineral form of lead and an important source of silver.
“Decades ago, people tried to mine for the mineral galena and visitors will learn how that played a significant role in Peace Valley’s history,” she explained.
According to its website, the Peace Valley Nature Center was established in 1975 within Peace Valley Park and is operated by the Bucks County Department of Parks & Recreation as an outdoor living museum and an environmental education center. It protects 750 acres of forests, wetlands, meadows and shoreline habitat surrounding Lake Galena and offers visitors of all ages a place to enjoy and experience nature with its scenic trails, wildlife observation centers and year-round educational programs.
“Although it was officially 1975 when the nature center was founded, due to being closed for renovations for a year and a half, we are celebrating the 50th anniversary throughout this year. Historically, Nature Discovery Days were only offered during the school year months, but once we reopened to the public last September, we've been doing monthly Discovery Days to give young explorers and their families a chance to learn about various nature topics in an engaging way,” Hoath noted.
Monthly topics cover all aspects of interacting with the environment and nature. Some topics include kid-friendly activities about rocks, relics and fossils, aquatic exploration, incredible insects, animal adaptations, winter birds and animal migrations.
"The Nature Discovery Days are part of a bigger initiative to offer free, drop-in programs that are open to the public and engage with people of all ages: kids, teens, adults and seniors," Hoath said. "What we're noticing is that families who have come in to participate in a Discovery Day during a previous month are returning for the next one and for other programs the nature center offers. We are seeing familiar faces looking for opportunities to discover and explore with more hands-on activities and a different topic each month.
“Discovery Days is just one small component of the public engagement programs that we have," Hoath continued. "What we hope to do is also spread the word and create more opportunities for people of all ages to come visit the Nature Center and participate in activities that are free and open to the public."
Throughout the year, Peace Valley Nature Center has hosted many special events to honor its 50th anniversary and has more planned in the coming months.
“We are reflecting on where the nature center started 50 years ago and how far we’ve come, while appreciating all that was accomplished so far. We are thinking about our goals for the next 50 years, including connecting people with nature, working on habitat restoration and promoting a healthy relationship with the environment around us,” Hoath noted.
Peace Valley Nature Center is located at 170 North Chapman Road in Doylestown. For more information or to learn about upcoming events, visit peacevalleynaturecenter.org.
