GROUPS TO CELEBRATE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF GLADWYNE’S
SAUNDERS WOODS PRESERVE
Gladwyne, PA " Natural Lands Trust, Bridlewild Trails Association, Lower Merion Conservancy and Friends of Saunders Woods will join together on May 17 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the donation of the 25-acre Saunders Woods Preserve to Natural Lands Trust by Dorothy Love Saunders.
The event is free and open to the public and will include nature walks, children’s activities, music and an official commemoration of the anniversary.
Scheduled activities include:
8:00 a.m. " 9:00 a.m. - Bird walk led by Mike Weilbacher of the Lower Merion Conservancy
9:00 a.m. " 10:00a.m. - Guided hike led by Bonnie Perry of the Bridlewild Trails Association
10:00 a.m. " 12:00 p.m. - Guided nature hikes, children's activities, music, refreshments, historical displays and door prizes
The Preserve, located at 1020 Waverly Road in Gladwyne, Pa., is home to 20 acres of woodlands as well as six acres of fields. It features open meadows, a steep, wooded stream valley, and the Bridlewild Trail, which connects to trails throughout the community. The area serves as an oasis for wildlife and the community.
The property was donated to Natural Lands Trust in 1988 by Mrs. Saunders.
It originally was owned by Lawrence Saunders, who purchased it in 1922. The land was opened to the public in 1924, after Saunders married his wife, Dorothy. The couple dedicated themselves to protecting and sharing the land. “We never felt,” Dorothy Saunders once said, “that it belonged only to us.”
They allowed college students to visit their land to escape academic pressures. The barn on the property, which dates back to 1830, has long been used for retreats, community gatherings and scout activities.
The Saunders believed that, by donating the land to Natural Lands Trust, their vision would be continued. Dorothy Saunders believed that the farm was “there to be used…. To give people’s spirits space to expand and create.”
The preserve is open during daylight hours and visitors are welcome to walk the trails. Spring is a particularly beautiful season at Saunders Woods with a variety of colorful wildflowers and flowering trees.
For more information about the 20th Anniversary celebration at Saunders Woods Preserve, visit www.natlands.org/events, call 610-353-5587 ext. 243 or email members@natlands.org. RSVP’s are preferred.
More information about Saunders Woods and other Natural Lands Trust nature preserves is available at www.natlands.org/preserves.
Natural Lands Trust is a non-profit conservation organization that preserves open space throughout the Delaware Valley. Today, the organization ranks as the largest conservation group in the region, owning and managing 43 nature preserves and having helped to preserve more than 130,000 acres during its fifty-five year history.