WAYNESBORO— Work on a pond restoration design study at the Buttonwood Nature Center has been completed. The study was funded by South Mountain Partnership’s (SMP) Mini-Grant Program for Conserving Wild Wonders,
In 2023, The Institute (now Buttonwood Nature Center) was awarded $16,000 from the SMP grant program. The funds supported the comprehensive design study to lead the restoration of a large pond on the nature center site.
The Institute purchased the 40-acre property in Washington Township with the goal of creating a nature education center and living classroom for both students and residents in the greater Waynesboro community.
“The one-acre pond will support an array of future educational, conservation, and recreational programs,” said Tracy Holliday, Buttonwood executive director. “We are thrilled to have this beautiful plan in place.”
The pond project is now “shovel ready,” Holliday said, and will enter the construction phase next.
Triad Engineering contributed an in-kind component as a project partner in creating the Pond Restoration Design Study.
The SMP grant included academic activities—student interns, Waynesboro Area High School’s AP environmental science class, and Buttonwood’s Water Striders watershed science study group were involved with a baseline aquatic ecology investigation.
The completed design study provides recommendations to restore the pond with sustainable solutions to preserve and enhance natural habitats. Engineered construction drawings outline plans for naturalized stepdown pools and a solar-powered submerged aeration system. Also planned are a buffer of native plants to stabilize pond banks and improve the natural habitat, and educational signage.
Buttonwood facilities committee chair Bill Hofmann said, “The design study for our pond is a vital component of myriad puzzle pieces to complete our nature center landscape. We are grateful to have this piece completed and ready for construction.”
Since 1990, Buttonwood Nature Center/The Institute has provided programming in environmental education and cultural history for area school children, plus a variety of programs and events for all ages.
The organization has raised $2.8 million toward their goal of $3 million in a capital campaign to create the nature center. Work on the property will be done in phases.
This pond project was financed in part by a grant from the Community Conservation Partnerships Program, Environmental Stewardship Fund, under the administration of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation. The grant was awarded through the South Mountain Partnership, with management oversight of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.
Buttonwood Nature Center, home of The Institute is a partner of the South Mountain Partnership, an alliance of organizations working to preserve and enhance the cultural and natural assets of the South Mountain Landscape in Central Pennsylvania. To learn more about the Partnership, please visit www.southmountainpartnership.org.
For more information about Buttonwood Nature Center, visit www.buttonwoodnaturecenter.org, or contact Buttonwood at 717-762-0373 or via email: jessica@buttonwoodnaturecenter.org.
