Montgomery County’s Green Lane Park will host a program entitled “Maple Sugar Magic” on Saturday, March 5, 2016 with demonstrations beginning at 11:00am and 2:00pm. The rain/snow date will be Sunday, March 6, 2016 at the same starting times. 

Educators and volunteers from the Montgomery County Division of Parks, Trails, and Historic Sites will demonstrate the centuries-old process of making maple syrup and sugar from the sap of maple trees. Maple sugaring is a uniquely North American tradition dating back to the 1500s, and has a prominent place in Native American and early American folklore. Visitors will witness the tapping of a maple tree and the boiling process in an evaporator and learn about the tradition of the “sugaring off” party. Participants will also be able to compare the taste of real maple syrup with commercial pancake syrup. Real, Pennsylvania-made maple syrup, cream, and candy will be available for purchase. Help celebrate Green Lane Park’s 28th year of maple sugaring in the park and enjoy the process from “tree to table.”

This program is offered free of charge and is appropriate for all ages. Demonstrations will begin promptly at 11:00am and 2:00pm at the Hill Road Day Use Area located at 2821 Hill Road, Green Lane, PA 18054. Scouts and other organized groups are welcome, but please call ahead.

For more information, please contact Kevin Crilley, Region II Environmental Educator, Montgomery County Division of Parks, Trails, and Historic Sites, at 215-234-4528 or via email at . Visit Green Lane Park online at www.montcopa.org/greenlanepark. 

Join the Schuylkill River Heritage Area for a dinner and awards ceremony to support the river, the Schuylkill River Trail and many other projects that benefit the region. 

Attendees will enjoy an evening of live music, delicious food and silent auction/basket raffles while the Schuylkill River Heritage Area honors the recipients of their Schuylkill River Legacy Awards. Raffle and auction items include: and Emotion Kayak, Local beer and wine, original paintings and photographs and other goods from the Schuylkill River region. 

The event will take place on Saturday, March 12, 2016 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Historic Sunnybrook Ballroom located at 50 Sunnybrook Road, Pottstown, PA 19464. To purchase tickets online, click here.

Jump into spring with a trail run through forests and ravines, with a chance to choose your own adventure run as you go.  Runners will begin as they would any other trail race, but at some point, they will encounter a literal fork in the road, marked by enlarged maps which they will have to quickly study. From there, they will choose their path and continue along, only to encounter further options later in the course. All routes will ultimately come back together at the finish. Individual distances will vary slightly depending on runners’ route choice, but all courses will be roughly five kilometers.  Runners will have to make decisions based on the maps they encounter, but the entire course will be marked on the maps and on the ground with colored surveyor’s tape.

For those who are more ambitious, consider taking the Schuylkill Center's Adventure Challenge by running in both races. There will be a one-hour gap between events.

Schedule

5k Trail Run, 9:00 am
Run Your Own Adventure, 11:00 am

Registration

5k Trail Run: $30
Run Your Own Adventure: $35
Adventure Challenge: $50

Race-day registration will open at 8:00 am. A $5 fee will be added to each event for day-of registration.

Register online here. More information about the Schuylkill Center and the race here. 

The Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor is excited to host the National Park Service’s 2016 Northeast Region Interpretive Workshop at the ArtsQuest Center in Bethlehem, PA. Training is free of charge to all museum, interpretive and education professionals. All attendees must register online.

March 29 – April 1

More information about the workshop here.

Sara L. Van Beck, author of Daffodils in American Gardens, 1733-1940, visits Bartram’s Garden to tell the fascinating story of the genus Narcissus and its journey from the Mediterranean basin to the gardens of historic Philadelphia. The talk will be followed by a Bartram’s Bitters cocktail reception and book-signing along with curator’s tours of the Bartram’s daffodil collection—living relics of bulbs brought to Bartram’s Garden centuries ago, blooming in the same place year after year.

LECTURE

2:30 pm – 4:00 pm

RECEPTION & TOURS

4:00 pm – 6:00

PRICING

Bartram’s Garden Members: $35, or $70 with a pre-ordered copy of Daffodils in American Gardens, 1733-1940

Non-Members: $45, or $80 with a pre-ordered copy of Daffodils in American Gardens, 1733-1940

LOCATION

Bartram’s Garden

5400 Lindbergh Blvd., Philadelphia, 19143 United States

The popular SRT SPREE will return for a second year, to announce SRT Ale's return for another summer. This year, the spree will be a weekend-long event featuring a kayak trip on the river, a relay race, trail cleanups, live music and more. Check back soon for details.

About last year's 2015 SRT SPREE

The 2015 SRT SPREE was the official, five-day launch event for the new SRT Ale that ending in Philadelphia on Earth Day 2015. The two-man Sly Fox launch team journied 110 miles along the Schuylkill River and Schuylkill River Trail, traveling from Schuylkill Haven to Philadelphia. Throughout, they carried SRT Ale flags attached to their kayaks,bicycles, and even on horses. They welcomed river and trail lovers to join in along the way. And they made daily pit stops for an organized trail cleanup and recognition of a local beer purveyor that will introduce SRT Ale to the public. Read more here. 

The 32nd Annual Darby/Cobbs Creeks Watershed-wide Cleanup will be held on April 23rd, 2016 from 9:00AM until around 12:00PM. The Cleanup will be on the two major creeks and many tributaries that make up the Darby Creek Watershed. The trails that follow these waterways include: The East Coast Greenway, The Cobbs Creek Trail, The Darby Creek Trail, and the Valley Forge to John Heinz Wildlife Refuge Trail.  

For more information please check out Darby Creek Valley Association's website at www.dcva.org. 

The Schuylkill River Relay is a 50 kilometer race that starts and ends at Saint Michael's Park which adjoins Lock 60 in Mont Clare, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Race will start in stages, Ultras will begin at 10am, with relay teams starting at 11am. Runners will follow the Schuylkill River Trail through scenic Montgomery County and the Valley Forge National Park all the way to Conshohocken where they will turn around at the Conshohocken Brewing Company. At the finish line, each runner will receive one post race Sly Fox SRT Ale. After the race, the party continues. Live music, food trucks and Sly Fox Beer will keep you entertained for till nightfall.

Runners have the option of racing solo, or part of a team of 3 to 6 runners. Teams are required to supply their own transportation to each transition point. You can find more information here.

In our Year of Climate Change, join us for a walk while learning about new developments in the science and politics of this critical issue. Mike Weilbacher shares breaking news and research data, key pieces of the science puzzle, the status of the UN treaty, the issue in the presidential campaign, and more, while sharing how the issue will impact the plants and animals you’ll meet along the trail.

Members: Free | non-members: $5

More information on the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education's website here.