The Friends of Ridley Creek State Park is celebrating 20 years of service, volunteering to keep the park looking good, writes Peg DeGrassa for the Daily Times.
The group of volunteers organizes monthly trail workdays to maintain 17 miles of hiking trails.
They started trail maintenance in fall 2004 and this year marks their 20th anniversary of service to the 2,600-acre park.
The Friends also holds a photo contest with an awards ceremony, offers guided tours of the historic Hunting Hill Mansion, and recently bought and helped install a $25,000 sensory playground at Picnic Area No.8 near the stables.
Aiden Sudall was 10 when he joined the Friends of Ridley Creek State Park volunteer group as a trail worker. He stayed with it into his college years at Penn State University and is now an intern with the Environmental Protection Agency.
“You have shown real dedication to improving the park environment and I believe you will be a tremendous asset to the EPA and to the environmental health of the country,” wrote Tim Higgins, an Adopt-A-Trail coordinator. in a letter to Aiden.
Find out more about the Friends of Ridley Creek State Park and how you can volunteer in the Daily Times.
