47 Maggie Wallner It looks like long days spent correctly identifying, manually removing, and disposing of a lot of wineberry, bush honeysuckle, and garlic mustard! At a site like this where the majority of existing vegetation is comprised of invasive plants, but there is no current funding to create and enact an in-depth plan, restoration work can be slow-going. At this time we are focused on removing large honeysuckle shrubs and replacing them with native species like Spicebush, Elderberry, Chokeberry, and Arrowwood Viburnum. Often the native shrub is much smaller than the invasive shrub which was removed. This can look unsatisfying at first, but when the suite of beneficial birds and insects these native species support is considered, the true impacts of restoration can be understood. What it really means is increased quality of life for everyone! There will be more blooms, birds, and butterflies that residents hope to see in nature, and Trout Creek’s water quality benefits from the sediment and pollution filtration capacity of native plants’ robust root systems. Adults can enjoy a relaxing post-work walk just beyond their doors, and kids can come home from school and have a safe place to practice the problem-solving and riskassessing skills that unstructured play in nature provides. The Role of Design Kevin Lahoda Our partnership brought Lehigh students in to design interpretive signage and companion booklets for the park. How does that kind of designed experience — helping visitors connect to the native species and the ecological story of the place — fit into the larger goals of the park? Maggie Wallner One major goal of the park is to promote ecological literacy. I know it’s a cliché, but knowledge is power! In my experience, the more informed folks are about something, the more they tend to care about it. I want the nearby residents to know the space is for them and to feel comfortable in it. Providing visitors with things like bilingual interpretive signage and activity booklets is more than giving Small City Natural Environment • Feature • Resilience Park
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