Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center |
|
|---|---|
|
IUCN Category III (Natural Monument)
|
|
A trail at Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center
|
|
 Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center
Location in Pennsylvania
|
|
| Location | Cumru, Berks, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Area | 665 acres (269 ha) |
| Elevation | 718 ft (219 m) |
| Established | 1970 |
| Governing body | Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources |
| Website | Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center |
The Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center is a special Pennsylvania state park covering about 665 acres. It's located in Cumru Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania. This park offers exciting programs for kids, teens, adults, and school groups.
At Nolde Forest, you can go hiking on many trails, enjoy birdwatching, and take amazing nature photography. The park is open every day from sunrise to sunset. You can find Nolde Forest just south of Reading, Pennsylvania, right off Pennsylvania Route 625.
Contents
History of Nolde Forest
Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center sits on land that once belonged to Jacob Nolde. He was an environmentalist who came to the United States from Germany. Jacob Nolde made a lot of money in the hosiery (sock-making) business.
When Nolde first bought the land in 1904, there was only one large white pine tree growing there. This single tree inspired him to create a "luxury forest" for his family to enjoy. The family called it the "Inspiration Pine."
Jacob Nolde dreamed of a forest that looked like the coniferous (cone-bearing) forests from his home in Westphalia, Germany. He bought about 500 acres of land in Cumru Township. He kept buying more land until he passed away in 1916.
The land he bought was either old farmland or scrubby deciduous forest. This forest had been cut down to make charcoal for nearby iron furnaces. By 1910, nearly 500,000 coniferous trees had been planted! Jacob Nolde soon realized his small forest dream had grown much bigger. He knew he needed someone to help manage it properly.
William Kohout, the Forester
Nolde hired William Kohout to be his head forester. Kohout was a skilled forester from Austria. He had studied forestry in Bohemia and Saxony and earned a degree from the University of Vienna.
Kohout came to America in the late 1800s. He first worked as an engineer for a mining company. Later, he returned to forestry and worked on a private estate near Wilkes-Barre. This is where he first met Jacob Nolde.
Kohout hired a team to build roads and trails throughout the forest. These paths helped to prevent and fight forest fires.
Becoming a State Center
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania bought Nolde Forest in the late 1960s. The Environmental Education Center officially opened in 1970. It was created with help from grants from the United States Government.
Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center was the very first center of its kind. It was owned and operated by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
Environmental Education Programs
The main goal of Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center is to teach people about the environment. It especially focuses on students from nearby elementary schools, high schools, colleges, and universities in southeastern Pennsylvania.
Nolde Forest offers hands-on learning experiences for students and their teachers. They use a "discovery and problem solving" approach. This means students learn by exploring and finding solutions to real-world environmental questions.
Nearby State Parks
If you enjoy Nolde Forest, you might also like these state parks. They are all within 30 miles of Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center:
- French Creek State Park (in Berks and Chester Counties)
- Marsh Creek State Park (in Chester County)
- Swatara State Park (in Lebanon and Schuylkill Counties)
