June 1 marks National Trail Day, and the township will be offering numerous activities to get residents outside.
“We see it as connecting people with nature, getting them outside to get exercise,” said Lew Gorman, chair of the Cherry Hill Environmental Board. “We hope they discover new places and see nature in a new way.”
There are 10 trails in Cherry Hill, and volunteers will be focusing on the Croft Farm location. Volunteers will have the opportunity to meet at the big red barn to take care of trails in the surrounding area, Gorman said.
“I think it’s important that residents realize that volunteers are really the lifeblood of most of our environmental preservation efforts,” said Bridget Palmer, township communications director. “Our trails have been enhanced dramatically in the last several years, and it’s been almost entirely due to the efforts of CHEB, which is an all-volunteer organization.”
This is the third year the township will be involved with the day.
“We hope that if they see their public lands they would support the acquisition of new open lands and public lands,” Gorman said.
Gorman noticed people had created their own paths, when the township received a grant; it fully opened the provided trails and closed the others.
According to Palmer, volunteers will be installing closed-habitat restoration signposts on Nature Trail and Tan Trail, filling in wood chips in the gully next to the Croft Nature Trail next to the volunteer path, installing driveway pavers, wood-chipping the Purple Trail and placing mulch around trees in front of the Croft Farm house.
“There’s this one section of path that people are using, and we want to put up a sign that says ‘habitat restoration,’” Gorman said. “We want to stabilize the area. We want to close off that area and keep people on the trail.”
Gorman sees the opportunity to educate residents about the importance of public space lands.
According to AmericanHiking.org, the day will be about maintaining and improving trails in Cherry Hill. It will also teach the role trails play in connecting people with nature.
National Trail Day isn’t about one day, Gorman said; it’s about maintaining the habitat year-round and continuing to have the opportunity to volunteer each month.
“This isn’t the only time we organize events for people to come out and check out and work on the trails,” Gorman said. “We also do Public Lands Day, which is in September, and we focus on why it’s important to the environment to maintain these trails properly.”
Gorman emphasized the need for walkers to stay on the trail laid out, to maintain the habitat as it is and not “destroy it further.” Additionally, he is constantly surprised by the number of residents who didn’t know about the trails available in Cherry Hill.
“We have a spring and fall festival, and we always have a booth there to tell residents about the trails,” Gorman said.
He notes residents interested in looking into the trails can Google Cherry Hill Trails in addition to joining the Trail Crew to work on different trails.
“We want to tell them there’s an opportunity every month to come to the trails and do community service on the trails we have throughout the township,” Gorman said.
“I think people who haven’t had a chance to explore our trails will be surprised at how peaceful and beautiful our trails are,” Palmer said. “It’s hard to remember, sometimes, in the traffic and noise of such a big town, that we have some amazing natural resources right in our backyards.”
