I am lucky to live in Chester County, which is picturesque and not yet overdeveloped. I can walk to a wooded area, which is about a quarter mile from my house. In addition, Chester County offers many trails and parks to enjoy. However, my favorite place to explore with my family and dog is the woods adjacent to West Chester University's south campus, now known as the Robert B. Gordon Natural Area, It is about 100 acres and mostly wooded. I grew up a stones throw from south campus and often explored the woods and streams that flow through it with siblings and friends.
Nowadays, at least four or five times a year, we drive the 15 minutes to hike through the woods. We were there last week with my dog, who just loves running free all over the woods. My kids and I always look for changes, such as trees that have fallen, paths that have changed, etc. Whether they knew it or not, they were being educated about nature. We talked about erosion and how the stream had exposed nearly all of the roots of a tree that has been there for a long time. We found minnows swimming in the stream, though my dog kept running through, clouding our view. We jumped on big fallen trees and pulled off thick bark that was loose from decay. We even managed to find a big bug we had never seen before and could not identify, which is surprising given the fact my sons are pretty much bug experts. Recently, WCU labeled many of the trees with small placards identify the specific type of tree. They also now have a box of laminated pamphlets at the beginning of one of the trails that describe about 80 different tree types found in the woods. You can take one with you to the other end of the trail where you will find another box to drop off your tree guide. We had fun trying to identify trees that were not labeled. What a nice way to spend a few hours and "accidentally" learn something in the process. Here is hoping this area continues to be preserved and protected for years to come.
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