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Back to Subjects - Sports & Recreation

Nixon State Park

Nixon State Park To anyone who enjoys learning about a wide variety of plant and animal life, a visit to Nixon State Park is a must do! Nixon State Park is one of eight parks that are funded by the York County Department of Parks and Recreation (Richard). Nixon State Park is located on Mundicerace Road in the southwestern part of York County (Creating). It was established in 1968 when Bob Hoffman, the founder of York Barbell, donated 143 acres of land in honor of the then newly elected President, Richard M. Nixon (Richard). The park is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and on Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. (York). As I turned left off the main highway, and drove down the muddy, winding road to the Park’s environmental center, I was in amazement at all the trees and wooded area that surrounded the park. As far as I could see, the hillside were engulfed with trees, mainly pine and spruce. After I had parked my car, and began walking towards the rustic looking, wood covered, 14,000 square foot building, I couldn’t help but notice all the children and adults that were there. From the looks of it, I’d say about 40 children, accompanied by 10 or 12 adults (Richard). Around half of the kids were wading through the stream with nets in hand, while the other half of the group were feverishly collecting insects, leaves, twigs and any other interesting artifacts they could get their hands on. Walking through the front doors exposed a beautiful designed and decorated environmental facility. The ceiling was around 18 feet high and the floor was constructed of a beautifully finished hard maple floor. I had already made and appointment for 3:00, so I went to the front desk to meet my tour guide. She was a slender white female, standing about 5’6” tall, and approximately 35 years old. Her name tag read “Amy Slagel: Naturalist.” After we exchanged pleasantries we began touring the center. “Our main goal at Nixon Park, and the other seven York County Parks, is to environmentally educate as many people as we possibly can.” (Slagel). She then handed me a copy of the York County Department of Parks and Recreation mission statement, which stated, “To enhance the quality of community life acting as a steward for the environment. In this capacity, it acquires, conserves and manages parks lands and offers a variety of recreational and educational opportunities.” (Mission). While touring the center, I entered the main section of the museum, I couldn’t help but be astonished at all the different species and classes of wild life mounts the museum had on display. There were over 180 types of animal from 15 different countries, which were arranged by habitat and region (Richard). Immediately to my left was the artic display, featuring a 10-foot tall polar bear, a 2000 pound walrus, a penguin, and a seal to name a few. Directly in front of me was the desert region display. A roadrunner, Tasmanian devil, Scorpion, llama, and a rattlesnake are a few animals that were in this display. To my right was the African savannah section, containing a lion, bobcat, ostrich, leopard, elephant and a jaguar. The display that caught my eye the most was the forest scene. It was made up of a moose, an elk, deer, bison, and my favorite animal the ferocious grizzly bear. Each individual mounted animal on display had a plastic information card in front of it on the wooding railing. The card gave the animals name, size, weight, eating habits, habitat and location. Looking at these extraordinary animals made me ask Amy a question, “Where did Nixon Park get all of these mounted animals?” Amy walked me over to a plaque on the wall with the words “In memory of Charles Koller” engraved on it. “Charles Koller was an tenacious hunter that hunted for 75 years,” she explained. “He hunted from the forests in Maine, to the Savannah Dessert in Africa. When he died ten years ago, he donated his entire animal collection to the museum. This is why we had to put a major addition on the center in 1992. The entire mounted animal collection is worth over one million dollars. If it wasn’t for Charles Koller, we wouldn’t even have a animal display.” (Slagel). Nixon Park also offers a lot of activities and events for school classes, organizations and the general public. All you have to do is call and make an appointment, and choose from a numerous amount of earth science related activities, like Project Feeder watch. This is a bi-weekly event that starts in January and ends in April. This event allows children and grownups alike to take a nice hike through the forest, while also stopping at specific points along the trail to watch and take pictures of many different species of birds. (Fox Tracks, 12) “Probably our most popular event through out the year is our annual Dinosaur Weekend” said Amy while gesturing towards a miniature model of a Triceratops. “During this time, museums and private collectors exhibit their real dinosaur fossils. There is also a class that teaches you to interpret and date dinosaur fossils. This is one of are few events that draws more adults than children, so it’s very poplar with families.” (Slagel). Nixon Park also has physical challenges to go along with their many learning classes. A jog or walk on one of their many wilderness trails would be good exercise, not to mention the beautiful sights that could be scene. There is over six miles of hiking trails throughout the park, each one with a different difficulty and purpose (Richard). The 1.25-mile Old Field Trail is a jogging/running trail made for those who want to get a workout (Richard). The .6 mile long Quiet Walk trail is for those people who want to take a nice, peaceful stroll through the woods and enjoy the surrounding scenery (Richard). The Recreation Challenge Series is another fun, yet physically draining event held every year at Nixon Park. It consists of various activities to challenge children ages 12-15. They competition consists of the following events: rock climbing, boating, hiking, and fishing. This event will be held from June 25 to 27 (Fox Tracks). As I glanced through a window, I noticed two yellow vans pull in the driveway. I though it was another school class, but when the kids and leaders starting exiting the vans, I realized it was a group of boy scouts. I figured they were here for a class or field trip, but Amy explained otherwise, “The Boy Scouts are here to help us pick up trash, and any other garbage that has been littered on our premises. Them and many other groups volunteer their time and efforts to keep this park running smoothly and looking clean. If it wasn’t for the efforts of our giving volunteers, Nixon Park would never had made it this far. Master Gardeners, The ARC of York County, York College, The Isaac Walton League And the Girl Scouts of American are other groups and organizations that donate their time and skills to positively impact this park.” (Slagel). Another special event that is held annually at Nixon Park is Reptile Week. During this week in July, visitors have a chance to see a variety of live reptiles from all over the world, as well as many species that are native to Pennsylvania. This is especially popular for those visitors who are better “hands-on” learners. Over 50 different species of reptiles are at this event, allowing visitors to observe and interact with these creatures (Nixon). The Nature Center was closing in 15 minutes, so I thanked Amy for her giving me such a great tour of such a wonderful Park. I then scurried over to the literature area and grabbed a handful of Nixon Park pamphlets and paper handouts. I then proceeded to browse around the “Fox Shop,” Nixon Parks own gift shop. If you looking for anything animal related this is the place to go! The “Fox Shop” contains a vast amount of wildlife books, stuffed animals and fossils, just to name a few items (Gift shop). After purchasing a book about grizzly bears, my favorite animal, I walked out the wooden front doors, and walked slowly to my car, enjoying the beautiful scenery at Nixon Park one last time before I had to go back to my “city life”. I was very impressed with Nixon Park and its positive impact it has had, and will continue to have on York county wildlife and habitat. Bibliography: Sources � Creating A Legacy. York County Department of Parks and Recreation, 2001 � Fox Tracks. York County Department of Parks and Recreation, 2002. � Mission Statement. York County Department of Parks and Recreation, 2001. � Richard M. Nixon County Park. York County Department of Parks and Recreation, 2001 � Slagel, Amy. Personal interview. 20 March 2002 � York County Parks. York County Department of Parks and Recreation, 2001. � York County Parks’ very own Gift Shop. 1 Jan 2002 http://www.york-county.org/gov/AUTH/giftshop.htm.

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