Black Rock Sanctuary Earns Award from the Commonwealth

It seemed appropriate that as windblown county commissioners received an award for a local park, numerous people, unaware of the ceremony, trouped down into the park’s basin to enjoy what the county has done.

Men toted fishing poles on the way down to the catch and release area, and hikers set out along the trail at Black Rock Sanctuary with dogs and baby strollers in tow.

The sanctuary seems to be getting a lot of use, even on a windy Thursday afternoon. What park attendees may not know is just how eco-friendly the sanctuary is.

The Chester County Commissioners received the 2011 Green Park Award from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (PA-DCNR) and the PA Recreation and Park Society for the county's support of the park.

A county parks project, Black Rock Sanctuary was designed right in Phoenixville by KMS Design Group. The sanctuary is located on Black Rock Road, about a mile south of Route 113.

Carl Kelemen and Adam Supplee, principals at KMS, worked on the design. Kelemen said the sanctuary isn’t complete yet, as more phases are planned. He’s been working on the site since 1999.

Where Black Rock Sanctuary sits now was a desilting basin, sandwiched between wetlands and the Schuylkill River. The equivalent of a six-and-a-half-foot deep football field of coal silt had to be removed from the site. In keeping green, that silt was reused, and was recycled into charcoal briquettes for grilling. Due to its past as a collector of coal dirt, the site wasn’t exactly a great habitat for migratory waterfowl.

“That was our charge, to get [the waterfowl] in here,” Kelemen said. “I understand that there’s a lot of those kinds of birds in here now.”

Herons, wood ducks, osprey and more call the area home now, along with a number of fox families, amphibians and native plant species. The sky above the sanctuary serves as a flyway for migratory birds, so visitors can spot a number of species in the area.

During the presentation Thursday at the sanctuary, the park was heralded as a great example of best practices to be used throughout the state. Rain gardens in the parking lot absorb water. Strategically planted grasses help prevent erosion. A butterfly garden brings in pollinators, and a winding interpretive path makes sure the humans using the park don’t miss out on a learning opportunity right in their back yards.

“It’s that link of people to nature,” said Cindy Adams Dunn, Deputy Secretary for PA-DCNR, stressing that the signs along the path help people relate and connect to nature.

She credited good local and civic leadership for making the park a reality. Deciding on the 2011 award recipient was an arduous process, but Black Rock Sanctuary caught the eye of those in charge.

“Chester County emerged head and shoulders above for this site,” Adams Dunn said.

After each of the three Chester County Commissioners spoke, a tree was planted on the site. Glenn Nelson Jr. of the county parks department led a tour along the interpretive trail, and those who participated heard about the environmentally friendly design of the site and the habitats created by that design.

Along the way, spring peeper frogs were heard, and a mother goose built her nest on an island. Those on the tour spotted fish in the waters below a man-made ridge.

On the trail, clear signs and activities dot the path, encouraging hikers to reflect on the habitats around them.

Terence Farrell, chair of the Chester County Commissioners, said the sanctuary features both subtle and obvious demonstrations of best practices, which show that it is deserving of the award.

“Best management principles are demonstrated in not-so-subtle ways, in the interpretive stations relating to watersheds, bio-filters and habitat,” Farrell said. “They make learning about these concepts, particularly by young students, fun and memorable.”