Ecology

Celebrating spring & Women’s History Month

Anne Gageby
Strawberry Hill Nature Preserve

(3/2024) Daffodils are starting to pop up around the office and as I walk the paths and hiking trails, more and more signs of spring are making their debut. Winter is becoming a memory even though the daily temperatures can be a biting reminder. There’s a sense of possibilities that comes with seeing green edging into the vast brown and white canvas of a winter backyard. The coming of spring makes me kind of nostalgic, especially at the beginning of March and Women’s History Month.

I look back on my childhood here at Strawberry Hill and I’m amazed at the number of female influences and role models I had around me - from naturalist educators and volunteers to board members and directors. Strawberry Hill has never lacked female leadership and it made an impact on me as a small child attending programs and events here. Perhaps one day I could be a leader, too. That’s a powerful message for a child to learn.

Strawberry Hill was founded by a woman, Dr. Francis Morton Froelicher. Francis was a social worker and housing advocate in Baltimore who fought for tenants’ rights. She came to our area of Pennsylvania seeking weekend refuge from busy city life and ended up creating a foundation that teaches and inspires thousands of visitors every year. A life-long environmentalist, Francis was never afraid to dream big and envisioned a cleaner, healthier world.

Francis and her husband, Hans, began purchasing property along Swamp Creek in the 1960s. Eventually, they purchased over 600 acres of land surrounding Swamp Creek and part of Middle Creek. They built Strawberry Hill’s pond which is fed by Swamp Creek. After some time on the mountain, the Froelichers noticed neighbors were dumping trash such as paint cans, tires, and household garbage in the creeks. Francis was determined to clean up the streams. Afterall, Swamp Creek and Middle Creek are part of the greater Chesapeake Bay watershed, which had always held a special piece of Francis’ and Hans’ heart.

She accomplished this clean-up by working with Strawberry Hill’s neighbors. Over the years, Francis built a community that prided itself on cleaning up and maintaining clean streams. Today, Swamp Creek and Middle Creek are designated Exceptional Value Streams by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. We’ve come a long way, for sure.

Throughout her time at Strawberry Hill, Francis won several awards including the impressive Take Pride in America Award, given to those who increased awareness for natural resources. She had a personal philosophy when it came to environmental education: "I believe environmental education should run from the cradle to the grave. The only way you can preserve open space like this is by having a spirit involved - a community spirit. Having people who really care. The community has to take an interest to make something like this work."

Through that sense of community, Francis was able to build a program that thrives even today. Strawberry Hill provides education opportunities for public and private schools, homeschool groups, and adults alike. And we’re continually growing our programs. This spring, for example, we’re bringing back our popular WILDlife program. WILDlife is our first ever homeschool drop-off program and is built on the ideas of Wonder, Imagination Liberty, and Discovery. We also have several Homeschool Days on the calendar. Homeschool Days are full-day programs for homeschool families to come out and learn about a variety of environmental education topics from frogs and toads, citizen science and butterflies, to birds.

We’ve also revamped our adult programs for spring and summer. For the first time ever, Strawberry Hill is hosting a murder mystery. On Saturday, March 23rd from 7-9pm, we’ll explore the clues and unravel the mystery behind a shocking tale of love, betrayal, and prejudice. Put on your best thinking cap and join us as we dig through the evidence and explore a slew of remarkable secondary suspects - animals of the night. The evening’s story is inspired by real events and sure to be a hoot!

Our wild foraging series, the ever-popular Wild Edibles with Debbie Naha-Koretzky, sold out last year. Debbie, "The Wild Edibles Lady", has put together a three-part foraging adventure for 2024 to discover the edible plants of our area. The program will include a slide show followed by a foraging walk, and a taste of wild tea. Signed copies of her book, Foraging Pennsylvania and New Jersey (2021, Falcon Guides), will be available after each presentation. Debbie is a registered dietitian/nutritionist, Rutgers Master Gardener, Pennsylvania Master Naturalist, and a certified science teacher.

This spring we’re also hosting a new series that connects mysticism and conservationism. This 3-part series is taught by Rev. Monika Kojote. The first program, The Language of the Land, will explore how humans connect and communicate with the lands near us. The program will explore the data, both repeatable and observable (via omens, the behavior of flora and fauna, etc.). Discussion of the evolution of a land area will also be included, as well as the careful debate of what really is an "invasive" species. Monika is a Druid shaman serving the North American, Ireland, European Union, and United Kingdom. Monika received her master’s degree in forensic psychology in 2005, and has over 20 years’ experience working in the public domain of health & human services.

If your interests are gardening, check out our PA Master Gardner Presents series. Each program focuses on a different topic – Native Bees, Suburban Gardening, Pennsylvania Dutch Kitchen Gardens, and Ticks and Lyme Disease. Each program is taught by a different PA Master Gardener and will be about 45 minutes. Check out our web calendar at www.strawberryhill.org/new-events to learn more.

Sometimes I look around our campus and I’m left in awe of all we’ve been able to accomplish here at Strawberry Hill since our founding in 1986. I believe Francis would be proud to see her years of hard work culminating in what Strawberry Hill is today. Our creeks are clean and healthy, our community is strong and thriving. And we have incredible women leading our programs. I hope the kids and teens who come to our programs look around and see themselves represented in some way. Afterall, they are the next generation of environmental stewards. Just like the budding daffodils outside my window are reaching toward the sun, the upcoming generation will accomplish incredible things and I can’t wait to see what the future brings.

Anne Gageby is the Environmental Education Manager of the Strawberry Hill Foundation. Strawberry Hill inspires stewardship of our natural world by
connecting the community with educational opportunities.
 Learn more by visiting StrawberryHill.org.