Conoy Creek Restoration Project
(L - R): Joseph E. Murphy, Chief Executive Officer for Masonic Villages; Dr. Dorothy J. Merritts, Professor, Department of Earth and Environment at Franklin & Marshall College; Dr. William Hilgartner, paleoecologist and lecturer at The Johns Hopkins University; Patrick Sampsell, Chief Environmental and Facilities Officer for Masonic Villages; and Gerald Tracy, Director of Environmental Services and Land Management for Masonic Village at Elizabethtown
Helping Save The Bay - Preserving Our Heritage
A portion of the Conoy Creek, located on the grounds of the Masonic Village at Elizabethtown, Pa., has received a much-needed facelift, and in the process, uncovered some clues from the area's past.
Over a period of several months 3,200 l.f. of the stream was restored. Restoration included removing over 60,000 c.f. of legacy sediment, re-establishing over 5 acres of wetlands, re-establishing floodplains and reseeding the area with native plant species. Professors and scientists from Franklin & Marshall College and The Johns Hopkins University are participating in the restoration, including the reconstruction of the wetland environment that existed between 300 and 5,000 years ago.
The project is the result of funding from a Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Growing Greener grant, the largest ever for a legacy sediment grant, and cash contributions from the Masonic Village. Elizabethtown Borough; West Donegal Township; State Rep. David Hickernell; Dr. Dorothy J. Merritts, professor, and Dr. Robert Walter, associate professor, Department of Earth and Environment at Franklin & Marshall College; Dr. William Hilgartner, paleoecologist and lecturer at The Johns Hopkins University; the Conoy Creek Watershed Association, RETTEW Associates, Inc. and Flyway Excavating, Inc. also provide support for the project.
Gerald Tracy, Director of Environmental Services and Land Management for Masonic Village at Elizabethtown, and Patrick Sampsell, Chief Environmental and Facilities Officer for Masonic Villages, are points of contact for information regarding the restoration work.
For more background information on this project click on the links below.
