LOWER MACUNGIE TWP., Pa. — Just getting to camp at the Dorothy Rider Pool Wildlife Sanctuary is an adventure.
With the sanctuary closed to the public after a bridge collapse this year, campers bookend their days hiking in and hiking out.
“I like the hiking and doing crafts,” 11-year-old Lillian Fritz said Tuesday morning, noting it's her fourth year at Wildlands Conservancy’s summer camp.
Asked whether she liked the additional hiking this year, she responded affirmatively.
“The hike to the Upper Pavilion is a little tiring, but that’s it,” she said, before running off to join her friends.
The morning exercise highlighted how Wildlands Conservancy has been forced to deal with the closure of a bridge leading to it since it collapsed in late April while a propane truck was crossing it.
It also illustrated how Wildlands Conservancy has improvised to have another successful year despite the challenge.
During drop-off Tuesday morning at Camp Olympic Park, 3120 S. Cedar Crest Blvd., environmental educators wore wings on their backs and glitter on their cheeks, embodying fairies to match one of the camp themes, “Realm of the Forest.”
The other theme of the week was video game-inspired “Wildlands Server.”
With 72 campers, from pre-kindergarten to fifth grade, staff were organized and efficient as the bus took two trips to the pavilion, where their first hike would begin.
"The adventure of being in nature really starts as soon as they get off the bus."Wildlands Conservancy President Christopher M. Kocher
“I think that really harkens to the role that Wildlands plays, and this property plays, in the sense that they get dropped off in a bus, and they have to walk a half mile down to where the camp starts,” Wildlands Conservancy President Christopher M. Kocher said.
“So the adventure of being in nature really starts as soon as they get off the bus ... I think there's a lot of sense of adventure, a lot of sense of learning and a lot of sense of appreciation when it comes to nature.”
Making camp possible
The collapse of the bridge to the 77.5-acre sanctuary, at 3701 Orchid Place, caused no injuries or environmental damage, but forced Wildlands officials to close the sanctuary to the public until further notice.
“We are so fortunate to have an amazing team here that was able to make summer camp possible and make these experiences in nature possible, really, for hundreds of Lehigh Valley kids,” Kocher said.
In addition to staff, support from township officials, as well as parents of campers, was pivotal to make camp happen this year with the bridge closed, he said.
“Quite a bit of logistics goes into this now that the main bridge is out,” he said.
“We're actually busing the summer camp participants from the Lower Macungie Township facilities to the Dorothy Rider Pool Wildlife Sanctuary, and then busing them back.
“And that really made camp possible.”
So far, everything is running smoothly, and the 10-week camp, which runs in weekly segments from early June through most of August, is mostly sold out, he said.
“You hear the kids and see them exploring nature in a way that is making that lasting impression on them," Kocher said.
"And, hopefully, developing that next generation of environmental stewards to manage and maintain and appreciate and care for our critical natural resources here in the region."
Work to remove pieces of the steel and wooden bridge began Monday, Kocher said. It’s expected to take about two weeks.
“We are exploring temporary bridge options, which will take about six weeks to put in place, and then the replacement bridge is about to be fabricat[ed]," he said.
"And that'll take about six months to fabricate and to put into place. So we are still on a timeline and hopeful we'll have access back to the sanctuary by the end of the year.”
Asked about the cost of the repairs, Kocher said, “it’s expensive,” but declined to share an amount.
“We've been working very hard since the accident to get the public access back to the Dorothy Rider Pool Wildlife Sanctuary,” he said.
“And it's an involved process, and we're working with all the appropriate engineers and insurance companies and those types of things to get the damaged bridge removed.
"And then get the permanent replacement in place.”
‘We love this camp’
During drop-off, Kelly Slinko, of Emmaus, hugged her two sons, Henry, 3, and Jacob, 5, before staff guided them to a park pavilion to wait for the bus.
“We love this camp,” Slinko said, recalling how last summer, only her older son attended camp.
Henry would cry during drop-off, begging to go to camp, too, she said.
“I’m so glad they made it work. They made it really smooth — we’re just glad they were able to make it happen.”Kelly Slinko, of Emmaus
“Honestly, we were afraid it wasn’t going to happen,” she said, referencing the bridge collapse and sanctuary’s ongoing closure to the public.
“I’m so glad they made it work. They made it really smooth — we’re just glad they were able to make it happen.”
Drop-off ran seamlessly. After driving into a coned que in the lower parking lot, parents would pause and check in their children with an environmental educator before leaving.
“For the situation, it’s been really easy," Adam Young, of Zionsville, said, dropping off his two children, Harper and Callum. “The kids love riding the bus.”
After a short wait at the park — playing, blowing bubbles — campers were loaded into the bus and taken to the Upper Pavilion, off Farr Road.
Once everyone was gathered there, the fairies led the campers down the Backyard Conservation Trail, toward their next adventure.
