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Friends of RCSP |
Mail:
Friends of Ridley Creek State Park
1023 Sycamore Mills Road
Media, PA 19063-4398
eMail:
Contact anybody listed on our Officials Page
Ridley Creek State Park is a Commonwealth of Pennsylvania park located 2.5 miles west of Newtown Square, PA and 16 miles west of downtown Philadelphia. The park is 2,600 acres of streams, rolling hardwood forest and meadow.
The Friends of Ridley Creek State Park is organized to increase and enhance the quality of everyone's contact with Ridley Creek S.P. We are actively seeking volunteers and donors to help improve the Park financially and physically (by helping!). There are many programs and projects that may be possible with enough community support.
CARING FOR RIDLEY CREEK STATE PARK
Ridley Creek State Park (the “Park”) is one of 117 parks in the Pennsylvania State Park System with an annual budget of approximately $700,000. This money is used for, among other things, care and maintenance of Park buildings and grounds, park rangers for your safety, trash removal, administration, heat and electricity for the mansion and the repair and maintenance of the roads and bridges within the park. And the list goes on. Last year, the Park added a surprise line item to the budget when asbestos was discovered in the mansion (Park headquarters) during the planned heating system upgrade, The mansion was closed in November of 2003 and has just recently reopened. The new roof on the mansion, which was completed in 2003, was a $1.5 million dollar project that was not a part of that year’s budget.
If you have ever done home renovations, maintenance or yard work, you can only imagine what a physical and financial undertaking it must be to maintain an 80 year old 10,000 plus square foot home and 2600 acres of grounds that receive over 850,000 visitors a year. Maintenance employees mow approximately 100 acres of scattered plots around the park once a week. Roger McChesney, the Park Manager, together with seven full time employees and six seasonal employees work diligently to make the Park a safe and pleasant haven for visitors year-round.
Many people use the park for weddings, reunions, meetings and other festive occasions. The mansion and the grounds can be rented, at a nominal cost. However, monies collected for rentals are turned over directly to the state and are deposited into a “General Fund.” The money is then redistributed, in the form of budgets, based on need…so it may or may not come back to this Park. In 2004, much the General Fund for Parks was re-appropriated, which reduced the amount available to all state parks. Because of recent budget cutbacks, staff has been trimmed and projects have been delayed due to lack of funds. That’s where The Friends come in.
THE FRIENDS OF RIDLEY CREEK STATE PARK (THE “FRIENDS”)
Simply put, we love our Park! We are a small but growing number of dedicated volunteers who work to preserve, protect and enhance the natural beauty within the Park. We have been assisted by other volunteer groups, such as the Sierra Club (Southeast Pennsylvania Group), Appalachian Mountain Club (Delaware Valley Chapter), the Boy Scouts and Westtown School. We have also partnered with other groups within the park for special activities during Earth Day, Creek Week and National Trails Day. We are supported financially by member dues and on very grateful occasions, the large grant or contribution by concerned individuals or organizations. Because we are a qualified 501(c)(3) organization, the tax-deductible donations we receive directly benefit Ridley Creek State Park and are not part of the General Fund.
Members of the Friends can be characterized as people who believe in the motto “Be the change you want to see in the world.” If you come out on the first Saturday of each month, an “advertised” day where we need special help, or participate in a mansion tour, you will find committed individuals who range in age from 8 to 80!
ACTIVITIES AND INITIATIVES OF 2004
In 2004, the Board sat down with Park Manager, Roger McChesney, to evaluate the needs of the Park and balance them against their own budget and volunteer base. As a result, a few major projects were identified:
· Link Memorial Fountain – refurbished in July of 2004 with the help of many volunteers. Reopening and dedication scheduled for 2005. Stay tuned!
· Formal Gardens – removed weeds and debris; designed and replanted in October, 2004. Should look great next spring!
· All-Accessible Trail – currently in the preliminary phase of developing an all accessible educational trail that will loop around the formal gardens and mansion. Received a grant for design work from the Community Design
Collaborative, a nonprofit organization based in Philadelphia. Ongoing.
· Monthly Trail Work – volunteers meet the first Saturday of each month to help clear trails, remove trash and debris and conduct general trail maintenance. A formidable crew, who performs in heat, rain, snow and cold!
In addition to our improvement initiatives, we try to provide some fun and educational events, such as the Annual Photo Contest as well as speakers such as noted arborist Ken LeRoy who led a seminar on invasive plants and Dr. Jeffrey Cohen, who spoke on the history of architect Wilson Eyre and Hunting Hill mansion.
If you have an idea for a speaker, event or would like to volunteer for an activity, donate or just receive periodic event notices, we would love to hear from you! Please contact a committee chair such as: trails@friendsofrcsp.org, gardens@friendsofrcsp.org or members@friendsofrcsp.org or call 610-558-4994 for more information.