This fun, free-to-attend community event will welcome individuals & families to learn about Earthships and Sustainability. There will be special guest presenters (including Retired SLNC Assistant Director Naturalist-Lorraine Skala, Jim Skala, Retired SLNC Director Naturalist-Robert Mercer, Elinor Stapylton, and possibly more surprise guests) as well as some of our community partners to share info (including Bucks County Park Police, Bucks County Health Dept, Elinor Stapylton - Plant & Grey Water Specialist of Earthship Biotecture, Heritage Conservancy, Kiwanis of Levittown-Bristol, PA Bat Conservation & Rehabilitation, Wildlife In Need Emergency Response of PA). Participants will also get to enjoy live music, games, prizes, and more! The Live Music will be presented by Al Mikula and Friends! Food will be available for sale, as well as $5 wristbands for access to games/prizes and facepainting!
This event not only serves as an Anniversary Celebration but also a Fundraiser for the nonprofit Friends of SLNC organization to help SLNC continue to fulfill its Mission: “The Silver Lake Nature Center inspires connections with Nature for people of all ages, interests, and abilities through education, recreation, preservation, research, and advocacy.”
The SLNC Earthship is the first (and still currently the only!) public-use Earthship on the East Coast! To learn more about Earthships, visit https://earthship.com/.
Over the past ten years, the SLNC Earthship has hosted educational events, field trips, workshops, tours, the monthly Nature Book Club, birthday parties, weddings, and more. This “carbon-zero” structure took four years to build. The first year consisted mostly of getting approvals, permits, licenses, and so on (no easy task!) – as this was the first of its kind on the East Coast. The next three years consisted of the construction process – completed by SLNC Staff AND Volunteers. Lorraine Skala, Retired SLNC Assistant Director-Naturalist, spearheaded and made this project happen. We are delighted to have Lorraine return to SLNC for the 10th Anniversary Celebration to share some of her experiences of building an “Earthship!”
Please register at: https://silverlakenaturecenter.org/ or call 215-785-1177.
The Event will take place at and around the SLNC Earthship, located at 1006 Bath Road, Bristol, PA 19007. Parking will be available at the gravel parking lot by the SLNC Earthship, at Silver Lake Park, and at the SLNC Visitors’ Center (for those who would like to enjoy a Nature Walk to the Event).
The Silver Lake Nature Center, where learning comes naturally, is a 264-acre Nature Preserve located in Bristol Township, Bucks County, PA. It is a facility of the Bucks County Department of Parks & Recreation with additional funding and staffing provided by the Friends of Silver Lake Nature Center nonprofit organization. SLNC is home to over 40 plant and animal species listed as rare, threatened, or endangered in Pennsylvania. Participation in programs helps protect these species and their habitats. The Silver Lake Nature Center inspires connections with Nature for people of all ages, interests, and abilities through education, recreation, preservation, research, and advocacy.
The Bucks County Department of Parks and Recreation was established in 1953. The Department is responsible for the acquisition, development, and preservation of open space and regional parks. The Department seeks in every endeavor to enrich the lives of Bucks County residents by providing well-maintained parks and recreational facilities, preserving open space and historic resources, and offering inclusive educational programs that invite people of all ages to engage with nature.
For information about this and the other programs offered at Silver Lake Nature Center, call 215-785-1177 or visit the website at www.SilverLakeNatureCenter.org