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Georgetown Nature Area
MAP
You don’t even have to leave town to
enjoy some pleasant nature hiking. This 30 acre park behind the
Georgetown school is crowded with paths to explore. The nature area has
lots to see with its creeks, ponds, meadows, an Indian village, an old
mining tunnel, and many different abandoned fruit trees mixed amongst
its natural forest vegetation,
Classrooms with logs for seats, are
scattered throughout the area for outdoor study. Local volunteers and
Growlersburg crews work many hours each year to keep blackberry vines in
check and trails cleared of debris and windfall.
Directions:
go to the parking lot at the east end of Harkness St. or on weekends
park at Georgetown elementary school. An entrance gate is behind the
school near the parking lot and another is near the backside of the
Amphitheater.
Trails
saturate the area. There are more than enough trails for the size of the
park but it would probably take the better part of a day to hike all of
them. For a good overview of the area follow the main trail that goes
around the entire circumference of the park (This route is about 1 ˝
miles). Notice the main creek that bisects the area with trails along
both sides. The Indian Village is at the north end of the area next to
three ponds and a classroom. The old gold mine is close to the center of
the area on the west side of Alder Creek.
Notice the abandoned fruit trees scattered throughout the park? These
are remnants of the old orchards of homesteads once in the area. They
thrive without care. Do they look as healthy as the fruit trees in your
backyard? You can find Pear, Apple, and Cherry trees, and a few Redwoods
planted along the creek.
East of the Harkness St. entrance gate, on the “Big Trees” trail, a fire
burned in 2004. It now offers an interesting example of how forests
adapt to fire. Can you find the burned area and study how it differs
from its surrounding unburned areas?
In the center of the nature area along the Cherry Hill Trail is an area
dedicated to “native plants” found in the Georgetown area. The most
common “non-native” plants here are the Blackberry. These alien
intruders provide very protected habitat for small critters such as
birds and mice.
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