A Natural Area to Explore in Overlook Park
An eight-acre streamside forest and pollinator garden is being created in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, near the Little Conestoga Creek, which is part of the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
It’s a public space, but it’s also an inspirational space. We hope that visitors will apply what they learn in their own yards and gardens.
Native trees, shrubs, and perennials can:
![Wildflowers bloom in the Overlook Park native plant garden.](https://stroudcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/overlook-park-garden-summer-2023.jpg)
Beautify open spaces.
![Baby robins in a nest.](https://stroudcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/robin-nestlings-wanner-square.jpg)
Create wildlife habitat.
![A child plays in a stream.](https://stroudcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/child-in-stream-kelly-sikkema-unsplash-square.jpg)
Reduce water pollution.
Resources
- Streamside forest and pollinator garden map
- Native plants list
- Overlook Park Showcases Sustainable Landscaping
A growing forest needs care. Learn how to establish and maintain streamside forests.
Get Involved!
Sign up to be notified of volunteer opportunities at Overlook Park.
Project Partners
The Overlook Park streamside forest project is led and managed by Stroud Water Research Center, Manheim Township, and Lancaster County Buffer Action Team. Other contributing organizations include Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, Lancaster Clean Water Partners, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Pa. Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Penn State Agriculture and Environment Center, Lancaster County Conservation District, LandStudies, Inc., Colorgarden LLC, Manheim Township Sustainability Advisory Committee, and other organizations and volunteers. Thank you!
Funding by Pa. DCNR with additional funding from Edward Kilbourn.
![Volunteers rake soil into place for a new pollinator garden.](https://stroudcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/estalishing-pollinator-beds-overlook-park-2022.jpg)
![A native plant garden and streamside forest planting at Overlook Park.](https://stroudcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/flower-trees-overlook-park.jpg)
![Volunteers planting native plants at Overlook Park.](https://stroudcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2022-overlook-park-tree-planting-volunteers-1024x576.jpg)
![A large pink blossom on a native swamp rose mallow at Overlook Park.](https://stroudcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/swamp-rose-mallow-overlook-park.jpg)