Water Resources as Park Program

NatureWorks Park, Hollidaysburg

Blair County Conservation District

NatureWorks Park, operated by the Blair County Conservation District, is a combination of recreational amenities and a demonstration site for stormwater and wetland management. At the edge of Hollidaysburg, along a tributary to the Frankstown Branch, the 15-acre site is “Blair County’s first environmental specific outdoor education and recreation area.”

Over 75% of NatureWorks Park is floodway, floodplain, or wetland, including existing wetlands designated as “Exceptional Value.” Thus, the construction of the park serves as an example of social program overlaid onto preserved and improved natural systems. The park is now promoted by the Conservation District as a living index of water resource protection and enhancement strategies, including those that can be implemented by community members in their own space.

Since much of parcel recently acquired by Williamsburg Borough is in a floodway (and all of it has a close relationship with the Frankstown Branch), projects like NatureWorks park are a helpful reference for the development of new public space that also serves the environment.

Source: Blair County Conservation District, https://blairconservationdistrict.org/ natureworks-park/ and https://natureworkspark.org/