Pequea, Pa. – Lancaster Conservancy has completed the installation of a new universal access (UA) trail at Clark Nature Preserve. This trail will provide opportunities for community members with mobility concerns and those using wheelchairs, walkers, strollers, or other mobility devices to explore the meadow and woods and look out over a quintessential river hills vista.
The Lloyd Clark Trail is named in memory of the Clark Associates’ founder, Lloyd Clark, and in recognition of the Clark Associates Charitable Foundation’s historic investments in the Conservancy’s land protection and stewardship work through the Conservancy’s Protect & Restore Campaign.
“For those that knew Lloyd Clark, they probably have a memory of him that involves nature. Whether it be hunting, fishing, or just spending time outdoors, Lloyd loved being in nature. We thought he would have been proud to be associated with this project because of its simple intent to invite more people to experience the nature that he loved so much,” said the Clark family.
Fred Clark, surrounded by members of the Clark family, cuts a ribbon officially opening the universally accessible Lloyd Clark Trail (Photo by Nick Gould)“The Lloyd Clark Trail is the realization of a vision several years in the making. I have an immense amount of gratitude for the Clark family and Foundation for prioritizing a vision for access to nature, where everyone is welcome, no matter their mobility. Now anyone can come and enjoy this pollinator meadow and upland forest,” said Lancaster Conservancy President & CEO Fritz Schroeder.
The Lloyd Clark Trail is approximately 1 mile long. The easy-grade, UA-specific packed trail surface path encircles a 20-acre meadow slated for additional restoration. The trail also dips into the forest edge with winter views of the Susquehanna River gorge. At the entrance to the trail, visitors can enjoy a vista overlooking the river hills of both Lancaster and York counties.
Clark family members and Conservancy staff and partners walk the new Lloyd Clark Trail (Photo by Nick Gould)The Lloyd Clark Trail is the third UA trail on Conservancy nature preserves. There are additional universally accessible trails at Mill Creek Falls Nature Preserve in York County and Welsh Mountain Nature Preserve in Lancaster County. The Conservancy is also planning to install UA trails at Climbers Run Nature Center and Shenks Ferry Wildflower Preserve.
“Universal access trails are an example of the Conservancy’s commitment to equity in access to nature,” said Lancaster Conservancy Senior Vice President of Stewardship Brandon Tennis. “The history of natural lands preservation in Lancaster and York counties is one of fragmentation, with remnants of natural lands being left to the fringes of steep slopes, wetlands, and other sensitive habitats that naturally limit development yet align well with conservation. When the Conservancy acquires a property that allows for sustainable and strategic improved access, we explore the opportunity of visitation to include a greater number of people that otherwise isn’t achievable in more restrictive landscapes.”
Funding assistance for the construction of the Lloyd Clark Trail was provided by the PA Recreational Trails Program, Federal Highway Administration, and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ (DCNR) Bureau of Recreation and Conservation, with additional funding provided by the National Park Service and Clark Associates Charitable Foundation.
“The DCNR is proud to support this accessible trail and the spirit in which it was created,” DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn said. “We recognize that the outdoors are for all people and thank the Lancaster Conservancy and the supporting partners of this trail for the continued work to improve access to nature.”
The Clark family and Conservancy staff and partners celebrate the opening of the Lloyd Clark Trail, which winds through a meadow and the edge of the forest (Photo by Nick Gould)The development of the Lloyd Clark Trail took over three years of dedicated focus. The Conservancy worked with partners MJHeller LLC, C.S. Davidson, Inc., Kinsley Construction, and Penn Trails to complete the planning and installation of this trail.
Clark Nature Preserve encompasses over 350 acres of meadow and forest in the Susquehanna Riverlands Conservation Landscape, a state-designated landscape that includes the municipalities that border the Susquehanna River in Lancaster and York counties and is a priority for conservation. Visitors can access the Lloyd Clark Trail, as well as the rest of Clark Nature Preserve, from the parking area at 400 House Rock Road in Pequea. The preserve is open every day from dawn to dusk.
Lancaster Conservancy is a nonprofit land trust that has protected over 10,000 acres of natural lands and manages 50 nature preserves in Lancaster and York counties.
