George Washington Park and Nature Preserve, Warren, Pennsylvania
Sixty-Five Acres

On April 28, 1922, several forward thinking Warrenites got together and purchased the land that is now known as George Washington Park, specifically so that it would be permanently protected for future generations to enjoy in its natural condition. They were: C.T. Conarro, William Muir, F.E. Hertzel, Ed Walker, E.D. Wetmore, H.A. Logan, George Craft, F.B. Jackson, M.W. Jamieson, E.W. Campbell, A.J. Hazeltine, W.C. Heasley, and M.W. Bartholomew.

Following up on this land acquisition, in 1932 — the 200th anniversary year of America's Founding Father President George Washington’s birth — the park was formally dedicated: "two thousand white pine and Norway spruce trees were then planted, and since that time, a total of nearly 20,000 trees have been set out. The oldest of these are beginning to mingle with the native ash, maple, and white and red oak in profusion, to create a beautiful town forest."

This current citizen proposal asks that the entire 65 acres of George Washington Park be formally and once and for all preserved for all time by the City of Warren, as its Founders intended, as a nature preserve. This is a necessary and urgent course of action at this time, because there are currently some seeking wildly inappropriate "intense developments" for the park which would radically alter its serene, peaceful, wild natural character.

What would a George Washington Park and Nature Preserve entail? There should be no overt developments, no logging or any other form of overt timber management within the park, and any nature trails established would be for foot traffic only. No motorized or mechanized uses, no wheeled contraptions or modes of transport, would be allowed within the nature preserve. The nature preserve designation would permanently prohibit all electric motorbikes/mountain bikes, ATVs, etc.

Over the last twenty years or so, the City of Warren has at times logged the park, cutting down many of its largest old-growth oak trees, sacrificing long-term high scenic qualities and the ecological integrity of the park in order to grab short-term economic gains. Under a formally-designated George Washington Park and Nature Preserve, the park would never again be logged in order to try to make up some short-term shortfalls in the coffers or what have you. The entire park would be off-limits to that sort of temptation through the years, even as the timber currently present in the park gradually progresses toward an older, larger, and presumably more economically valuable condition.

If a major blowdown event were to occur, fallen trees would be left to stay as they lay on the forest floor as coarse woody debris in order to contribute to an ecologically important and unique type of wildlife habitat, as well as to soil nutrients as the prone boles gradually decay over the years.

The entry driveway, parking, picnicking, and overlook area would of course be maintained for visitation just as they always have been for generations. Some modest improvements at this concentrated location may prove to be appropriate. The iconic scenic vista of the overlook would need to be maintained over the years by periodically clearing back the brush that perpetually crops up. A classical statue of the park's namesake, our beloved President George Washington, should be privately funded and installed in the parking/picnic area in time for the celebration of this greatest American’s 300th birthday in 2032.

The concept of a nature preserve at George Washington Park is not a new, untoward, or unusual idea. Locally there are small tracts of land permanently protected from all forms of development, purely for their ecological value, and for people to quietly enjoy nature on foot. These include the 96-acre Anders Run Natural Area in Irvine, and the 570-acre Audubon Nature Preserve outside of Jamestown, New York. No motorized vehicles or electric motorbikes/bicycles are allowed on the nature trails at these locations either.

And those are just two local examples. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of similar nature centers and nature preserves, etc. scattered throughout the East, and indeed all around the country, that have been established and facilitated by both public and private entities. Nature for nature’s sake.

In addition to the admirable and magnanimous benefit of preserving nature, the costs of a George Washington Park and Nature Preserve to the City of Warren and Warren taxpayers would be low. Little to no different than the costs for maintaining George Washington Park are now, which include mowing the grass in the picnic area, and periodically emptying the garbage cans. By contrast, it is important to bear in mind that more developments at George Washington Park would automatically equate to higher ongoing maintenance costs to taxpayers going forward.

A helpful analogue to look to for guidance on the establishment of a George Washington Park and Nature Preserve would be the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation & Natural Resources State Forest Natural Area system. There are 61 formally designated Natural Areas around the Commonwealth, the smallest of which is just ten acres in size (the Box Huckleberry Natural Area in Perry County), but most range from several dozen acres to several hundred acres in size. Such as with Warren County’s own Anders Run Natural Area.

The stewardship approach for Pennsylvania State Forest Natural Areas is as follows:

"Natural Areas are managed by allowing physical and biological processes to operate, with human intervention limited to hiking trails, canoeing, and that required for public health and safety. These areas are set aside to provide locations for scientific observation of natural systems, to protect examples of typical and unique plant and animal communities, and to conserve outstanding examples of natural interest and beauty. Many of these areas support unique biologic, geologic, scenic and historic features. Other sites represent outstanding examples of Pennsylvania’s major forest communities."

— Pennsylvania State Forest Natural Areas & Wild Areas, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation & Natural Resources, Bureau of Forestry, 2002.

We, the undersigned, fully support the formal, permanent establishment by the City of Warren of a George Washington Park and Nature Preserve to be stewarded similarly to Pennsylvania State Forest Natural Areas, as described above, with no logging or timber management, no overt or "intense developments," no disc golf courses, no zip lines, and no electric motorbike/mountain biking or ATV trails. It shall be maintained as such for all time to come, for all future generations of Warrenites and outside visitors to use and enjoy in its natural condition.

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Protect and Preserve George Washington Park, Warren, Pennsylvania