Wildwood Lake Sanctuary and the Olewine Nature Center - Harrisburg, Pennsylvania - Nature Center and Sanctuary

The Wildwood Lake Sanctuary is now known as Wildwood Park and is located at Wildwood Way in the hills of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It is a haven for many species of flora and fauna, with special events, nature trails and scenic views offered to visitors. The sanctuary is open daily from dawn until dusk, whilst the nature center is open each day except Mondays from 10am to 4pm.

The park surrounds the Wildwood Lake and has been in operation for over a century, although it began life as Wetzel's Swamp. Land for the park was acquired between 1905 and 1913 with its first paths opening in 1907, a baseball field created in 1908 and a boating concession starting in 1909. Over the next few decades in the early part of the 20th century a zoo and riding stables were added, but these closed some time in the 1940s.

The importance of Wildwood was recognized in the late 1980s when the rare American lotus was discovered there, and this helped the progression of a park rebuild. Food distribution king Benjamin Olewine III donated $827,000 towards the creation of the park's $4.2 million nature center, which opened in 1999. Wildwood Lake Sanctuary is now one of premier centers for environmental and ecological nature studies, educational opportunities and outdoor recreation in the state.

The nature center takes the name of Benjamin Olewine III in recognition of his large financial contribution to the project. It is a 12,000-square-foot educational facility with modern green-building technology and is used to study the wetlands and aquatic life. Ideal for school or family trips it also contains classrooms, bird viewing decks, offices, a nature shop, a library, exhibit areas, a laboratory and a weather station.

The park has many places to observe wild flowers, insects and birds and is an ideal area for taking photographs. The lake is a good place for bird watchers, and there are many different trails for visitors to follow alongside the lake with varying degrees of difficulty. One of the easier trails is the Towpath Trail, which is only a mile long but gives views of wetland birds, songbirds and turtles.

Six other trails at the park give visitors the chance to see many more birds and flowers, one of which is the Fox Run Trail where staff hope the bog land will be a good breeding area for frogs and salamanders. Other animals at the park to be seen are skunks and garter snakes in summer or Whitetail deer in fall. Red fox, gray squirrels and groundhog can be found in winter, with tree frogs and turtles inhabiting the park during spring.

School programs are offered here too with the opportunity to observe 229 acres of shallow lake, swamp, riparian areas, field, forest and 6 miles of trails to explore. Programs are designed and modified by qualified naturalists and offered throughout the year, lasting between two and three hours each. Topics include the study of mammals, aquatic plants and animals, insects, birds or trees all found at the Wildwood Park.