“Being able to bring my mom here has just changed my life and her life.”
Meet Rachel’s little one, Enzo, and mother, Connie.
When Rachel isn’t spending time exploring nature through her camera at Wildlands Conservancy’s nature preserves, she’s visiting Dorothy Rider Pool Wildlife Sanctuary with her family.
They’re out here with all their wheels on the ADA-accessible boardwalk, relishing all that nature has to offer.
Rachel treasures the peace of mind that the boardwalk’s safety offers her toddler and mother to independently explore without the uneven hills or rugged terrain that would usually hold them back from making lasting memories in nature.
Fun for the whole family
Connie calls it “the party-train.” She pushes Enzo in the stroller, and Rachel pushes her wheelchair.
“Being able to bring my mom here has just changed my life and her life,” she says, reflecting on their adventures since the boardwalk reconstruction.
“We love pointing out everything we see to Enzo,” says Rachel. “He loves wildflowers, finding rocks, and he always finds water to throw said rocks into, whether it’s puddles or a creek. It’s the little things.”
Of the three generations enjoying the boardwalk together at once, he is part of the youngest – representing the next generation of environmental stewards. That’s one of the reasons Rachel loves bringing Enzo out here.
It is the season of warmth and giving, and the gift of nature is worth celebrating. Join in the generous community of support that makes it possible (and accessible) for neighbors, families, and friends, all year round. Your gift today will help sustain features like the boardwalk and support the care of all 14 of Wildlands Conservancy’s nature preserves – all while making the kind of difference that lasts a lifetime.
She shares our passion for a legacy of a healthy, sustainable environment for her son, as well as generations to come.
“Local, natural places are so important to me, because as humans I feel that we are truly meant to have a deep bond with nature and our earth. Keeping local areas clean and healthy keeps us healthy, too, allowing us to thrive, along with the wildlife,” Rachel says.
Plus, a retreat for a busy mom
Rachel says visiting our nature preserves also contributes to her own self-care as a busy, working parent. Nature photography is among her hobbies, and places like DRPWS and South Mountain Preserves offer lots to capture.
She says, “Seeing the beauty of the forest and wildlife makes me feel grounded, reminding me how small we are in the world.”
More than just accessible
Compliances with the American Disabilities Act largely include the types of infrastructure that lead to taking in the sights and sounds of public transit, like crosswalks and curb ramps.
The boardwalk is much, much more than that. It travels along the Little Lehigh Creek through wetland ecology.
Above, a towering overstory of mixed hardwoods with the forest floor below blanketed with autumn leaves this time of year.
It’s a place to peep at a wide array of wildlife from turtles and frogs to blue herons and foxes.
The boardwalk helps more people connect with nature, and since nature really is for every body, we’re grateful for the visionary community of support and the more than 100 volunteer hours that made this preserve enhancement possible – and families like Rachel’s sure are, too.
Remember: If you build it, they will come. If you build it accessible, everyone will come.
A statement by Bob Amelio, who worked on the boardwalk project at its beginning, read by Ashley Patete of the Lehigh Valley Center for Independent Living at the boardwalk ribbon cutting earlier this year.
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