DRPWS Update

On Tuesday, April 29, 2025, around noon, there was an accident involving a propane truck crossing the bridge into Dorothy Rider Pool Wildlife Sanctuary (3701 Orchid Place, Emmaus, Pa). The bridge collapsed while the propane truck was crossing the bridge to enter the property.

There were no injuries, and there was no environmental damage. The vehicle was removed from the property later that evening. Wildlands staff remained on site to work with emergency personnel.

Sanctuary Access & Programs

Dorothy Rider Pool Wildlife Sanctuary is closed until further notice. The public is encouraged to explore our 13 other nature preserves.

There is no public access to the Sanctuary at this time.

Community and environmental education programs scheduled to take place at the Sanctuary are being handled case-by-case and registrants will receive direct correspondence from education staff.

Access Restoration Plans & Related Information

Bridge construction is expected to begin by early August and anticipated to take place through September.

To minimize inconvenience, we’ve arranged construction to start on our property, instead of along Orchid Place. This will avoid needing to close Orchid Place for the full duration of construction.

At some point, construction will require Orchid Place to be closed to non-local traffic.  

• Non-local motorists and pedestrians must avoid the area at this time.  

• Directional signage to alert motorists will be posted by Lower Macungie Township and the Borough of Emmaus.  

• We encourage you to follow the municipalities for date-specific postings about changes in traffic patterns.  

We appreciate your continued patience and cooperation, as we look forward to welcoming you back to Dorothy Rider Pool Wildlife Sanctuary sooner than later, by way of an all-new bridge that will be better for both visitors and the environment.

The sanctuary remains closed to the public until further notice. There is no public access currently, and we encourage you to explore our 13 other nature preserves. Your support helps keep these places safe, open, and accessible for all who call our region home.  

As of today, no final settlement has been reached yet with Sharp Energy’s parent company, Chesapeake Utilities Corporation. 

For the duration of operations without public access to the sanctuary, especially with resuming bus transportation for summer camp, as well as foreseeably managing ongoing, increased foot traffic at our 13 other nature preserves this summer, Wildlands Conservancy continues to incur additional operating costs to keep the community connected to nature.  

Summer Camp at the Sanctuary

Construction will not impact summer camp being held at the sanctuary, bus transportation for drop off and pick up, or planned camp activities.  

Summer camp families have been notified that summer camp will use bus transportation again this season to shuttle campers to and from the sanctuary. We remain grateful to Lower Macungie Township for helping us secure use of Camp Olympic Park and Wild Cherry Park to support bus transportation for our summer campers.  

Thank You, Emergency Responders

On behalf of our board and staff, I want to express my deep gratitude to the fire, police, all emergency personnel, township, local and state officials, Yocum Towing & Recovery, and everyone who responded quickly and remained at the scene to ensure the safety of the community, those involved, and the natural environment.

We’ve received many messages asking how to help Wildlands at this moment.

Keeping our mission alive for the community always has, and always will, rely upon the community’s support. This truth is no different at this critical time.  

The Sanctuary is a local treasure, and it’s clear the community understands the gravity of living disconnected from it right now. Access to nature and programming is being impacted.

To this end, we encourage you explore our 13 other nature preserves. These special places are made possible by you, our giving community. Together, we keep these precious destinations open, safe, and accessible for all who call our region home.