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Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center
The Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center offers environmental education programs. Contact the center office for a listing of upcoming educational programs. The center covers more than 665 acres of beautiful deciduous woodlands and coniferous plantations. The office and mansion parking lot are open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. All other areas are open sunrise to sunset, seven days a week. |
Explore
Directions - Weather - Environmental Education - While You're Here - Calendar of Events - Accessibility - History - Nearby Attractions - Volunteers - Rules and Regs - In an Emergency - Contact Us - Downloadables and Maps
Park Advisories
| 8/25/2008 8:48:00 AM | Visitors to the Center should be aware that the Center is holding a permit only archery deer hunt on designated areas within the Center from Monday, October 6 to Friday, November 14. Hunt days are Monday through Friday, NO SATURDAYS. Daily hunt hours are one half hour before sunrise to 9:00am and 3:00pm to one half hour after sunset. Areas open to hunters are posted with signs. For additional information about the hunt please contact the Center office. All areas of the Center are open to the public during the hunt. |
| 8/5/2008 9:16:00 AM | Firewood Advisory: Invasive Beetles found in Firewood Threaten Forests! Before bringing firewood to a Pennsylvania State Park, please read the information in the linked page about a very real threat to forests in Pennsylvania and all of North America. Firewood Advisory |
Directions
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Nolde Forest is in Berks County, Pennsylvania, on PA 625, two miles south of PA 724 or three miles north of PA 568. Door-to-door MapQuest driving directions courtesy of visitPA.com. |
Environmental Education
The Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center, operated by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of State Parks, is dedicated to helping people develop a sound environmental ethic. Since the early 1970s, the center has provided a wide variety of activity-oriented programs for students, teachers, adult groups and individuals.
A normal school day brings several classes of students to participate in the center’s discovery and problem-solving approach to environmental studies. Together, teachers and students explore different aspects of the environment and develop concepts and skills that help them become effective environmental decision-makers. The center, often in cooperation with the Berks County Intermediate Unit or nearby colleges and universities, sponsors teacher in-service training and college-level workshops on environmental education curricula and current environmental topics. And, as each season brings its own set of splendors, programs for the public are conducted by staff and guest resource people. |
Nolde Forest encompasses more than 665 acres of deciduous woodlands and coniferous plantations. A network of trails makes the center’s streams, ponds and diverse habitats accessible to both students and casual visitors. Teaching stations offer places for students to work and benches for those who wish to sit and enjoy the sights and sounds associated with the natural world. There is a short, accessible trail by the mansion.
The Nolde mansion houses offices for the center staff. A garden featuring native wildflowers is adjacent to the mansion. The C. H. McConnell Environmental Education Hall near the mansion is the indoor site for year-round programming.
Schools and groups should schedule learning experiences as far in advance as possible. For more information on the center’s current public and school programs or to schedule activities, contact the center.
Explore environmental education and interpretation for more information.
Explore the Calendar of Events for a listing of events from today forward.
While You're Here
Take time to get involved with life around you! Look. Listen. Smell. Feel.
Here are some guidelines to help you have an enjoyable day.
- Become acquainted with the posted rules and regulations. You’re responsible for knowing them.
- Only trails with trail sign posts are main-tained.
- Please stay on trails to protect the life that borders the paths. Bicycles and motor vehicles are not permitted on any trails or roads except the main entrance road.
- Keep your pet on a leash at all times.
- Enjoy plants and animals in their natural setting. Picking, digging and collecting plants and animals are not permitted. All wildlife should be left undisturbed.
- This center is designed and maintained for environmental education. Activities such as hiking, birding and nature photography are permitted. For activities such as swimming, picnicking or camping, visit one of Pennsylvania’s many recreationally oriented state parks.
- The office and mansion parking lot are open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. All other areas are open sunrise to sunset, seven days a week. Park only in designated areas, not along roadways.
You May Want Too. . .
Try some of these activities while you’re at Nolde. Use them at other parks and at home, too.
SENSES STOP: Find a pleasant place. Sit for one minute with your eyes closed. How many things can you hear, smell and feel? Take Senses Stops at many places. SLEUTHING: Be a woodland detective. Use your senses of smell, hearing, touch and sight to explore a small portion of the forest. Look for tracks, droppings, food leftovers, etc. and try to guess what animals live there. SHARING: Share your experiences at Nolde Forest with friends, family and center employees. |
If you have no further use for this brochure, please recycle it by returning it to the brochure rack or by giving it to a friend.
Access for People with Disabilities
If you need an accommodation to participate in park activities due to a disability, please contact the Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks:
888-PA-PARKS (voice)
888-537-7294 (TTY)
711 (AT&T Relay Services)
A Brief History of Nolde Forest
When hosiery baron Jacob Nolde acquired this area in the early 1900s, a single white pine grew amid meadow vegetation. Inspired by this tree, the German-born Nolde hired an Austrian forester to create a coniferous forest. As the plantations grew they formed a “luxury forest,” a source of family pleasure and pride.
In 1926, Hans Nolde, a son of Jacob, initiated work on the Tudor-style mansion. When this year-round home was finished, it overlooked the sawmill pond and the lights of Reading.
The Nolde Forest continues to provide outdoor opportunities for visitors. The Commonwealth purchased the property in the late 1960s with Project 70 funds. The bond issued Project 500 provided the funds necessary for the center’s development. In 1970, federal program grants and the Berks County Intermediate Unit helped establish Nolde Forest as the first environmental education center operated by the Bureau of State Parks.
Since the center’s conception, the Bureau has maintained an enduring commitment to environmental education and interpretation. Today, the Bureau operates four environmental education centers and provides many seasonal programs across the Commonwealth.
A Single White Pine, a book on the history of Nolde Forest, may be purchased at the center.
Nearby Attractions
For information on nearby attractions, contact: Reading and Berks County Visitors Bureau, 800-443-6610. www.readingberkspa.com
In an Emergency
Contact a park employee or dial 911.
For directions to the nearest hospital, look on bulletin boards or at the park office.
Nearest Hospital
Reading Hospital and Medical Center
6th Avenue and Spruce Street
West Reading, PA 19611
610-988-8000
For More Information Contact
Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center
2910 New Holland Road
Reading, PA 19607
610-796-3699
Manager: Daniel Hewko
E-mail: noldeforestsp@state.pa.us
An equal opportunity employer
Make online reservations or call toll-free 888-PA-PARKS, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday, for state park information and reservations.
