Conodoguinet Youth Park Gardens

The Conodoguinet Youth Park is located at 515 Orrs Bridge Road in Mechanicsburg, PA. The partnership between the Penn State Master Gardeners in Cumberland County, the Hampden Township Recreation Department, and local scout groups began in 2009 when the Hampden Township Board of Commissioners approved the partnership plan and provided $200 for the purchase of native plants for a butterfly garden. Over the years, Master Gardeners have coordinated projects with Mike Erno, the Director of Parks, and Chris Huffer, the Recreation Maintenance Supervisor, to partner scouting groups with the Master Gardener program in completing educational projects at the Conodoguinet Youth Park and providing maintenance support for each project's ongoing maintenance. Scouting projects completed with the assistance of Master Gardeners have included:

Girl Scout Gold Star Projects:

• 2 native plant butterfly gardens
• 2 wildflower gardens

Boy Scout Eagle Projects:

• Bluebird houses
• Wood Duck/Hooded Merganser boxes
• Bat houses
• Kiosk identifying life cycle of Monarch butterflies

Other events coordinated by Master Gardeners with scouts have included:

• Working with girl scout troop 21 to plant seeds for transplanting into the gardens
• Presentations to scout groups during overnight camping, meetings, and nature walks at the park to include:
  • Identifying trees in the park
  • hazardous plants in the park (i.e. poison ivy, poison oak, stinging nettle, water hemlock, giant hogweed)
  • identifying critters in the creek
  • identifying host trees and plants in the park
  • invasive plants (i.e. Tree of Heaven, multiflora rose, purple loosestrife)
  • rare plants (i.e. Green Dragon - Arisaema dracontium)

Courtesy of Evan Jenkins, Penn State Master Gardener in Cumberland County

Visiting the Gardens

The Conodoguinet Youth Park Gardens are located at the Conodoguinet Youth Park located at 515 Orrs Bridge Road in Mechanicsburg, PA.

Parking for the gardens is available in the gravel parking lot accessible from Orrs Bridge Road, down the hill and to the right along the creek.

The gardens are open daily to the public, free of charge, from dawn to dusk. Enjoy your visit and thank you for stopping by!