An Update on Our Boardwalk
Our amazing staff and volunteers have been hard at work to open up our boardwalk!
Over the past few months, we’ve been hard at work on repairing our boardwalk. We’re close to getting it finished so that we can open it back up to the public, but we still need your help to make that happen!
For the past year, damage to our boardwalk caused by the emerald ash borer has meant that our canoes, dock, and boat launch have been unavailable to visitors. The emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis)—a beetle native to northeast Asia—has wreaked destruction on ash trees across North America after arriving inside shipping materials in 2002. They nest inside the bark of ash trees and create feeding galleries that restrict the tree's ability to transport nutrients. Dead ash trees near Reflection Riding’s boardwalk were toppled over by flooding, and because of the possibility of more trees falling, our team had to be careful in developing a lasting solution. In the fall of 2022, the damage was so extensive that contractors quoted around $40,000 to repair the damage enough to re-open the boardwalk.
We know that boat access to Lookout Creek is valued by our members—paddling on our beautiful creek is an amazing way to be immersed in wildlife, relax, and unwind on a summer day—so we want to get it open to the public as soon as possible!
At this point, most of the repairs are done, but we still need a little more funding to be able to finish. Please consider making a donation as we raise the last $5000 to complete the boardwalk repairs. We are also looking for carpentry volunteers to assist in repairs as well as other projects on campus.
For now, until the boardwalk is completed the creek access point is only open for staff-led groups. Throughout the summer we’ll be offering several guided float trips on the creek; you can check these out and sign up for them on our events page. Or, go on a behind the scenes tour with staff - if you are interested in a private tour, please inquire here. The fee for these creek trips will go toward the repair cost of the boardwalk, so this is another great way you can donate at the same time as getting out on the water and learning something new from our experienced guides!
A few weeks ago as part of our fundraising efforts, we had an amazing event with award-winning author Leila Phillip speaking about her new book, BEAVERLAND: How One Weird Rodent Made America. The proceeds from this event went toward boardwalk repairs, so thank you again to everyone who came to hear her talk and buy her book! We also want to thank everyone who has donated so far and all of our members for their patience as we continue to work on the boardwalk! Once we have the funding, we hope to complete the repairs quickly, and we’ll let you know as soon as the boardwalk is reopened!
Our plans for the boardwalk are part of Reflection Riding’s Framework for the Future, a vision that examines our current challenges and our purpose in a broader social and environmental context with the aim of creating a resilient, sustainable, inclusive hub for education and ecological stewardship. In this long-term plan, the boardwalk has been reenvisioned as a canopy walk raised out of the floodplain so that it will be safe from flood damage and remain open year-round for our members.