Gordon Natural Area

For the past six months, Sofía Martínez-Villalpando—a faculty member in WCU's Department of Biology and YouTube's 'Biologist Apprentice'—has been working on a four-part video series about the Gordon Natural Area and its wildlife.  The series,  'La Vida Secreta de los Animales/The Secret Life of Animals', incorporates videos from the GNA Wildlife Cameras, drone  footage, and interviews with WCU Faculty and GNA staff.  Check out the trailers below (Spanish version and English version) and stay tuned for news about the Premiere of Episode 1 this Spring!

Bird Walks in the Gordon Natural Area

From GNA Bird Walk Organizer Ariel Whaley: "We'd like to say thank you to every one of you who expressed interest in or attended the bird walks this semester. Thank you for bringing your enthusiasm and curiosity to each walk. It has been wonderful to connect with you all through birding. Here's the good news: we are just getting started! We are looking forward to continuing more walks and events in the coming spring semester. Keep an eye out for announcements and flyers in the near future." 

Here's some general information and a link to the sign-up form:

• Meet in the Gordon Natural Area parking lot wearing shoes that can get muddy! Binoculars are provided. 
• Please sign up here!
• The Gold Loop Shuttle can be used, just request a stop at R lot. To get back, use the call button in the parking lot!
• For more information, contact Jenny Uehling in the Department of Biology.

 

The Gordon Natural Area’s mission has two primary objectives:

• To preserve the land in an undeveloped state
• To serve as a natural ‘classroom’ for environmental studies

Objective 1. Preservation of the Land

Initially, it was thought that management could essentially be done in a ‘hands-off’ manner (other than any small-scale maintenance that might be required by Stadium Road and the trail system). However, over time it has become increasingly evident that the land requires a very active level of directed management. This is because the integrity of the GNA is threatened by a variety of forces: e.g., invasive plants, overgrazing (by deer), invasive insects and insect-borne pathogens, non-native earthworms, fragmentation, etc. In order to begin addressing these issues, the GNA Staff, along with numerous student volunteers, have undertaken fairly extensive reforestation and afforestation efforts in the GNA.

Objective 2. Be a Natural Classroom for Environmental Studies

Since before its designation as a protected area, the lands comprising the GNA were the site for a limited number of Natural Science classes, as well as being the location for field research by a few faculty members. After receiving protection, the GNA has received extensive use as an outdoor classroom, with more than 30 courses having utilized the land. In addition to use by numerous classes in the Department of Biology, courses from a broad range of other departments (e.g., Art & Design, Business, Earth & Space Science, English, and Social Work, among others) have also taken advantage of this amazing resource.

In the early 1970’s, the University’s Administration was considering plans to develop the land that is now the Gordon Natural Area. However, two undergraduate students—David Fluri and Brad Gottfried—initiated a movement to preserve the area. Fluri and Gottfried were Biology majors and were both members of the Biology Club, and they recognized the land’s value for scientific study and its intrinsic value as a relatively mature forest in an increasingly developed landscape.

In 1971, the property was afforded protection. The protected land was named the Robert B. Gordon Natural Area for Environmental Studies in commemoration of Prof. Gordon, a science faculty member at West Chester University for 25 years. For the past 45+ years, WCU students and staff, as well as local residents (and their dogs), have continued to benefit from this decision.

A Rough Timeline of the Establishment of the Gordon Natural Area:

• 1969/1970 — Two students, Bradley Gottfried and Dave Fluri, work to convince the WCU Board of Trustees to establish a natural area.
  • • Bradley Gottfried's Reflections
    • David Fluri's Reflections
• December 1971 — The WCU Board of Trustees decides to set aside some land to preserve the existing forest. This was WCU's contribution to the Earth Day movement.
• November 1973 — Dr. William R. Overlease, long-time Professor of Biology at WCU, formally dedicates the property.
• Dr. Overlease's 2006 Reflections

The largest portion of the Gordon is situated between S. High Street and S. New Street (see image below). The land contains large blocks of mature forest, along with areas of secondary forest, seasonally-inundated floodplain, upland meadow, and maintained (i.e., mown) 'grassland.'

To promote access to the GNA, the University maintains a network of trails throughout the preserve (currently, there are approximately 3½ miles of maintained trails) . The image below is from the trail map created by former GNA Student Intern Alex Desjardines in 2023. A pdf version of the map is available here .

 

 

As was noted above, the GNA is a multi-use preserve, and we encourage WCU students and staff, as well as local residents, to come enjoy this great resource.

How To Get There

Located in West Goshen Township (Chester County, PA), about two miles south of downtown West Chester, the main entrance to the Gordon is at the southeastern corner of the R Lot, behind WCU’s Farrell Stadium (see map below).

On Foot or by Bike

The entrance to the GNA is about 1.2 miles from Sykes Student Union, a leisurely 20-minute walk or a 7-minute bike ride away. Use your own bicycle to see the GNA.

Shuttle Buses

The WCU All Stops Shuttle Bus will take you to R Lot, if you let the driver know that you want to go there. And the Q Lot Express stops in Q Lot (naturally), about 300 yards from the main entrance to the GNA.

Driving

Four parking spaces are available specifically for the GNA (no WCU parking permit required).

Visitor Etiquette

In order to help maintain the GNA in the best possible condition, to protect the GNA's wildlife and plant life, and to minimize disruption to ongoing research, visitors are asked to observe the following regulations:

• The GNA is open only from dawn to dusk
• Please stay on marked trails only
• Pets must be on a leash (6 ft., or shorter, please)
• Please clean up after your pet and put the waste in the trash receptacle
• No fires (including smoking)
• No camping
• No fishing or hunting
• No moving, damaging, or collecting plants, animals, or natural objects
• The use of metal detectors is not allowed
• No bikes or motorized vehicles
• No littering
• No alcoholic beverages

Thank you for respecting the Gordon by following these regulations.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact us.

An easy way to stay up to date with activities and events at the Gordon is through Social Media.  You can check us out on FaceBook and Instagram.

Additionally, you can also check out the 'Spotted in the GNA' feature in the Office of Sustainability's Bulletin.  

And, we have a GNA YouTube Channel where we post videos from the network of Wildlife Camera that we maintain at the Gordon.  Here's an example video from our channel:

 

Beginning in the winter of 2015-16, long-time student intern and GNA Assistant Stewardship Manager, Kendra McMillin placed a 'Visitor's Log' at the kiosk at the main entrance. We love to read people's comments, and we also maintain a photo archive of the entries.

Below, are some of our favorite comments with a transcription of the comment in the adjoining column. Note: You can click on the image to see a larger version.