Community

Close your eyes and picture what you think a stereotypical “garden club” looks like......ladies in aprons, digging in the dirt, planting flowers, and drinking tea. This is NOT The Princess Anne Garden Club. They ARE in aprons, but they’re digging into the community, planting environmental education and trying to help First Landing State Park’s new Trail Center have the interactive exhibits that will make a difference for our environment....and maybe having an occasional glass of wine!

Having a long history with the Park, the PAGC was instrumental in advocating for the preservation of then Seashore State Park in 1940. A four lane highway had been projected to go through the middle of the Park, and due to the intervention of 5 women in the PAGC, (the ringleader, Katie Miller who is still an active member!) and the Garden Club of Virginia, the road was re-routed to go around the Park. It’s now time to advocate for preservation of that environment by funding the exhibits for the new Trail Center.

And if you’ve ever visited First Landing State Park (formerly Seashore State Park, renamed in 1997), you have a “friend” who needs your help.

First Landing is a National Natural Landmark, with globally rare ecosystems and is the northernmost location on the East Coast where subtropical and temperate plants grow and thrive together. Most notable in the Park is the Spanish Moss and the rare Bald Cypress trees with “knees.”

In 2002, The State of Virginia approved a Parks and Natural Areas General Obligation Bond referendum to replace 5 “visitors’ centers” in the Commonwealth. First Landing is the most visited Park in Virginia, with over 1.8 million visitors a year, and First Landing’s new Trail Center will be the proverbial “Jewel in the Crown......” in addition to being LEED certified (leadership in energy and environmental design).

Here is the problem: The old Visitor’s Center has been demolished, the new Trail Center is nearing completion, but with rising costs, there is NO FUNDING for the interactive educational exhibits for the 900 square foot exhibit area. These exhibits carry a price tag of $500,000.

Museum-quality exhibits will be the cornerstone of the Trail Center and the key component to orienting and encouraging visitors to explore the Park and to create lasting, meaningful connections with the outdoors and develop conservation ethics.

The PAGC uses Richard Louv’s book, Last Child in the Woods, to make their case. Louv insists children suffer from “nature deficiency disorder” and without the opportunity to leave their stationary lifestyles (computers, TV, etc.) and renew their sense of nature, they will destroy, through ignorance, the environmentally sound practices that we are trying to implement today, not to mention a healthy sense of self!

The new Trail Center has an anticipated opening in mid April or early May, with a ribbon cutting by the Governor. There are plans for fundraisers that include a pig roast and a juried “Park Art” show later in the summer......stay tuned, and visit our website at www.pagardenclub.com for event announcements.

Princess Anne Garden Club

The mission of the Princess Anne Garden Club is to educate and involve our membership in the ways of gardening, conservation of our environment and natural resources, and restoration of historic gardens. We do this by contributing to those common aspects in our community and the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Have questions or need further information? Call Nancy Dickerson, PAGC Exhibits Chairman, 757-425-1562 or check the website, pagardenclub.com