PARKS: Where Nature Meets Community

June 02, 2022

The Garden Workers Care for Sharpe Park Bird Sanctuary in Haverford, Pennsylvania

In 1963, Catherine Dixon Sharpe willed her 2.7-acre property in the heart of a busy residential neighborhood in Haverford, Pennsylvania to the township. She stipulated that it be used as a public park and bird sanctuary. Just as Frederick Law Olmsted intended with his parks, Ms. Sharpe granted public access to this small oasis in a densely residential neighborhood. In early 1979, The Garden Workers formally adopted the park and promised to care for it as a low-maintenance woodland park which would attract both people and wildlife. 

Throughout the decades, generations of club members have strived to enhance the park for insects and birds by introducing native shrubs and trees, adding to the beauty of the park by planting thousands of bulbs, and working together with the township to ensure the safety and enjoyment of the park for all who pass through. Dozens of people traverse the park daily on their way to the local train station, walk their dogs through its winding paths with children and grandchildren, or sit for a time to enjoy a peaceful moment away from the daily grind. 

Several times each year, The Garden Workers arrive at the park to care for its grounds. With tarps, rakes, shovels, and gloves they tend to the landscape, remove invasives, and add color in the fall and pollinators in the spring. Throughout the winter months, members arrive at the park to ensure that the many bird feeders are fully ready to provide sustenance for the birds when vegetation is dormant.

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