Volunteers work on one of the three park benches.
Fred Adams | For Abington Journal
Nature and Nurture Network program helps freshen up park
Amanda Waters helps her daughter Natalie, 3, plant ferns.
Fred Adams | For Abington Journal
Amanda Waters helps her daughter Natalie, 3, put on a pair of gardening gloves so she could help plant ferns along the fence in Streamside Park.
Fred Adams | For Abington Journal
Cleste Cali plants a fern along the fence in Streamside Park recently.
Fred Adams | For Abington Journal
Volunteers took part in “Beautiful Benches and Fabulous Ferns” activity at Streamside Park recently.
Fred Adams | For Abington Journal
Mary Justis helps vanish one of the three park benches in Streamside Park in Dalton.
Fred Adams | For Abington Journal
Nora Waters, 5, helped vanish the park benches in Streamside Park in Dalton.
Fred Adams | For Abington Journal
DALTON — Area residents recently gathered at Streamside Park for a “Beautiful Benches and Fabulous Ferns” activity that refreshed the park for the summer.
The event is part of a series of presentations entitled “Nature and Nurture Network,” the brainchild of Janet Geeza and Celeste Cali.
Before retiring, both women worked at Lackawanna Trail grade school. Geeza taught kindergarten and first grade. Cali was a librarian.
The two women shared a love for nature and for learning and thought putting together kid-friendly activities at the park was a win-win.
The recent activity saw participants of all ages, paint brushes in hand, bringing a fresh burst of color to the benches and dozens of new ferns planted nearby, consistent with the area’s natural environment.
Originally, the borough had considered applying for a grant to purchase new benches.
But, Cali and Geeza thought it would be appropriate to have locals contribute to the effort, making it likely that they would feel more connected with the park, especially during future visits.
Volunteers prepped the benches for painting and determined what areas would benefit from the planting of ferns.
Ferns provide a variety of benefits to the environment, including erosion protection and microhabitats for other species.
Crystal Hailstone brings her children to park activities, especially enjoying crafts and story time.
The Nature and Nurture program provides a chance to appreciate the outdoors, while learning new things, she said.
Garmon Justis, proficient at both painting and volunteering, said the group had first considered painting the benches, but then decided that staining would be consistent with the park’s natural environment.
His wife Mary is familiar with the park and its activities. She volunteered her husband for the project because of his passion for construction and community.
Multiple projects throughout the year dovetail with each other to support just themes as reading, health and the environment.
For example a “little library” located near a refurbished bench, contains books on the environment – not to be taken, but to be read onsite and replaced for safe keeping.
Events continue all year, continuing with appropriate activities when the temperatures plummet.
Cali and Geeza pointed out that, at one point, some people weren’t even aware that the park was there.
They’ve recently seen more families coming out to enjoy the park, doing everything from playing ball to eating a picnic lunch under a pavilion.
