What to See •
The Education Center:
THE BUILDING:
In 2001, the Cobbs Creek Community Environmental Education Center opened
in its new location at 700 Cobbs Creek Pkwy. Once abandoned horse stables,
the renovated building has been refurbished with a stateof the art laboratory,
several classrooms, and a community meeting room with installation space.
See and read about the history of the building. [ here ]
Learning Mural:
The most recent addition to the building is an exciting new educational mural,
done by noted artist Paul Baker. Completed in the summer of 2004, the mural
presents a realistic urban creek ecosystem, complete with frogs, tadpoles, birds,
sedimentation, pollution, and native and invasive vegetation. It is an excellent
teaching tool for students young and old.
UP NEXT...
A computer lab and aquarium, filled with species from
Cobbs Creek, are in the works.
The Grounds:
COBBS CREEK AND NAYLOR RUN
Running through the grounds are two tributaries of Darby Creek: Cobbs
Creek and Naylors Run (and its outlet pipe), lying just over the
foot bridge. The creeks provide excellent opportunities for both individual and
comparative studies of water quality and bioassessments.
TRAILS:
A number of trails are available in Cobbs Creek Park for the enjoyment of pedestrians
and bicyclers. In collaboration with Fairmount Park, a more extensive trail project, which
includes a trail that extends all the way to the Heinz Wildlife Refuge, is underway.
PICNICS AND MEETING:
A picnic and amphitheater/meeting site are located on the grounds, surrounded by the
beauty of Fairmount Park and Cobbs Creek.WETLAND:
One of our newest and most exciting restoration projects is the man made wetland,
lying just west of Naylors Run. The wetland serves not only to reintroduce dimishing
wetland habitat, but also sequesters and naturally treats stormwater runoff,which
flows off the pavement of the nearby neighborhood. The wetland project, begun in 2003,
is in constant state of development and evaluation.
NEW In the Spring of 2005 the runoffswale was professionally reengineered
to more efficiently sequester and transport the stormwater flow to the wetland.Directions:
The new home of the Environmental Center is shown here, with a red circle.
The newly-renovated Center is adjacent to Cobbs Creek Parkway, opposite
Catharine Street at 63rd Street-- about midway between Market Street and
Baltimore Avenue. Parkland along Cobbs Creek is shown in green on the map.
The hours are Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm.
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