The Lancaster Herpetological Society (LHS) wants to extend its gratitude to all that joined us at the Northwest Lancaster County River Trail on Friday!

For this month’s meeting, the second in a series of three outdoor nature walks, we visited the White Cliffs of Conoy, one of the many landmarks along the Northwest Lancaster County River Trail which follows 14 miles of the Susquehanna River. In a somewhat surprising turn of events, the White Cliffs of Conoy are an industrial dumping site, where a Limestone Quarry discarded the waste products of crushed limestone, creating a set of impressive white cliffs that climb 30 feet above the river. The Limestone Quarry in question started operations in 1847, pulverizing limestone to create agricultural lime for use in fertilizers. With the onset of World War 1 and the great demand for steel, the quarry mined dolomite, which was used as a purifying agent during the smelting of steel.

We started the nature walk at Koser Park, which is one of the northern sections of the River Trail. From Koser Park, the White Cliffs were only about a mile walk south along the River Trail.

We want to thank everyone for coming and exploring the White Cliffs of Conoy with us. The next meeting is Friday, August 20th, and will be another in-person nature walk! It will be at Refreshing Mountain Retreat & Adventure Center.

-Gregory Wier