The Blue Green Connector

10/05/2026

🌳 A greener future is taking root along the Blue Green Connector!

This Saturday, join The Blue Green Connector & the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay for a volunteer tree planting at one of our future BGC trailhead sites. Together with a participating neighboring property, this planting will create a larger, connected area of new trees along the Little Conestoga Creek. 💙💚

📅 Saturday, October 10
🕙 10 AM–noon
📍 1604 Marietta Avenue, Lancaster

Help transform this landscape—and be part of the BGC’s next milestone!

🌱 Advance registration is required so the Alliance can plan for parking, supplies and equipment.

Register and find details:
https://www.allianceforthebay.org/event/tree-planting-in-lancaster-township/

09/03/2026

The Blue Green Connector is making headlines!
The Chesapeake Bay Program recently highlighted the Little Conestoga Creek to explore how historic floodplain restoration is laying the groundwork for public trails, environmental education and art, all along one connected greenway.
Read the full story: https://www.chesapeakebay.net/news/blog/after-historic-restoration-public-trails-education-and-art-will-line-the-little-conestoga-creek

The Blue Green Connector will connect 225,000 Lancaster residents with the creek

08/18/2026

What happens when an ordinary road trip takes an unexpected turn? Granite Rapids Moon is a heartfelt, adventurous story about friendship, discovery, and finding your way through life’s unexpected detours.

Join us at Zoetropolis in Lancaster for a special screening on August 22 at 2:30 p.m. The filmmakers are donating a percentage of ticket sales to support Lancaster Clean Water Partners and our shared vision of clean and clear water by 2040.
The more people who attend, the greater the impact for clean water!
🎬 Watch the trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTR2A3ogJ8U
Learn more and get tickets: https://lancastercleanwaterpartners.com/event/granite-rapids-moon-2/

08/10/2026

DEP recognized ten employees for their collaboration on the Blue Green Connector and Cocalico Creek watershed projects. The agency described BGC as a proof of concept for innovative watershed-scale permitting and reported that one trail-related stormwater permit was issued in 40 business days—77 days ahead of the state’s benchmark. The lessons learned through BGC are already being applied to other Pennsylvania restoration efforts.

A huge congratulations to the DEP team and all their work on this public-private collaboration project!

Commonwealth employees received the Governor's Awards for Excellence for their public service contributions to key state efforts DEP teams were awarded for collaboration on two watershed restoration projects, resulting in cleaner water, flood resiliency, habitat improvement, and vibrant farms and co...

08/04/2026

From restoration to recreation.

Take a look at this season’s lush green explosion from the Mennonite Home restoration site! It’s amazing to see the transforming the landscape. You can see our newest section of trail construction being completed. This section of trail will bring even more opportunities to connect people with nature.

Every season tells a story, and our progress is looking pretty green. 🌱💚

07/20/2026

Noel Dorwart Park is becoming so much more than a place to visit, it's becoming a place where nature, recreation, and community come together. Thanks to an incredible partnership with the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay and many local collaborators, the park now features native trees, meadow plantings, and green infrastructure that will provide lasting benefits for both people and the Little Conestoga Creek.

Interested in supporting this growing landscape? Trees are still available to adopt through our partnership with the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, help us continue building a healthier, greener Lancaster County.

https://www.allianceforthebay.org/2026/06/lancaster-park-receives-trees-meadow-and-more/

07/15/2026

Following this past set of storms, researchers from Franklin & Marshall College documented something exciting at our Conestoga House floodplain restoration site:

The restored floodplain temporarily stored stormwater.
Floodwaters slowed as they spread across the floodplain instead of rushing downstream.
Monitoring sensors recorded a slower, more natural response compared to unrestored sections of the creek.

In other words, the restoration worked exactly as intended.

Years of planning, engineering, ecological restoration, and community investment are now translating into measurable results during real storm events. By reconnecting the creek to its floodplain, we're helping reduce the intensity of flood flows, improve water quality, restore habitat, and build a more resilient Lancaster County. This is why restoration matters. It isn't just about what the landscape looks like on a sunny day, it's about how it performs when it matters most.

A special thank you to Dr. Joe Galella and the Chesapeake Watershed Initiative at F&M at Franklin & Marshall College , "Storm Chasers" monitoring team for continuing to collect the data and visual evidence that help tell the story behind the science. Every storm helps us learn. Every restoration project helps our communities become stronger.

07/07/2026

Big things are happening in the Earth Sciences DFranklin & Marshall College ✨

The Blue Green Connector is proud to partner with Chesapeake Watershed Initiative at F&M and Franklin & Marshall College to create more opportunities for student research that makes a real impact.

The recent Student Research Showcase highlighted the innovative, inspiring, and transformative work being done by the next generation of scientists right here in Lancaster County. Seeing their passion and discoveries firsthand was a powerful reminder of what’s possible when education, collaboration, and community come together.

The Blue Green Connector is built on partnerships like these, and we can’t wait to see where this research leads next. 💙💚

06/26/2026

🚧 The Blue Green Connector keeps growing!
Today, crews are laying a new section of ADA-accessible trail at the future Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health Trailhead.

Watching the vision become reality is exciting! Every foot of trail constructed brings us closer to a future where residents and visitors can enjoy accessible outdoor recreation while experiencing one of Lancaster County's largest floodplain restoration projects.
There's still plenty of work ahead, but we're excited to share these milestones with you along the way.

Stay tuned for more construction updates as we continue building a more connected Lancaster County. 💙💚

06/18/2026

The same stream. A completely different future.
The Blue Green Connector is THE LARGEST floodplain restoration project in Lancaster County HISTORY. When the Blue Green Connector is complete, we'll have restored approximately 25 acres across six different restoration sites. This project represents one of our biggest opportunities to expand habitat, improve water quality, and connect people to nature.