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As the late winter slides into spring, officials at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area gear up for two spectacles that number in the many thousands:
And the people who come to watch the waterfowl.
The snow goose and tundra swan migration, which peaks at the end of February through early March, brings over 150,000 of these majestic white birds along with tens of thousands of visitors who line the roads and trails through Middle Creek during the migration.
But now those human visitors to Middle Creek in Kleinfeltersville, Lebanon County, not far over the Berks County line, have another draw besides those wintering waterfowl.
The Visitors Center, the only one operated by the Pennsylvania Game Commission, has recently reopened after two years of closure due to remodeling that includes the construction of the Conservation Heritage Museum, which is slated for an April grand opening.
“Many people assumed the closing was from COVID,” said Brant Portner, environmental education specialist at Middle Creek. “Well, no. There’s been so much change here, including the museum construction.”
That change has included new flooring, handicapped accessible restroom facilities and new and reconfigured conservation displays, Portner said.
“There was a lot of construction material in here, loose wires,” he continued. “It was not a good condition for children to come in here and be around that, but now all of those construction materials are contained in the museum, and that’s almost done.”
The Conservation Heritage Museum is a highly anticipated addition to Middle Creek that will occupy a new, specially built wing at the Visitors Center.
“The background here is that the conservation officers, basically retired wardens, have an organization and an idea that they wanted something that told the history of the Pennsylvania Game Commission,” said Portner, 27, a Wyomissing native and Penn State grad.
The game commission was born out of the need to put limits on the exploitation of much of the state’s wildlife, he said.
“We have beaver hats and things that were made over 100 years ago when deer, turkey and species that we take for granted today were almost nonexistent in Pennsylvania,” Portner said. “The museum will tell the story from exploitation through the creation of the game commission in 1895 and beyond. The retired conservation officers really took the lead on that.”
Although the conservation museum is not yet completed, visitors can still enjoy the refreshed center.
“There’s fun here for all ages,” Portner said. “There’s a scavenger hunt with lots of things kids can learn from and interact with. However, often times I see adults checking things out here more than the kids.”
The new displays include habitats with nest boxes for the different species, methods of bird banding, interactive kiosks, a variety of mammals of Pennsylvania, along with plenty of birds.
“There have been 280 species of birds observed and 110 confirmed breeding at Middle Creek,” Portner said, “which is really impressive considering a total of 414 bird species are under the umbrella of the game commission — about 67% of the bird species in Pennsylvania can be found here at Middle Creek.”
One notable feature in the Visitors Center is a large screen that displays a web cam view of the 400-acre lake that is also available on Middle Creek’s website at www.pgc.pa.gov.
“Our web cam is here for people who want to see what’s going on but can’t make it out here or want to know whether they can come out here,” Portner said.
He does have one particular place in the Visitors Center that is his favorite.
“This is the place I always enjoy,” Portner said as he walked into a spacious area dominated by a large window that runs the length of the room.
Along the window are a built-in table and chairs with binoculars for visitors to use to scan the garden and the lake.
“We have plenty of bird feeders out here and have planted native species in our gardens,” he said, “We’ve really tried to move towards that and away from the different ornamentals that aren’t beneficial. It’s always sunny over here with a great view of the lake, the fields and the native plant gardens.”
Most importantly, the window is bird friendly. The center has two different window treatments to prevent bird strikes, a major killer of songbirds, he said.
Portner pointed to the symmetrical rows of black dots on the large picture window.
“All these dots,” he said, “the birds will see them and not think it’s a clear area to go through. Then in our front here you can’t see in but you can see out, more or less one-way windows, which are another protection for the birds.”
The reopening of the Visitors Center also marks the renewal of the educational programming at Middle Creek.
“We have educational programs that we haven’t had for a while,” Portner said. “We partner with other organizations and groups like Hawk Mountain. We have a full schedule of 25 events this year plus national hunting and fishing days that bring in hundreds of people along with the art show that also brings hundreds of people.”
A list of upcoming programs can be found on Middle Creek’s website.
“There’s something for everyone here, whether it’s our hiking trails, or boating, or wildlife watching or hunting,” Portner said. “This is the front porch of the game commission where you can come learn about things or hunt for the first time and learn about the game commission and what it’s all about and what we do. Any day there’s something to enjoy here.”
So pull up a chair.
And maybe watch the people, too.
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