Our mission:
To protect the natural environment, ecological diversity, and historical heritage of Clarence Schock Memorial Park at Governor Dick through sound ecological forest stewardship, and responsive, representative leadership.
We are a community of folks who walk, bike, ride, and enjoy the park we know and love.
In 1936, Clarence Schock made his woodland property above Mount Gretna (now known as The Park at Governor Dick) available for the enjoyment of the public. He deeded the property in the form of a park to The School District of the Borough of Mount Joy in 1953, saying in the deed that transferred ownership of the property that it “shall be maintained and preserved forever as forest and woodland.”
In 1980 Donegal School District, (formerly Mount Joy) made the decision to begin forest harvests and funds from the harvests was put into a fund intended to be used to upgrade the school building. Additionally, some timber was used for school shop projects.
Management of the park was transferred to Lebanon County (the county in which the park sits) in 1996. By 1999, a proposal was presented to make large changes at the park, adding the environmental center, a proposed cell phone tower, and additional timber harvesting. By 2002, residents were concerned enough about the changes to form the first Friends group. Public pushback influenced the scaling back of the scope of proposed projects, but timber harvests continued.
Today
Two decades later, Friends continue to advocate for what Clarence and Evetta Schock wanted: a well-maintained and healthy forest where folks can recreate and enjoy the beauty of the land there. The Friends of Governor Dick favor ecological forestry management that allows for healthy regeneration that will prolong the life of both the forest environment and allow for the wildlife that relies on the forest to also thrive.
2023 was a big year for the Friends of Governor Dick. We became a 501(c)3 charitable organization, formed a board of directors, and elected our first set of officers. Our advocacy helped to change the way the park handled forest management, resulting in healthy changes to the current forestry plan.
We work with the Park Board Trustees to make sound ecologically-based decisions about the park lands. Our members support the park’s operation staff in a variety of ways, including supporting educational programming and encouraging volunteering at their monthly Volunteer Day. (Hint, Hint! Second Saturday, 9 am!)