Sara Street is the green guru of First Community Foundation
Partnership of Pennsylvania. As the manager of Williamsport’s local nature
preserve, Rider Park, she fills the roles of forest ecologist, wildlife
biologist, environmental educator, working maintenance foreman, volunteer
With degrees in landscape architecture, ecological
restoration, park management, and landscape technology, Sara brings a wealth of
knowledge and experience to her role. As the steward of nearly 900 acres, she
is responsible for encouraging forest health and longevity, managing invasive
plants and pests (like spongey moth and hemlock elongate scale), and planting
native plants to enhance the park’s biodiversity. She encourages wildlife
habitat by encouraging landscape types that aren’t present at Rider Park (like
a shrub-dominated savanna on the edges of the forest and meadows). Sara also
maintains trails, coordinates volunteers, and shares her passion for nature and
Even when she’s not on the job, Sara spends a lot of time
outside—hiking, gardening, swimming in the West Branch of the Susquehanna and Loyalsock
creeks and attending soccer events with her son.
“I lived and worked in northwest Washington state, and the trees there are very
impressive in stature, height, and density. But the range of species pales in
comparison to the richness of North Central Pennsylvania. I adore walking
through the forest, looking at patterns, and identifying trees!”