Community Projects (2026) | Progress Photos
You are invited to view some of our community projects from 2026 in the photo galleries below. We are grateful for hands-on community participation to expand the rebuilding biodiversity mission!
Project Title: Hillrise HUD Community Housing Pocket Park
Location: Lancaster, PA (S. Lime Street)
Participants: SACA, Hillrise, and Benchmark Youth Leaders
Native Plant #: 1,150 plugs
Special Features: 3 Steel Monarchs, Monarch Butterfly Bench, and woodchip adventure path
Participant Share: “This pocket garden quickly came to fruition with the help and enthusiasm of Waxwing, SACA, Benchmark youth leaders, and our support grounds staff at Hillrise. We were grateful to be invited to muscle out the turf and help plant, all in the same month! This will be an asset for our residential community and for the broader community that passes through this street.” - Hillrise Property Manager, John Suarez
Pictures are showcased starting from installation moving towards the initial site conditions of the project site, all occurring in September 2026.
Project Title: Horn Farm Center Farmhouse Ecological Garden
Location: Horn Farm Center- York, PA
Participants: Ecological Gardener Training Program (EGTP) Certification Cohort Students (2026) and Horn Farm Staff
Native Plant #: 450 plugs + 6 shrubs
Participant(s) Share: “As an artist-entrepreneur, I’m super grateful for this program that gave me the opportunity to connect the metaphorical and literal elements of some projects I am developing to heal the land, ourselves, and community. This program gave me the skills to evaluate, design, plant, and steward phase 2 of my plans in actual, tangible ecological garden form. This experience and the people were nourishment to my soul and I look forward to carrying the legacy seeds of wisdom to plant at future sites.”- EGTP student, Stacey Hershey
"Since the Horn Farm's restored farmhouse and learning center opened to the public this spring, I've been most excited for the transformations taking shape in the landscaping around our south lawn. Thanks to Elyse and her Ecological Gardener Training Program, along with funding from the York Garden Club, a lush native garden is now taking root. This garden was designed, refined, and planted by training program students under Elyse's guidance, so it's not just a boon for pollinators--it's a space where hands-on learning equipped local land stewards with the skills to participate in this growing field. I'm sure this garden will captivate and inspire the Horn Farm's visitors for years to come, so I cannot think of a better companion to our educational hub."- Education & Outreach Specialist from the Horn Farm Center, Andrew Leahy
Pictures are showcased from the beginning stages of the cohort’s training in Winter 2026 to implementation phase of project in June 2026.
Project Title: West Hempfield Township Municipal Building Swale
Location: Lancaster, PA (Marietta Ave.)
Participants: W. Hempfield Twp staff
Native Plant #: 1,750 plugs
Participant Share: “Working alongside the West Hempfield Township’s Parks and Recreation staff and Administrative team on overhauling this municipal swale has been a rewarding experience! As the project designer and facilitator for this project, I was encouraged by the crew’s willingness to approach this with non-chemical methods. The curiosity they brought to the planting and co-stewarding days is affirming that townships are able to nurture and gently shift culture to nurture native landscapes that are site prepped, planted, and stewarded with non-chemical approaches. The diversity of pollinators that have taken refuge in this space has been gratifying to witness, even within the first 6 months of this swale’s growth.”- Waxwing’s Lead Designer, Elyse Jurgen
Pictures are showcased starting with the non-chemical site prep of the swale in Spring 2026 and moving towards Fall 2026 wildlife and wildflower photos.
Project Title: Dr. Iris MacRae Dedication Garden
Location: Lancaster, PA (Chester St.)
Participants: SACA staff, Benchmark youth, National Wildlife Federation, Habitat Advocates, and community members
Native Plant #: 1,150 plugs + 6 shrubs
Participant Share: “The Dr. Iris MacRae garden is a showcase of how we can creatively honor a cherished leader, Dr. Iris MacRae, in our community while also creating a sense of place with beneficial wildflowers on the Tec Centro campus. We continue to be grateful for this partnership with Waxwing to enhance clean, green, and connected possibilities in our neighborhoods.”- SACA CEO, Jose Lopez
Pictures are showcased starting with the non-chemical site prep of the swale in Spring 2026 and moving towards Fall 2026 wildlife and wildflower photos.
Project Title: Franklin and Marshall College Science Library Planting
Location: Lancaster, PA (F&M campus)
Participants: F&M facilities, F&M Sustainability coordinator, and Conservation Crews Training Graduating Cohort (2026)
Native Plant #: 800 plugs + 13 shrubs
Participant Share: “The additional native plantings installed by Waxwing EcoWorks have helped not only to grow our crucial pollinator habitat, but have also provided the Center for the Sustainable Environment with wonderful educational opportunities for people of all ages."- F&M’s Sustainability Coordinator, Nicholas Auwaerter
Pictures are showcased starting with the installed new campus native garden in June 2026 and moving towards the initial site prep (Spring 2026) and design phase with the Conservation Crews’ Training (Winter 2026).
