A 26-acre nature park at 82nd Street and Sargent Road in Lawrence Township’s Mud Creek Valley officially opened with a ribbon cutting June 9.

The Sargent Road Nature Park project was spearheaded by the Mud Creek Conservancy land trust, which entered into an agreement to purchase the property in 2019, according to the nonprofit’s website. A fundraising campaign followed, with the help of the Sargent Road Association, and the organization was able to complete the purchase two years later.

“While Mud Creek Conservancy was overjoyed to have successfully purchased and preserved this property — our first acquisition — our work was just getting started,” the website states. “At the beginning of our fundraising campaign, we made a pledge to the eventual 600 generous donors: Sargent Road Nature Park… focused on habitat preservation and low-impact outdoor recreation access with a specific focus on nature education, local art and unique design.”

The three years since purchase were spent working toward those goals.

The new nature park, open from dawn until dusk, has more than a mile of gravel and natural-tread trails, with four loops and several areas with benches. Visitors are asked to stay on the marked trails.

Dogs whose owners have paid a Conservation Canine Club fee and agreed to follow a set of rules are allowed.

For more, visit mudcreekconservancy.org.