MANCHESTER, Md. — Tucked away in plain sight on 60 pristine acres in Manchester, the Charlotte’s Quest Nature Center is a go-to for locals and a pleasant surprise for first-time visitors like Lydia Brown.
“We suggested getting together for Earth Day and we were looking for areas… for parks in this area,” said Brown, “We’ve never actually been here before. None of us.”
Volunteers spruce up Charlotte's Quest in Carroll County for Earth Day 2026
Little did Brown know that dozens of volunteers, including a sizable force from BGE, would be teaming up to help beautify the center located in Pine Valley Park.
“This is a big help, because we are a small volunteer board,” said Lauren Bumstead, a board member and treasurer at the center, “We have one very, very part-time, paid person and the rest of us are volunteers so we are limited in what we can do. There are about seven of us on the board that are regular volunteers to so have 50 to 60 people come and help us knock out some big projects is huge.”
Charlotte’s Quest is billed as a place to discover trails, wildlife and have hands-on outdoor experiences for all ages.
While some of the children we spoke with may not be old enough to fully appreciate conservation efforts directed at woodlands, wetlands and grasslands, this is where they’ll begin to.
“I know they’re young, but do they react well? I mean just the fresh air and getting outside?” we asked Brown.
“Oh, 100 percent,” she replied, “Be outside as much as possible. That’s our goal, and so that’s what we’ve been doing and they’ve been having lots of fun haven’t you?”
An experience, which defies words at Charlotte’s Quest, except for supplying some of the power for our planet on this Earth Day.
