Monday, April 11th, was an exciting day at our Quakertown Swamp Preserve! 25 second and third grade students from Quakertown United Friends School, along with 10 parents and 2 teachers, joined staff and volunteers on a habitat exploration. Laughter and smiles were abundant as students and parents trekked through the mud and splashed through the […]
Heritage Conservancy Receives a TreeVitalize Grant
Our stewardship team is gearing up to plant 300 trees and shrubs, thanks to the 2022 Southeast PA TreeVitalize Watersheds grant. Starting this spring and continuing into fall, the plantings will occur along tributaries of the Pidcock and Neshaminy Creeks at two of our preserves. All trees will be tolerant of moist soils and flooding, […]
Why Heritage Conservancy?: An Interview with President Bill Kunze
The next edition of our “Why Heritage Conservancy?” series features President Bill Kunze. When asked what prompted Bill to apply for a position at Heritage Conservancy, he recalled his early memories of falling in love with nature through birds as a child. Later, in college and graduate school, Bill studied history. To this day, he […]
Historical Bucks County Woman-Owned Property & Enterprise: Newtown’s Margaret Gale Thornton, Part 4
As we conclude our dedication to Women’s History Month, we hope you have enjoyed learning how Margaret employed some of the same skills that are necessary to successfully operate a business today. There is more to learn about her and her business ventures in Newtown, particularly with her purchase of additional properties near the Courthouse. […]
Historical Bucks County Woman-Owned Property & Enterprise: Newtown’s Margaret Gale Thornton, Part 3
In previous posts, we have presented the story of Margaret Gale Thornton’s success as a colonial tavern and innkeeper. In this installment, we examine the possibility that Margaret Gale Thornton’s success may have depended on the forced labor of enslaved people. Thornton and Enslaved People at the Half-Moon Inn: Margaret Thornton may have benefited from […]
Helping Hands
It’s that time of year again – the days are getting longer, and the ground is thawing, meaning it is time for hibernating amphibians to wake up from their slumber and begin migrating to their breeding sites. On warm, rainy evenings in early spring, a mass migration of frogs, toads, and salamanders can be observed […]
Contribute to Science Around the World
Late February marked the launch of Heritage Conservancy’s new Community Science project! A virtual kickoff meeting was held over Zoom, where 24 interested individuals listened to a presentation by staff members discussing the future of the group and why this work is so important. What is the best part? Anyone can be a Community Scientist! […]
Nature’s Benefits On Children
In February, Heritage Conservancy staff guided groups of second, fourth, and fifth grade students from Keystone Elementary School into our Croydon Woods Nature Preserve for a mindfulness walk as a part of our Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Program. Students learned that mindfulness can help one be present in the moment and calm our busy […]
Teaching The Next Generation
Have you ever wondered how your daily actions impact the water someone else is drinking or the habitat of animals in a different part of the world? Heritage Conservancy is working to help a group of fourth graders to connect those pieces. Our recently launched pilot Cross-Watershed Collaboration Program aims to connect students in different […]
Historical Bucks County Woman-Owned Property & Enterprise: Newtown’s Margaret Gale Thornton, Part 2
During this week’s feature for Women’s History Month, we present another look at Margaret Gale Thornton and her accomplishments as one of Bucks County’s first female entrepreneurs. Like other businesspersons of her time, Margaret Thornton utilized the resources available to her to achieve her goals, including an affiliation with the practices of the Quaker tradition. […]