On Saturday, September 26th, Heritage Conservancy held a cleanup at the Bristol Marsh Preserve with help from local volunteers in honor of National Public Lands Day. National Public Lands Day is the nation’s largest, single-day volunteer effort for public lands, and the Conservancy used this opportunity to maintain the marsh while educating the group about the importance of shared stewardship of our natural resources. More than 25 volunteers participated in this cleanup, including children from Boy Scout Troops 210, 212, 316, Pack 212, Girl Scout Troop 2153 and their parents.
Located adjacent to historic Bristol Borough’s Waterfront Park, the 33-acre preserve contains a unique fresh water tidal marsh that helps to filter water before it enters the connecting Delaware River, and it supports a diverse ecosystem of plant and animal life. Any pollution from the Delaware River could ultimately end up in the Atlantic Ocean, so this cleanup at the Bristol Marsh tied in with a grander-scale cleanup known as the International Coastal Cleanup.
Working together as a team of citizen scientists, Heritage Conservancy staff and volunteers collected trash and documented the debris that they removed from the marsh. Children could be heard excitedly shouting out their findings as team members made notations on clipboards. The group ended up hauling away 15 bags full of trash, which included aluminum cans, foam insulation, and other litter that had been dumped in the area. Their findings will be compiled with information from other cleanups along the coast for analysis as part of a larger plan to help reduce our impact on the environment.
Later in the day, Heritage Conservancy hosted a second event to continue the celebration of National Public Lands Day. Held at the Conservancy’s 20-acre Hart’s Woods Preserve, Boy Scouts from Troop 24 in Doylestown volunteered along with their parents to maintain this important natural resource.
Located off of New Britain Road near Route 202 in Doylestown Township, Hart’s Woods Preserve consists of mature woodlands and a tributary of the Neshaminy Creek. Heritage Conservancy recently cleared a trail on the property, which requires continuous maintenance to ensure safety and to protect the defined trail, to encourage passive recreation. The volunteers helped to clear and rake the trail and cut back brush, and they even removed an old car tire that had been buried on the preserve for years!
With such an outpouring of volunteer support, Heritage Conservancy was pleased to see the community come together as environmental stewards on National Public Lands Day. Thank you to everyone who volunteered with us!
