Heritage Conservancy has been honored with the 2024 Pennsylvania Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence for its Nature Preserve Species Surveys and Educational Programs at its Croydon Woods Nature Preserve. The reclaimed Superfund site has become a neighborhood jewel, with trails used by community members and students.
The award specifically recognizes community science, education, and biodiversity surveys in this Lower Bucks County Nature Preserve that connect neighbors and students to vital local nature and biodiversity.
Croydon Woods is one of the last remaining Coastal Plain Forests in southeastern Pennsylvania. The 80-acre preserve is home to over 350 species of plants, mammals, reptiles, birds, and insects, including endangered plant species.
Heritage Conservancy’s surveys and education efforts in the Croydon Woods Nature Preserve have furthered restoration and management of the site while engaging the community in its care.
The BioBlitz wildlife survey and Motus Wildlife Tracking Tower projects have used community science to track biodiversity in these woods and educate the community.
Heritage Conservancy’s BioBlitz
The 2023 BioBlitz brought community science volunteers and scientists into Croydon Woods for a 24-hour wildlife tracking survey that documented almost 360 different plant and animal species living in the woods. The BioBlitz Celebration that followed was a public event that invited neighborhood families to connect with the woods and learn about the various species that live there.
“It has been a true community commitment,” says Shannon Fredebaugh-Siller, Community Engagement Programs Manager at Heritage Conservancy. “Our volunteers and scientists surveyed the woods, and we have shared their findings and data on the diverse animal and plant life in this local green space with people inside this community.”
The Motus Wildlife Tracking Tower
The new Motus Tower, installed on the roof of Keystone Elementary School, adjacent to Croydon Woods, can detect wildlife along the Delaware River/Atlantic Flyway migration route. The tower’s antenna is able to pick up the signal of any tagged wildlife that travels within five miles of the station and feeds the data to the global science community, aiding information collection and conservation efforts.
This tower has been integrated into Heritage Conservancy’s environmental education programs with Bristol Township School District – especially at Keystone Elementary School. Second graders at Keystone have learned about the tower and even taken part in a bird migration obstacle course. (See photo below.) Heritage Conservancy’s partnership with the school also includes a Tree Guardians initiative, a Watershed Connections program, and other learning opportunities in the outdoor classroom they have installed at Croydon Woods, a short walk from the school.
The projects are a culmination of cleanup efforts and stewardship by Heritage Conservancy, and community engagement that has brought new life to this natural area.
Heritage Conservancy Vice President Kris Kern joined and Shannon Fredebaugh-Siller to accept the award at a dinner and reception in Harrisburg on April 30. They were joined by environmental organizations from across the state for the celebration.
Learn more about Croydon Woods Nature Preserve (and come visit).
The BioBlitz and Motus Tower projects were funded by Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s Coastal Zone Management Grant and made possible with funding from the Alliance for Watershed Education and the William Penn Foundation.
BioBlitz photo above by Kara Foran.