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 […]
How To Help Endangered Species
Shown: Little brown bat (endangered species). One helpful action that can be taken to support this species is adding a bat box to your property, which encourages them to return for years to come! INTRO Our region is home to many threatened and endangered species, which means that we all have a responsibility to help […]
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 […]
Attract Birds to Your Property Using Native Trees and Shrubs
One of the best ways to attract birds to your yard is to plant native trees and shrubs. INTRO A common question we get from landowners is “what can I do to attract birds to my property?” And while the answer may vary depending on what kinds of birds you’re hoping to see, one strategy […]
Know Thy Snake Neighbor: Eastern Milksnake – Lampropeltis triangulum
INTRO Eastern Milksnakes (Lampropeltis triangulum) are among the most misunderstood snake species we have in Pennsylvania. Because they bear a slight resemblance to the venomous (but also misunderstood) Northern Copperhead, they’re often senselessly persecuted by people. The truth is, not only are Eastern Milksnakes completely harmless, they actually make pretty decent neighbors. Let’s take […]