Heritage Conservancy’s 64-acre Fuller property and the 40-acre Pursell property adjoin to create an over 100-acre publicly accessible outdoor space in the heart of Springfield Township. These two properties are located in Heritage Conservancy’s Cooks Creek Watershed Lasting Landscape and are part of a larger contiguous area of 1,500 acres of preserved land.

Peter and Joan Fuller gifted the Fuller property to Heritage Conservancy in 1993, and Doris Pursell sold the Pursell property to our organization in 2017 at a bargain sale price in honor of her late husband, Jerry.

The Fuller/Pursell Nature Preserve is defined by:

• forested hillsides, which include century-old white oak, American beech, red maple, hickory, and tulip poplar trees
• lush wetlands
• rolling meadows
• tributaries of Cooks Creek, which is considered a significant cold water breeding area for native trout and is one of only two streams in Bucks County designated as Exceptional Value for its water quality and biodiversity 

Take in the picturesque landscape and its resident wildlife during a walk on the 1.5-mile Jere Knight Trail! This trail is open to the public for enjoyment in the great outdoors.

American Chestnut Nursery
Before the 20th century, the eastern United States was dominated by the American chestnut. Sadly, in the early 1900s, widespread blight reduced the American chestnut to near extinction. Heritage Conservancy partners with The American Chestnut Foundation in an effort to introduce a disease-resistant hybrid. American and Chinese chestnut trees have been planted, crossed, and grown in the nursery atop Fuller/Pursell Nature Preserve since 2003.

Watch Heritage Conservancy’s virtual tour of the Fuller/Pursell Nature Preserve:

There is limited parking along Slifer Valley Road to access the Fuller/Pursell Nature Preserve.