Urban Wetlands
By Colleen Appleton
3 Jul 2008
I have lived in the Philadelphia area all my life and if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I never
would have believed that our city has a wildlife refuge. When I first heard about it, I thought it was the most bizarre thing ever. It truly is a fantastic place to see, like stepping into the twilight zone; I can stare out onto the lake and feel the birds and bugs whipping around my head and at the same time see out of the corner of my eye a busy I-95 leading to the air traffic control tower. If you are ever visiting Philly or even live here and have no idea what I'm talking about, please, go discover this rare beauty that our city has to offer.
[Here is a blurb from one of the park signs:
The original 145-acre "Tinicum Wildlife Preserve" was donated by the Gulf Oil Corporation to the City of Philadelphia in the 1950s. In 1972, the area was transferred to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Congress stated three main objectives for this urban refuge:
-Habitat preservation and restoration
-Environmental education
-Wildlife related public use
Today, approximately 1,200 acres of freshwater tidal and non-tidal wetlands, old fields, and woodlands provide homes to a variety of plants and animals, and supply resting, nesting, and feeding areas for migratory waterfowl at the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum.]
