April 2018 event! John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge

This time of year, planning a volunteer event in Philadelphia is a bit scary. If you plan to be outside, you might get snow or rain. Or you might get 85 and sunny! We're thankful we got the latter for our second Saturday this month. 

Our volunteers were part of a larger effort - an annual clean-up that several groups attend each year to kick the warmer season off on the right foot. If you missed out, be sure to sign-up for our newsletter to get in on the #voluntbeering next month!

John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge

The John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, established in 1972 as the Tinicum National Environmental Center, serves to protect the largest remaining freshwater tidal marsh in Pennsylvania. It was renamed in 1991 after the late H. John Heinz III who had helped preserve Tinicum Marsh. The Refuge totals over 1,000 acres and there are plans to expand to 1,200 acres through future land acquisition.

Our group partnered with the Friends of John Heinz and several other local environmental groups to clean as much of the area as possible. It's a beautiful place with amazing wildlife - we saw a bald eagle (!!) while we were there - that should be preserved and protected. 

You would not believe some of the items we pulled out of the mud and marsh. Everything from bicycles to trash cans, bottles to baby dolls, and even a child's ride on car. There were three dumpsters full (one pictured below) and the rangers on-site told us we could come back each day and pick up the same amount of trash. 

The #Afterjawn

Because we were protecting our wonderful, Federal land there were no beers to be had. But we did have tons of pizza, snacks, and sunshine to soak up! Huge thank you to Friends of John Heinz, La Colombe, High Point Coffee, Trader Joe's, KIND Bar, and Costco! We were caffeinated and energized and we did some really great work with your help.