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Historic Nicholas Austin House for Sale
This historic home in Buckingham Township is set for auction
on Wednesday, May 10th!
James and Pamela Gory generously
donated the Nicholas Austin House to our organization so that we could use the funds from its sale to further land conservation
efforts in our area.
The building's exterior has a
façade easement on it (placed by
Heritage Conservancy), which ensures
that the Nicholas Austin House is one structure in our ever-changing landscape
that is
here to stay.
To learn more about the house and auction, click
HERE.
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Following the Trail of the Hermit of Buckingham Mountain
Saturday, May 6th
9:30 AM to 11:30 AM
Meet at Aldie Mansion
85 Old Dublin Pike
Doylestown, PA 18901
Heritage Conservancy owns most of Buckingham Mountain, which was once the home of Albert Large, who was known as the Hermit of Buckingham Mountain in the
late-1800s. Botanist Dr. Ann Rhoads will
lead a very exclusive hike up the mountain, identifying rare and beautiful
plants growing there.
$20 for Heritage Conservancy members,
$40 for nonmembers. Boxed lunch served
on the mountaintop. Click HERE for more information, or please register at
215-345-7020.
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It's Time to BirdBlitz!
Wednesday, May 10th
6:00 AM to 8:00 PM for birding
10:00 AM for a guided hike
Bristol Marsh Nature Preserve
350 Basin Park
Bristol, PA 19007
Are you an avid birder? Do you enjoy learning about birds and beautiful natural areas? If so, then join Heritage Conservancy and Silver Lake Nature Center for a BirdBlitz at Bristol Marsh.
**Volunteer birders are invited to survey for birds from 6:00 AM until 8:00 PM at the Marsh. You will be provided with information and materials to go at your own pace, helping us to gather an extensive list of the birds utilizing Bristol Marsh.
If you can't make it to the birding survey,
join us at 10:00 AM for a guided hike
around the marsh!
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Concerts in the Garden
Tuesday, May 23rd
6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Aldie Mansion
85 Old Dublin Pike
Doylestown, PA 18901
Concerts
in
the
Garden
returns in May! E
very 4th Tuesday of
the
month through September, we're opening Aldie Mansion and inviting people to come sit on the lawn and listen to great local musical acts just like Martha Dana Mercer did
in
this same
garden
more than 50 years ago.
Rain or shine! Free for everyone! No need
to register. Bring your own seating and
picnic dinner if you wish. Click
HERE
for
more information and for each
month's band lineup.
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Frog Frolic!
Saturday, June 17th
10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Heritage Conservancy's
Jackson Pond Preserve
Buckingham Township, PA
(Call for directions)
Join us for family fun while frolicking with frogs and other amphibians that call Jackson Pond Preserve home! Grab a picnic blanket and your hiking boots and join us for a hopping good time as we explore the world of amphibians. Listen to a story about pond life then take a stroll searching for frogs around the pond. We'll end the morning fun with pond bingo and frog-themed crafts and activities.
$10 for Heritage Conservancy members (price is for a family, up to 5 people); $20 for nonmembers (family price also, up to 5 people). Contact us at 215-345-7020 to register, or click
HERE for more information.
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Farm to Table
Saturday, August 5th
Beginning at 5:30 PM
at Heritage Conservancy's
Russell-Mandel Preserve
1515 Holicong Road
Buckingham, PA 18912
Join us at a picturesque preserved property and enjoy a gourmet meal prepared by Jamie Hollander Catering & Events using farm-fresh and locally-sourced ingredients. This event sells out every year so don't wait to purchase your tickets!
Click
HERE for more information or to purchase tickets.
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Any time of year is perfect for a wedding at historic
Aldie Mansion!
Visit our
for details.
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Talking salamanders at Groveland Elementary School
Groveland Elementary School in Doylestown, PA, recently welcomed Laura Baird, our Senior Land Conservationist, into Miss Jennifer Flanagan's 2nd grade classroom for a lively discussion about amphibians and salamanders living in the Quakertown Swamp.
While highlighting the importance of protecting land to save our wildlife, Laura explained that amphibians are bioindicators, which means that they are sensitive to any changes in the health of their surrounding environment. It is paramount to pay close attention to these "canaries in the coal mine."
This window into the world of critters that Laura provided the students helped to connect what they were learning about in class with real world applications.
"The 2nd graders in our classroom were able to connect our unit of study on habitats in science to a real world experience right in our own backyard through Ms. Baird's presentation. We loved learning about the salamanders that live in the woodlands of Bucks County. It was so neat to see how we can get involved to help these amphibians with Heritage Conservancy," said Miss Jennifer Flanagan. "Ms. Baird's presentation was informative, engaging, and made the learning of 2nd graders at Groveland Elementary School authentic!"
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Celebrating our compassionate volunteers
The last week in April was National Volunteer Week, and on Thursday, April 27th, we hosted a volunteer appreciation luncheon to celebrate the accomplishments of our compassionate volunteers and all that they do to strengthen our mission.
The theme for the occasion was the famed quote by Margaret Mead: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." Heritage Conservancy's 450 volunteers are a catalyst for positive change in our community.
While addressing the gr
oup, Jeff Marshall, our President, stressed the importance of what volunteering with Heritage Conservancy means for our community. "Volunteering for conservation activities provides opportunities to forge meaningful connections to the earth and each other. Volunteers embrace these opportunities because they understand that beyond the conservation work itself is the importance of forging a community worth preserving."
During the luncheon, we recognized two standout volunteers with Volunteer of the Year awards.
Shannon Fredebaugh, our Senior Community Engagement Associate, presented the first award to Jim Sharkey, who has put in 250 hours of volunteer time this year.
"Jim has worked diligently in the gardens here at Aldie Mansion and he quickly became a regular part of the mansion's A-team (a name coined by Jim)," said Shannon. "You know you've found a great person and volunteer when the winter season gets slow and he wants to meet with you to discuss more ideas of ways he'd like to help. That is Jim Sharkey, always eager to help in any way he can."
Shannon presented the other award to Kathleen McAloon, who has donated 150 hours of her time this year.
"Kathleen McAloon joined us at the front desk here at Aldie Mansion a little over a year and half ago and has brought such a wonderful spirit and energy to her role there, always with a story or joke to tell," said Shannon during the luncheon. "Kathleen is now leading the silent auction initiative for our Farm to Table fundraiser, which is a big project, but her enthusiasm, skills, and knowledge will make it a success."
Heritage Conservancy's staff members were pleased to have this opportunity to thank all of our volunteers, who are truly an extension of our staff. Jeff Marshall said it best when he told the group of dedicated volunteers, "We who work here appreciate you, admire you, respect you, and thank you."
Thank you to
McCaffrey's Food Markets, our Catering Sponsor, for generously providing the lunch, and thank you to
Bux-Mont Awards for generously donating
Heritage Conservancy reusable water bottles for our volunteers.
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GSK at our Sol and Rose Preserve
On April 19th, eleven GSK employees joined us at our Sol and Rose Preserve in Upper Makefield to help clear trails and remove litter. GSK provides their employees with opportunities to make a positive impact in their communities, and this cleanup marked GSK's seventh year volunteering with us!
Heritage Conservancy's Sol and Rose Preserve is a 25-acre property consisting of floodplain wetland forest with a meandering walking trail. Located along the Delaware River, this property provides an enjoyable detour off of the
Delaware Canal towpath, which is part of the D&L Trail.
The majority of the cleanup revolved around removing old car tires from the property--144 of them to be exact. That's 36 cars worth of tires! Towpath walkers stopped and chatted with our group, in awe of the mountains of tires.
A cleanup of the Sol and Rose Preserve from last fall amassed over 100 tires, so that's a total of 250 tires that have been removed from the property in less than one year.
Why is it important to remove tires, you ask? Fewer tires means fewer breeding grounds for mosquitoes, fewer chemicals leaching into our water, and not to mention, it looks a lot prettier without them!
Thank you to our volunteers for being up to such an undertaking and to Delaware Canal State Park for disposing of the tires for us.
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A tree-lined stream at Hart's Woods Preserve
With the help of a group of dedicated volunteers, we recently planted trees at our Hart's Woods Preserve in Doylestown. This preserve is an approximately 20-acre parcel of mature woodlands that contains a tributary of the Neshaminy Creek.
Throughout the day, our crew planted 40 trees of 17 different native species in the riparian buffer along the creek tributary. These trees will strengthen the stream bank and help to protect water quality. The group also made wire fence cages to go around the trees to protect them from deer browsing.
Preserving a property is just the first step--it requires continual monitoring and maintenance to keep our preserves healthy. If you'd like to get involved in helping protect our preserves, contact us at 215-345-7020.
This project was financed in part by a Growing Greener Grant provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
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