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The Wind in the Willows of Bucks County
Less than 200 copies of the collector's edition leather-bound version of
The Wind in the Willows of Bucks County are available to the public for a donation to Heritage Conservancy's Keeping The Promise (KTP) fund, which can be submitted through our website
HERE.
This book is a community legacy piece and high-end collector's item that will be cherished for years to come.
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Heritage Conservancy Photo Contest 
Wednesday, May 23rd to Monday, June 25th
Calling all shutterbugs! We want your best Bucks County or Montgomery County photos that celebrate our natural and historic heritage during spring, summer, autumn or winter. Up to 12 winners could be featured in our 2019 Heritage Conservancy wall calendar! Your photo entries must be submitted to Heritage Conservancy between Wednesday, May 23rd, and Monday, June 25, 2018. Photographers can enter up to three images.
Click HERE for more information and to submit your photos.
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Decades of Preservation: Heritage Conservancy's 60th Anniversary Celebration 
Thursday, June 14th
5:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Aldie Mansion
85 Old Dublin Pike
Doylestown, PA 18901
Have you heard the news?
Heritage Conservancy is turning 60!
Join us to celebrate with delicious food and a fun look back at the history of our unique region.
Click
HERE for more information and to purchase tickets.
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Agriculture and Your Environment:
A Lecture with Sarah Dohle 
Saturday, June 16th
Beginning at 11:00 AM
Heritage Conservancy's Russell-Mandel Preserve
Buckingham Township, PA
As a professor at Delaware Valley University with a Ph.D. in Plant Biology, Sarah Dohle has many field projects in the works. Join us for this informative session and come with questions you may have about sustainable agriculture and the quality of our food systems here in Bucks County and globally.
Click
HERE for more information and to purchase tickets.
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Concerts in the Garden 
Tuesday, June 26th
6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Aldie Mansion
85 Old Dublin Pike
Doylestown, PA 18901
Concerts in the Garden is back for the summer every 4th Tuesday of the month from May through September! Just like Martha Dana Mercer did in this same garden more than 50 years ago, we're opening Aldie Mansion and inviting people to come sit on the lawn and listen to great local musical acts.
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 on bands, or contact us at 215-345-7020 with any questions.
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Foraging for Edible Mushrooms 
Saturday, July 14th
9:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Heritage Conservancy's Hart's Woods Preserve
Doylestown Township, PA
Ever wonder about which mushrooms you can eat? Well, come and find out! Jamie Hollander Catering & Events head chef, Luke Smithson, will lead a hike through the forest to identify wild edibles and provide a light picnic lunch for attendees. This is a favorite event for
many of our members; this is our fourth
year offering it!
Light picnic lunch provided. $20 for members; $30 for non-members. Contact Emily at
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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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Galearis Woods: Preserved!
"In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks." This John Muir quote is a favorite among nature lovers because it resonates with so many people. Within the context of the story of Charlie Jaeger and Adele Vessey, it means so much more.
Charlie and Adele were each enjoying their own separate hikes about three years ago on Haycock Mountain in Haycock Township when they encountered each other along the trail. Charlie, a plant ecologist who as a child lived in Reading, PA, and Adele, originally from West Virginia, began talking and quickly realized that their paths in life had fatefully brought them here to this spot. After a courtship and an eventual marriage proposal, they formed an even deeper appreciation for this special place.
Charlie and Adele purchased a 90-acre parcel of land, just a quarter mile from where they first met, that is located along East Sawmill Road and adjacent to Nockamixon State Games Lands at Haycock Mountain. One of Charlie and Adele's favorite discoveries on their property was that of the beautiful purple and white
galearis spectabilis flower (also known as the showy orchid, which is a native to this region). They purchased the property in November, so it wasn't until the spring of the following year that they found the flower in abundant bloom. Charlie and Adele dubbed the property "Galearis Woods" after finding them. Searching for the showy orchids each spring is now a favorite activity that they do together.
Galearis Woods consists mainly of woodlands, a stream, and massive diabase boulders that dominate the landscape. Their main motivation for purchasing their property was to protect the land from development, but they knew that that would only go so far. They chose to preserve their property to safeguard it for future generations. That is when Heritage Conservancy entered into Charlie and Adele's story.
Working with Haycock Township, Heritage Conservancy recently placed a conservation easement on Charlie and Adele's property.
Galearis Woods' preservation is consistent with two of the four goals of Haycock Township's Open Space Plan: it maintains and enhances the rural character of Haycock Township, and it protects critical natural features for the protection of the community's residents and for the conservation of the natural environment. It was also important to secure the few privately owned lands that are located within the boundary of Nockamixon State Park. If Galearis Woods had ever been fully developed, it could have had a tremendous negative impact on the sensitive natural areas within the park.
"Certainly in Haycock Township and in Bucks County as a whole, we really treasure all the land that we're lucky enough to preserve, and we couldn't do it without the landowners and without all of our wonderful partners who help to make it happen," said Heritage Conservancy's Senior Land Conservationist, Laura Baird.
Charlie and Adele at settlement on their property--
we had just surprised them with a Heritage Conservancy goodie bag!
Along with protecting potentially rare plant life on the property, the preservation of Galearis Woods safeguards essential habitat that allows animal life to thrive. Galearis Woods supports a variety of wildlife that includes dozens of species of mammals, reptiles, amphibians and birds that have been observed on the property. Charlie and Adele truly love these magical woodlands.
"In its pristine state, it is heartbreakingly beautiful," says Charlie.
They want everyone to enjoy what they experience every day. Thankfully, Charlie and Adele have graciously agreed to allow a publicly accessible nature trail through a portion of their property to provide direct access to the adjacent State Game Lands, which will provide our community with a front row seat to the wonders of this important natural resource.
Charlie and Adele now have a new life together on a property that they have ensured will be protected in perpetuity. During that one fateful walk in nature, they certainly found far more than they set out for.
The preservation success of Galearis Woods was made possible through funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and Bucks County with support from Haycock Township and Heritage Conservancy's Calvin Ruth Memorial Fund.
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Connecting with Croydon Woods
On Saturday, May 5th, we hosted Earth Day in May, an environmental fair, at our Croydon Woods Nature Preserve in partnership with fourteen community organizations that all make a positive impact in our region. Heritage Conservancy's aim for Earth Day in May was to educate people about environmental and community issues and actions they could take to make a difference in their community.
Croydon Woods Nature Preserve is an 80-acre forested property in Bristol Township, and it is one of the last remaining wooded wetland forests in the region. It provides publically accessible green space in a more developed area of Bucks County. Many mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians inhabit the forest, and it also serves as a migratory stop for traveling birds. By connecting the community with this important natural resource, the Conservancy hopes to promote stewardship of it.
At Earth Day in May, Heritage Conservancy provided guided hikes of Croydon Woods, EnviroScape demonstrations, and a nature explorer activity pack for kids. There was also a lot of conversation about ATV use in Croydon Woods and the negative impact it can cause within the ecosystem and on the Delaware River.
The Croydon Woods Nature Preserve is closed to all motorized vehicles. Unfortunately, ATV use is rampant on the property, and it has resulted in the ecosystem suffering destructive ecological impacts. ATV users have created "trails" from long-term use in the forest. These trails have heavily compacted soils, which prevent plants from being able to thrive or proliferate in those areas, and the compacted soils result in erosion issues and flooding of nearby neighborhoods, which happens often there. When rainfall occurs, it cannot permeate into the ground's surface, so runoff takes place, therefore carrying debris, soil, and pollutants with it, causing flash flooding. The ATV trails continue to expand more and more each year, which shrinks habitat for wildlife, causing a severely fragmented forest that significantly decreases survivability. Wildlife and plants suffer physical injury and death from ATV use. Heritage Conservancy is working hard to curtail ATV use on the property.
Croydon Woods Nature Preserve is open to the public for all to enjoy. We hope that Earth Day in May helped to show the community this beautiful preserve where people can go and enjoy the great outdoors for passive recreation such as walking, jogging, nature study, and dog walking.
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Connecting kids with nature
It's always a great day when we can connect the younger generation with nature! We had a wonderful field trip at our Quakertown Swamp Preserve in the beginning of May with 2nd and 3rd graders from the United Friends School. It was quite an adventure for the kids from start to finish, from the wonderful Richland Township police escort that helped them safely cross the street to get to the swamp to then walking through wet, swampy areas and walking over narrow boards to cross vernal pools.
Shannon Fredebaugh, our Senior Community Outreach Associate, explained to the kids about the swamp's ecosystem and its importance to our community. She took them on a hike of the property and searched for turtles and explored under logs for insects and salamanders. No luck finding any salamanders, but they were successful in finding a turtle!
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Come celebrate 60 with us!
Heritage Conservancy has announced the date for Decades of Preservation, a ticketed dinner event that celebrates the Conservancy's 60th anniversary as an organization. On Thursday, June 14th, beginning at 5:30 PM, Heritage Conservancy opens the doors to Aldie Mansion to welcome guests for this exciting occasion.
Think about one of your favorite places to drive past or hike at in Bucks County. Most likely, it consists of the historic and natural heritage that makes our area so unique. Heritage Conservancy's goal for Decades of Preservation is to commemorate those places and our organization's impact on the community over the past 60 years, which could not have happened without the dedication and support of a strong community, and how together, we have helped shape our region for the better.
The exclusive caterer of Decades of Preservation, Jeffrey A. Miller Catering, has prepared a delicious spread of heavy hors d'oeuvres. With a menu that's focused on trendy foods with a twist, you can dine through the decades with festive fares like "Hotel California rolls" and "Go Shorty, it's your birthday cake pop."
We'll also take a fun look back at the history of our unique region while emphasizing important milestones that Heritage Conservancy has achieved thanks to community support. We are all responsible for the stewardship of our open spaces and historic places, and we hope that we can celebrate the beauty of Bucks County together!
To learn more or to purchase tickets, click
HERE.
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