newsletter of the friends of heinz refuge at tinicum marsh ... · on april 20th, 2012 at patuxent...

www.friendsofheinzrefuge.org Marsh Musings Summer 2012

Marsh MusingsMarsh MusingsMarsh Musings Summer 2012 Volume 0212

Kindergarten Pollinator Garden Partnership Formed

With Radnor Middle School Watershed Program

Newsletter of the Friends of Heinz Refuge at Tinicum

As the Kindergarten Interpretive

Pollinator Garden enters its second

year it is alive with pollinators and is

serving as habitat for brown snakes,

toads and green frogs. The wild col-

umbine has already been in bloom

and setting seedpods. The pond and

waterfall are becoming a first stop

for families with young children.

The Pollinator garden is getting no-

ticed both near and far and presents

exciting photo opportunities for area

photographers.

Pollinator project leader, Chuck

Lafferty, and his first grade students

weed and tend to the garden during

monthly field trips. In April the

students were assisted by Deputy

Refuge Manager Mariana Bergerson

as they placed plant identification

labels in the Pollinator Garden.

Meanwhile at Longstreth Elementary

School, students have completed all

the native plant nursery beds in our

schoolyard habitat area.

The Longstreth students are

happy to announce that they have

formed a partnership with the stu-

dents of the Radnor Middle School

Watershed Program. Radnor stu-

dents visited Longstreth on April

19th to meet their garden buddies for

a fun day of planting potatoes, straw-

berries and sharing their favorite li-

brary books beneath the shade trees

in Longstreth’s schoolyard.

The two diverse schools will be

sharing ideas on green spaces as well

as teaming up to get out the message

that time spent enjoying nature is

just as important in a child’s devel-

opment as classroom instruction.

One of the ideas the two schools will

be working on is the possibility of

presenting this message at the next

Philadelphia Flower Show.

Be on the lookout for our Pollina-

tor Garden Expansion. The new area

will include shrubs and trees that are

important to pollinators. Another

feature will be the construction of

handicapped accessible raised flower

beds. Plans also include an explora-

tion area where children will be able

to satisfy their sense of curiosity

about the relationship of plants, soil,

sunlight and water—all sound habi-

tat requirements. The crowning

piece of the expansion project will

be a ground level model of a green

roof (garden) complete with interpre-

tive signage.

The next time you visit the Refuge

be sure and stop by the Pollinator

Garden, pause awhile, sit on the

bench, and enjoy the waterfall.

While you are relaxing, take note of

the diverse populations of pollinators

on foot or wing that are all around

you. In no time you will realize what

a special place this garden is becom-

ing. Chuck Lafferty

FOHR BOARD MEETINGS : The public is always welcome to attend Board Meetings, which are at 6:30 pm in the

small building on the opposite side of the parking lot from the Cusano Center ~ 4th Tuesday of the Month.

From the President’s Pen

A Partnership is Forged. Pictured here

on the cross impoundment boardwalk

at the Heinz Refuge are pollinator gar-

den students from Longstreth Elemen-

tary School in west Philadelphia and

Radnor Middle School students who

joined them to work on the “Garden”.

P Photo By: Chuck Lafferty Thanks to all our partners who

made this dream possible, espe-

cially The National Fish & Wild-

life Foundation which funded it.

2


On Monday, March 26th the PA

Junior Duck stamp contest judg-

ing was held at John Heinz Na-

tional Wildlife Refuge. More than

250 students participated in this

year’s program that promotes

conservation through the arts.

Students learned about wetlands

and waterfowl conservation as

they prepare their art entries.

In each of the four age catego-

ries we award 3 first place, 3 sec-

ond place, 3 third place and 16

honorable mentions for the entire

state out of which the our state’s

Best of Show (BOS) was for-

warded on to the National Finals

on April 20th, 2012 at Patuxent

Research Refuge in Maryland.

Taylor Fiorentino, an 18 year old

senior at Lebanon County Career

and Technology School, in Leba-

non, Pennsylvania, won this

year’s 2012 Best-of-Show for

Pennsylvania with her design of a

pair of Mallards in acrylic. Her

winning entry from Pennsylvania

has been forwarded to Washing-

ton DC where she will represent

Thanks so much to all

Friends members and

volunteers who help

make the Heinz NWR

the best it can be!!

A quarterly publication of the Friends of

the Heinz Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum

Board of Directors

Hank Hox, President

Denis Brennan, Vice President

Joe Pugh, Treasurer

Fran Miller, Secretary

Annemarie Rapp, Store Mgr.

Jean Diehl, Newsletter Editor

Jesse Smith, Webmaster

Debbie Beer

Chuck Lafferty

Ron Miller

Stanley Rapp

Tom Reeves

Stephen Watson

The Friends of the Heinz Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum is a non-profit cooperating association founded in 1997 to assist the U. S. Fish &

Wildlife Service in carrying out its educational, interpretive, and

public use missions.

8601 Lindbergh Boulevard

Philadelphia, PA 19153

www.friendsofheinzrefuge.org

OR

Find us on Facebook!!

Marsh MusingsMarsh MusingsMarsh Musings

The official registration and financial information of the Friends of the Heinz Refuge at Tinicum may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll-free within Pennsylvania, 1-800-732-0999.

our state in the Best-in-the-Nation

competition for the entire coun-

try! Let’s wish her our best from

Pennsylvania!

The winning entry of the na-

tional competition will be created

into the Junior Duck Stamp and

proceeds from its sale go towards

supporting environmental educa-

tion. Be sure to visit the FOHR

bookstore to pick up your Junior

Duck Stamp today!

Also, be on the lookout for the

new and updated Federal Junior

Duck Stamp Curriculum which

will be available for download

soon at http://www.fws.gov/

juniorduck/. See all the first place

entries onl ine at : http:/ /

w w w . f w s . g o v / h e i n z / J r %

2 0 D u c k % 2 0 S t a m p %

20Contest.html

Mariana Bergerson, FWS

PA Federal Junior Duck Stamp

Winners Announced

PA Best of Show Entry by 18 year old

Taylor Fiorentino from Lebanon

County Career and Technical School.

Photo Credit: FWS

PA State Junior Duck Stamp Competi-

tion Judges: Gerry Putt (Artist), Nick

Biasini (Ducks Unlimited), Nancy Pow-

ell (John James Audubon Center at

Mill Grove), Ned Connelly (Friends of

Heinz Refuge), Kermit Henning

(Outdoor Journalist).

Photo Credit: USFWS

http://www.fws.gov/juniorduck/

http://www.fws.gov/juniorduck/

http://www.fws.gov/heinz/Jr%20Duck%20Stamp%20Contest.html




3


While Hurricane Irene, which blew

through our area last summer, may

be in our distant memory, refuge

staff and volunteers have been hard

at work repairing the damage from

the storm. With $2500 of funds do-

nated by FOHR and volunteer assis-

tance from the Delaware County

Community Service Council, Mike

McMenamin and Tom Hughes of the

refuge maintenance staff designed

and oversaw construction of the

boardwalk to accommodate many

uses. The boardwalk is an important

connection for birders and hikers

while the wider sections of the

boardwalk will easily accommodate

environmental education students as

they collect water samples to analyze

the aquatic microorganisms back in

the classrooms. The little boardwalk

is also great place to sit and watch

turtles basking on a log or great blue

herons hunting their next meal. Fa-

cility Manager, Mike McMenamin,

stated that “It has been a great team

effort in rebuilding the little board-

walk which will be used by visitors

for years to come. The funds from

FOHR have allowed us to purchase

some of the recycled Trex material

and the volunteer labor from Dela-

ware County Community Service

Council has made the project pro-

gress very quickly! With support

from Delaware County Community

Service Council and FOHR we were

able to reduce the cost of boardwalk

construction from an estimated

$60,000 to $12,000 – saving $48,000

in our refuge budget! ”

The Delaware County Community

Service Council, which requires non-

violent offenders to perform hours of

community service as part of the In-

termediate Punishment Plan, has

generated over three million hours of

community service and has been a

valuable source of volunteers for a

variety of Refuge projects. The

leader for the community service

crews described the experience as

“not only helpful to the refuge but an

educational experience for the com-

munity service members as they are

learning valuable skills about giving

back, making a difference, and pro-

tecting wildlife habitats.”


Delaware County Community Service Assists Refuge Staff with

Rebuilding the Little Boardwalk with Funds Donated by FOHR

The Delaware County Community Service

Council carries materials for the new board-

walk and is instructed by Mike McMenamin

on how to nail down the replacement boards.

Photo Credit: USFWS

Invasive Northern Snakehead Found at John Heinz Refuge

An invasive snakehead fish was

captured in the lagoons by Route 420

at John Heinz National Wildlife Ref-

uge on March 22, 2012. The fish

caught at John Heinz NWR was 24

inches long and 5.3lbs. Exotic spe-

cies like snakeheads disrupt natural

aquatic systems and may have sig-

nificant impacts by feeding on and

competing with native and/or natu-

ralized fishes. At all stages of their

lives, northern snakeheads compete

with native fish for food. They are

voracious predators, feeding on fish,

crustaceans, frogs, reptiles, and even

small birds and mammals. Its air

bladder works like a primitive lung,

allowing them to survive out of the

water in moist locations for up to

four days.

Anyone who believes they have

caught a northern snakehead on

Heinz National Wildlife Refuge is

urged not to release it. Anglers

catching snakeheads should dispose

of them properly by removing the

head, placing the remains in a plastic

bag, and disposing of it in the trash

can.

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat

Commission State regulations re-

garding snakeheads are:

It is unlawful to possess live

snakehead species in Pennsyl-

vania.

Transportation of live snakehead

species in or through Pennsyl-

vania is prohibited.

It is unlawful for a person to sell,

purchase, offer for sale, or barter

live snakehead species in Penn-

sylvania.

It is unlawful to introduces or

import live snakehead species

into PA waters

Anglers suspecting they have

caught a snakehead must NOT

release it. Brendalee Phillips, FWS

4


struction and Tinicum Township as

we wrap up more than a million dol-

lars worth of donated construction to

rebuild the Dike Road that was

washed out by storms last fall.

New recycled bleachers have ar-

rived for the pavilion and will be

used for environmental education

classes. Many of the refuge’s other

wonderful partnerships continue to

help build refuge programs from

weed warriors battling invasive spe-

cies, Longstreth Elementary School

& FOHR expanding the pollinator

garden, to the Philly Zoo/AZA Frog-

Watch citizen science program and

DVOC/Audubon/Philly Zoo adding

bird safe additions to visitor center

windows.

This year 200 volunteers removed

9 tons (250 cubic yards) of trash at

the refuge’s annual Darby Creek

Cleanup/Earth Day event. Thanks as

always to everyone helping to pro-

tect wildlife habitat and expand im-

portant conservation education pro-

grams.

Enjoy the longer summer days

with healthy outdoor activities

here at John Heinz NWR. Remem-

ber to bring your friends and families

on out to enjoy the Refuge’s many

free programs offered every week-

end and discover new ways to con-

nect back to nature on your National

Wildlife Refuge System…. where

wildlife comes naturally.

On the personnel side, congratula-

tions to our new Deputy Refuge

Manager Mariana Bergerson who

has done outstanding work for the

past two years in visitor services

here at Heinz. Mariana holds a Mas-

ters degree in biology and brings

tremendous talent and experience in

key areas that John Heinz NWR was

established for as an urban refuge.

Prior to joining our staff, Mariana

managed the visitor services pro-

grams for Willapa NWR refuge com-

plex in Washington state. Her ex-

perience also includes working in

both maintenance and biology pro-

grams at Willapa, and with the Na-

tional Park Service in California.

Mariana has worked for several im-

portant refuge partnerships including

the Philly Zoo, local museums and

universities. as well as overseas in

both Tanzania and Costa Rica.

Please take a moment to congratu-

late Mariana her promotion and

welcome her to her new position as

Deputy Refuge Manager!!

Following a spring of very unusual

weather patterns, summer is now

approaching us here at John Heinz

NWR. Many early migrants were

noted on the refuge this year as well

as earlier wildflowers and nesting

behavior. By mid April waves of

palm and pine warblers had already

moved through along with hermit

thrushes, waterfowl and shorebirds.

Our resident bald eagles even

seemed early as they produced

young for their third year now on the

refuge.

Our nocturnal anuran vocali-

zation surveys yielded wood frogs,

pickerel frogs and spring peepers

calling later into spring than past

years, while both green frogs and

bullfrogs started earlier. American

toads which have always been very

scarce or absent from refuge also

showed up in fair numbers on this

year’s surveys.

While climate changes are dynamic

and not completely understood, there

are scientists across the globe study-

ing these important issues including

looking at potential partnerships to

protect habitat in areas where the

home ranges may shift among vari-

ous species of flora and fauna.

On the construction side of

things, the new solar panels at the

Visitor Center have been completed

as has our new “little” boardwalk

(built from recycled plastic material)

….. Special thanks to Mike, Tom &

Delaware County Community Ser-

vice for a great job, as well as to

FOHR for their $2,500 donation to-

ward materials.

Special thanks also to AP Con-

By Gary Stolz

Our annual Darby Creek Cleanup

yielded tons of trash picked up by will-

ing volunteers. Photo By: Ned Levi

Introducing Our New

Deputy Refuge Manager

5


Join Us as we Welcome Our Summer 2012 Refuge Interns

Hello Everyone! Those of you who participated in

the summer camps last year may remember me as

Ms. Frankie. I have just finished my sophomore

year as an education major at Neumann University

and I’m back again as a STEP (Student Temporary

Employee Program) Intern. I am proud and excited

to develop the Story Time and Family Program

events for June, July, and August (see pages 6 & 7

for dates and times). I will also be assisting with the

two summer camps!

The Family Program events will meet in the Visi-

tor Center lobby and then head out on the trails for some adventure and ex-

ploring!

Story Time, designed for younger children provides a great opportunity for

kids ages 3-10 to relax and listen to a story with friends and family followed

by a fun craft to take home.

Tajuan is a senior engineering student from

Middle Tennessee State University. He has pre-

viously worked at the Maine Coastal Islands

National Wildlife Refuges and at Long Island

National Wildlife Refuge Complex as an SCA

intern for two summers before interning at the

Heinz refuge last summer. This summer Tajuan

will be working with the Facility Manager,

Mike McMenamin, and the maintenance staff at

Heinz NWR to improve the trails and supervise

the high school SCA interns among many other

projects.

Refuge Manager, Gary Stolz in-

vites us all to welcome our three

interns who will be joining us at

John Heinz NWR this summer.

You may remember Tajuan Levy

who worked at the refuge as an in-

tern in the summer of 2011. He is

wrapping up his engineering degree

at Middle Tennessee State Univer-

sity and will be returning the first

week of June through the Student

Career Experience Program

(SCEP) as a facility manager

trainee.

Frankie Cook, our former Career

Discovery Internship Program

(CDIP) internship from last sum-

mer has now been hired back

through the Student Temporary

Employment Program (STEP)

while continuing her school work

in education at Neumann Univer-

sity

Shanita Brown will join our team

this summer from Ursinus College

as our new 6 week CDIP intern.

Shanita says she is excited to meet

everyone at the refuge and get her

hands dirty doing good things for

conservation.

In addition to our three summer

internships, we are gearing up to

host the Student Conservation As-

sociation again this year with 5-6

SCA six week summer service

learning work programs (adding

Camden as a new location), each

employing up to 10 inner city stu-

dents and 2 group leaders, as well

as a “super” group leader/assistant

coordinator and of course Corrin as

our year round SCA manager for a

total up to 70 employees in this

year’s SCA program.

My name is Shanita Brown and I grew up

in South West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,

attended Freire Charter High School, and am

now attending Ursinus College. When I de-

cided I wanted to play an integral role in pro-

tecting the environment, my teachers cheered

me on. Growing up in the city, I was never

exposed to farms, forests or biodiversity. .

I am looking forward to interning at the

Heinz NWR because I will be able to get my

hands dirty doing something I care so much about. Conservation is extremely

important yet it involves more than just protecting animals. It’s about devel-

oping respect and appreciation for the land we share with them. I will be a

part of something amazing this summer, and I am confident this will give me

the skills I need to make a positive impact on my community and the environ-

ment. I can’t wait to be challenged and serve as a role model for the African-

American community. I want to mold a success story for the environment.

6


Program Information

Bird Walks last 2—3

hours. They are suitable

for all level of birders.

They are weather depend-

ent, and begin at the Visi-

tor Center unless other-

wise noted. Binoculars

are available for loan at

the visitor center front

desk.

Story Time is best for

children ages 4 thru 7.

Nature Explorers in-

cludes a short program

and walk. The programs

are best for children from

8 to 14.

Trail Tamers Join the

maintenance volunteers

for a good workout!

Generally 3 hours long.

Holiday Closings

Refuge buildings will be

closed on Monday,

May 28th for Memorial

Day, and Wednesday,

July 4th. The grounds

are open from sunrise to

sunset every day.

June

2 New Arrivals 8am Mary Ellen Krober

Bald Eagle Walk & Learn 9am PA Young Birders

3 Early Birds 8am Edie Parnum

9 Birds, Trees, and Flowers 8am Tom Reeves

Kids Get Out & Bird 8-11am PA Young Birders

Trail Tamers 9am Hank Hox

Summer Flowers 1pm Dick Cloud

10 Early Summer Birds 8am Debbie Beer

Nature Explorers 2pm Environment

16 New Arrivals? 8am Barb Hiebsch

Story Time & Craft 1pm Environment

17 Birds and Butterflies 9am Cliff Hence

24 Birding by Ear 8am Gregg Gorton

30 Tinicum’s Birds 8am Lynn Roman

Family Fishing Day 9:30-noon

40th Anniversary Party 1-3pm Friends of Heinz Refuge

July

7 Summer Birds 8am Debbie Beer

8 Nature Explorers 2pm Habitat

14 Hot Birding! 8am Debbie Beer

Trail Tamers 9am Hank Hox

Mid Summer Blooms 1pm Dick Cloud

15 Birds and Butterflies 9am Cliff Hence


Story Time & Craft - 1pm Habitat

22 Any New Arrivals? 9am Mary Ellen Krober

Butterflies at Rt. 420 * 9am Cliff Hence

28 Tinicum’s Birds 8am Lynn Roman

29 Mid-Summer Birds 9am Barb Hiebsch

Summer 2012 Walk & Events Schedule

7


August

4 Hot Summer Birds 8am Debbie Beer

5 Who’s Still Here? 8am Edie Parnum

11 Birds, Trees, and Flowers 8am Tom Reeves

Trail Tamers 9am

Late Blooms at Rt. 420 * 1pm Dick Cloud


Nature Explorers 2pm Alternative Energy

18 Birds and Flowers 9am Cliff Hence

Story Time & Craft 1pm Alternative Energy

19 Late Summer Birds 8am Barb Hiebsch

25 Hot Summer Birds 9am Robert Confer

26 Butterflies at Rt. 420 * 9am Cliff Hence

* Rt. 420 walks meet in the gravel lot.

Calling all 6 to 14 yr. olds!

Would you like to learn about wildlife and discover ways you can help them in your own yard?

Would you like to have fun learning to make a solar cooker and cooking your hot dogs on it?

Then join us at the refuge this summer!

July 9th – 12th & August 13th – 16th

Monday through Wednesday camp runs from 9 am – 1 pm

Thursday camp runs from 9am – 3pm.

Parents are welcome.

Camp is FREE—open to the first 20 campers registered.

(Light snacks will be provided during the day.)

Campers will explore the habitats of the refuge, learn about the relationships between plants, insects, and birds, make a

bird feeder and an insect pollinator home – projects to take home so that you can help make your backyard a better

place for wildlife! We will investigate alternative energy sources and explore ways we can use them every day.

Campers should be prepared to spend a significant time outside.

For more information or to register, please call Erika at 215-365-3118, or [email protected]

Celebrate Summer at the

John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum

* Volunteer Training Working with Seniors & Children

Sunday, June 24, 1-3pm

* Weed Warrior Training June 9 - Refresher training 9-noon

June 23 & July 21- Basic Training 9-3

Marine Safety Program

Saturday, June 2, at 1pm

US Coast Guard Auxiliary

Bring the kids and learn how to be

safe around the water!

* Call 215 365-3118 to make your

reservations for these special

programs.

8


such as wisteria, multi-flora rose,

and Japanese knotweed.

With the support of refuge and

school staff, the students have

worked hard to maintain the integrity

of the environment so that native

flora and fauna have the opportunity

to survive and flourish on the

grounds of J.H.W.R.

Several students wrote testimoni-

als about the value of their experi-

ences at the refuge:

“Weed Warriors” Program Provides a Great

Outdoor Educational and Fun Opportunity For All Ages

Students from the Elwyn David-

son School have been volunteering

their time since October to help com-

bat invasive species plants at John

Heinz Wildlife Refuge as part of the

“Weed Warrior” team.

As part of The Davidson School’s

efforts to engage in environmentally

friendly initiatives, transition-aged

students (aged 14-21) who express

an interest in working outdoors at

“green” worksites (such as State

Parks, organic C.S.A. farms, and

native plant nurseries) are selected to

participate. Once trained by refuge

staff in invasive plant identification

and removal, the students make

weekly visits to the refuge and par-

ticipate in the eradication of plants

The students from the Davidson School will continue to do their part to restore the

fragile environments of their state. While gaining and building upon skills they need

to transition into life outside of school, they are making a difference in their commu-

nity for people and wildlife alike. Photographer Unknown

Lamar

“I love the teamwork. I love the

refuge so much and I now get the

chance to help it out. It’s like a sec-

ond home to me. It’s a place I go

bird watching a lot. It feels good to

help out by removing invasive

plants. When I’m stressed out or

mad, I love to go there and focus on

the beauty of the refuge; the birds

and other wildlife. …all the stress

just goes away. What I remember

the most was in 2009, during a bird-

walk, I pointed out an eagle making

a nest with a stick in its right claw.

As far as I know, that’s the first ea-

gle anybody has noticed nesting at

the refuge.”

Nick

“I think it is very instructional. Its

also very good manual labor and it

helps the environment; all good

things. And I get to cut out the bad

stuff. This way I can help save the

environment of the area. I like the

open air, seeing all the animals I got

to see at random. I took pictures of

frogs, 4 turtles, and some fish. Saw

a ton of stuff, it was cool.”

Chris

“The refuge is a nice place where

we try to protect trees, bushes, and

animals and the water. We are weed

warriors. We get the weeds off the

plants so they don’t choke them out.

There are woodpeckers, robins,

Canada geese, turtles, snakes. It’s a

great place to explore and bird-

watch and to see the sights and eve-

rything.”

Elwyn Davidson School Students Actively

Participate in the Weed Warrior Program

Multiflora Rose by James H. Miller

9


Why I am a Weed Warrior! What is a WEED WARRIOR?

A weed warrior is someone who

takes the time while birdwatching to

look at the habitat. One can’t help

but notice that the native plants that

supports this hobby are being in-

vaded and sometimes strangled by

other plants which are non-native

and invasive – but how do you tell

them apart? Easy! You ask someone

who knows or, more importantly,

you become the someone who

knows. Having the opportunity to

volunteer my time at the refuge has

allowed me to work to-

wards not one, not two,

but three very rewarding

goals.

First, if I ever figure

out what I want to do

when I grow up, I think

that I would like to be a

restoration ecologist.

What’s that? That’s a

career where a person

decides which part of the

ecosystem needs help,

and works to fix it. At

the refuge, within its several habi-

tats, the “broken parts” are as a result

of the presence of non-native and

invasive plant species. A Weed

Warrior’s job is to eradicate these

unwelcome guests. My reward is in

the satisfaction of doing so! There is

immediate gratification in removing

invasive Japanese honeysuckle vines

and oriental bittersweet vines from

native shrubs and trees. The ultimate

goal, of course, is to improve forag-

ing and nesting habitat for our feath-

ered friends. Weed warriors are

working to achieve this goal.

What exactly is an invasive spe-

cies, and why should we care about

them? Simply, an invasive species is

one which is ecologically or eco-

nomically damaging to the environ-

ment. How do you tell the good ones

.

from the bad ones? Simple, you edu-

cate yourself about them. After 20

years as a land surveyor with a de-

gree in Mechanical Engineering, I

decided I needed a change. My love

of birds, and my understanding of

their survival needs, combined with

an insatiable curiosity about how our

local habitats work, led me to a Mas-

ters’ program at Drexel University in

Environmental Science. I now use

my education and my passion to fix

things while volunteering in the ref-

uge’s Weed Warrior Program. I am

living my

dream—I am a

restoration ecolo-

gist—this is my

reward number

two. I get both

immediate and

long-term satis-

faction from my

efforts.

Finally, my

work at the ref-

uge reinforces

what my parents

told me for almost fifty years: “work

hard, make the world a better place,

have fun, and make some friends

along the way”. I truly enjoy getting

my hands dirty, and there is an unex-

pected side benefit; I’m having a lot

of fun with my friends! Thanks to

my friend Robb Kerr for all the

laughs while helping to cut shrubs or

teach Weed Warrior workshops. My

friend Don Nigroni’s witty banter

makes our hours of hard labor, cut-

ting vines, updating Tree Swallow

boxed or transplanting vegetation

easy and fun. I am enjoying my life

as a Weed Warrior immensely! Soon

I’ll plant a Dogwood tree in honor of

my late mother. I hope that all of

you will sign on as Weed Warriors,

so that you can be equally blessed.

Jeff Cooney

Repeated cutting back of Phrag-

mites will eventually kill the root

system, and the plant will be

eradicated.

Photo by: Adrian Binns

Kudos to volunteers Jeff Cooney

and Don Nigroni for their excellent

efforts to replace old Tree Swallow

boxes at Heinz Refuge with new

wooden ones. During the spring

months, they coordinated with ref-

uge staff to install about 70 new

boxes, with dozens more to com-

plete. Many of the old white plas-

tic PVC boxes were in poor shape,

some missing bottoms or roofs, or

leaning excessively. There is also

some speculation, though no scien-

tific study performed, that the

white plastic PVC absorbed too

much heat, causing less than ideal

conditions for nesting birds.

Thanks also to Refuge staffers

Mike and Tom for cutting the

poles for Jeff and Don to use in the

installation.

As Jeff says, "The Heinz Refuge

is one of Philadelphia's many

treasures, and needs to be pre-

served and protected, just like the

small world travelers that depend

on nesting sites when they return

from a long and risky migration.

Like many other staff, friends and

volunteers at the refuge, Don and I

are happy to help!"

Photos by: Adrian Binns

Jeff Cooney

Don Nigroni

10


A Refuge Photo Essay Captured by the Refuge’s

Sanjib Bhattacharyya

Marsh Wren—”Hey girls, come on

over, my nest is ready and waiting”.

“Today’s lunch—I got it”.

Growing up in a little village in

India surrounded by lots of

greenery, it is not a surprising

that I would grow up with an

interest in Nature and Wildlife

photography. I started taking

photos when I was a doctoral

student in India. Due to financial

constraints at that time, I started

with a very basic Zenit manual

film camera and a manual focus

Vivitar 70-210 mm lens! Gradu-

ally I acquired some decent

equipment which is necessary if

you really want to focus on wild

life photography. Before coming

to Philadelphia USA, I was in

Europe, but during that time I did

little photographic work.

On one fine summer afternoon,

one of my friends took me to

visit the John Heinz NWR and

after coming here I decided to

start my wildlife photography

again. It is really amazing to me

that you can have such a wild

place in the heart of fifth-most-

populous city in the USA!

Little Green Herons are always on the

watch for their next meal.

This American Bullfrog is keeping a

keen eye on his surroundings, while

basking in the sun.

Once extinct from the Tinicum area, Red Foxes are now a common sight. I was

lucky to come upon this one, relaxing in the afternoon sun.

Red-tailed Hawk -“Don’t even think

about taking it away from me; it’s mine”.

11


Photo Group Happenings

us what you would like to see in the

workshop, and if you’re interested

basic, or more advanced content.

The Photo Group is open to any

member of the Friends of the Heinz

Refuge. We welcome photographers

of any skill level from beginners, all

the way to professional photogra-

phers. As part of the Friends, we

have both a service and educational

component. We expect every mem-

ber of the Group to volunteer for the

Refuge during each year.

We have a lot fun volunteering at

the Refuge, learning about photogra-

phy and wildlife, and taking trips.

We run the annual Friends of the

Heinz Refuge Photo Contest and

have a “traveling exhibit” of our own

photography. We expect the exhibit

to again begin a journey soon, to

several locations in the Greater

Philadelphia Region.

The Photo Group meets quarterly

on the 3rd Sunday of January, April,

July, and October, at 10am, in the

Cusano Center at the Refuge. Please

note, due to scheduling problems in

July, the Photo Group has resched-

uled its meeting to July 22nd.

If you’re interested in joining the

Photo Group please contact us at:

[email protected].

Ned Levi

This past April, the Photo Group

ran a free wildlife photography

workshop for the general public. The

workshop was developed and pre-

sented by Photo Group members

Ron Holmes (macro photography),

Frank Miles (landscape photogra-

phy) and Ned Levi (general wildlife

photography).

About 20 attended the workshop,

many traveling more than an hour to

arrive at the 8am start. The workshop

began with three multimedia presen-

tations by our presenters in the Ref-

uge’s Cusano Environmental Educa-

tion Center. The presentations lasted

about 90 minutes and included ques-

tion and answer sessions with the

presenters.

After a short break, we broke up

the attendees into two groups, and

led by several members of the Photo

Group each, walked in the Refuge’s

impoundment pond area, talking

wildlife photography and giving

each attendee opportunities to pick

our members’ brains.

With the success of the workshop,

we expect to have additional work-

shops in the future. If you would like

to attend a wildlife photography

workshop, please contact us via

e m a i l a t j h n w r p h o -

[email protected]. If you can, tell

The Friends of Heinz Refuge Photo

Group has been busy in recent

months. Among our many activities

are Wildlife Photography Trips for

the Photo Group. In February, we

traveled to Columbia, New Jersey to

visit the Lakota Wolf Preserve. We

enjoyed wonderful opportunities

there to observe and photograph

Tundra, Timber, and Arctic wolves,

animals certainly not seen at our

home base, Heinz Refuge.

In May, we’ve once again con-

tracted with the Cape May Salt

Marsh Skimmer, which we will have

to ourselves. The captain of the

skimmer regularly takes photogra-

phers throughout the Cape May salt

marshes, so we’ll have great birding

photographic opportunities. We en-

joyed the trip so much last year, that

it may become an annual spring so-

journ for us. In addition to boarding

the Skimmer, many in the Group

will visit other nearby wildlife hot-

spots such as the Cape May National

Wildlife Refuge, Reeds Beach,

Thompsons Beach, and Heislerville

Fish & Wildlife Management Area.

Of course, as a service organiza-

tion of the Friends, we have been at

work documenting many of the re-

cent events at the Refuge. We were

out in force at Darby Creek Cleanup

Day, and the recent Astronomy

Night, both of which were wonderful

events we hope you attended.

The Photo Group is committed to

photography education. While

we’re always trying to improve our

own photographic abilities and

knowledge, and participate in work-

shops run by and for ourselves, we

are also, as part of our educational

function, working to provide photog-

raphy instruction to the public.

Photography workshop attendees take

notes before their field trip.

Photo By: Ned Levi

Photo By: Mark Bohn

mailto:[email protected]



12


Reflections of a Bird Walk Leader

By: Debbie Beer

Eagles, foxes and butterflies.

Planes, buses and bikes. How do

these two sets possibly relate to each

other? In fact, both are found in

abundance on or near Heinz refuge,

co-existing in a mutually-beneficial

relationship between wildlife and

urban humanity.

Like most relationships, this one

wasn’t built overnight, but was culti-

vated with passion and hard work.

More than forty years ago, the area

was known as “Tinicum marsh,” a

place where locals tracked around

the mud, finding muskrats and birds,

along with dumped tires and urban

debris. People with a shared passion

for animals and the outdoors united

together to figure out how to clean

up the marsh, and eventually pre-

serve the area that we know as John

Heinz National Wildlife Refuge to-

day.

The point of this reflection is not

about the history of the refuge –

though it’s a fascinating story, and

will be much reminisced at the Ref-

uge’s 40th Anniversary Celebration

on June 30th – the point is that the

people and the wildlife of Heinz

Refuge have always come together

in a unique relationship.

When I moved to Philadelphia over

15 years ago, I sought a green space

to enjoy nature, and maybe see some

wildlife. Someone told me about the

refuge, and I soon embraced the

place that featured spectacular sum-

mer sunsets, peaceful morning bird

walks, and wondrous encounters

with foxes. One of the things I loved

most about Heinz was the people.

They not only shared my passion for

nature, but enthusiastically expressed

their enjoyment, and offered friend-

ship so freely.

The combination of wildlife and

people at Heinz Wildlife Refuge ful-

fills me like nothing else I’ve experi-

enced. I’ve travelled to some of the

‘big-name’ national parks like Yel-

lowstone and Grand Canyon, and

been enthralled by their breathtaking

scenery and famed mega-fauna, but

these places do not stay with me in

the way that Heinz does. I spent

many hours in Central Park when I

lived in New York City, but did not

feel an affinity for it, like I feel for

Heinz. The checklist of wildlife spe-

cies varies in all these places, but it’s

not the animals that make a differ-

ence – it’s the people!

As the nation’s fifth largest city,

with a fanatical love of cheese

steaks, sports and string bands,

Philadelphia bears a tough reputa-

tion. But the people I’ve met at

Heinz are overwhelmingly warm and

friendly. There’s something about

the refuge that dissolves all worries

for the few hours spent on the trails

or boardwalks. People of all back-

grounds and experiences come to-

gether to marvel at the marshland,

discover birds, and look at turtles.

We ask questions and learn from

each other. Friendships are born

from a smile and a word to the per-

son holding a camera, wearing bin-

oculars, or pointing out turtles to

their children. On foot or bike, peo-

ple are friendly and generous with

their time and thoughts.

I am eternally thankful for the exis-

tence of Heinz. I met so many of my

good friends here, and meet new

ones every year. I hope others feel

the same way I do. Let me know the

next time we say hello to each other

out on the trails!

A Monarch visits the Kindergarten Pol-

linator Garden—summer 2011.

Photo By: Jean Diehl

“Wildlife varies by geographical loca-

tion, but it’s not the animals that make

the difference, it is the people”.

Debbie Beer

Several species of our local turtles vie

for space to bask in the sunlight.

Photo By: Sanjib Bhattacharyya

13


The Comprehensive Conservation

Plan (CCP), which is required by

the National Wildlife Refuge Im-

provement Act, will guide the direc-

tion of refuge management for the

next 15 years. The public was in-

vited to participate in this process

and make comments at two meetings

which were held at the Refuge Visi-

tor Center on April 10th from 2-4pm

and again from 6-8pm. Refuge Man-

ager, Gary Stolz, and Regional Plan-

ner, Lia McLaughlin, presented an

overview of the planning process

and the highlights of the John Heinz

NWR CCP which includes 3 man-

agement alternatives. All alternatives

are contingent on staff and funding.

Below is a summary of the service-

preferred alternative.

Alternative B - Increased Resto-

ration and Increased Focus on Ur-

ban Youth; Service-Preferred Al-

ternative

This alternative develops new, fo-

cused environmental education and

interpretation programs and expands

habitat restoration efforts.

Land Protection

Same as alternative A (Current Prac-

tice)

Habitat Management

• Expand freshwater tidal marsh res-

toration to up to 173 acres within the

refuge.

• Initiate a deer management pro-

gram to restore biodiversity.

• Expand our inventory and monitor-

ing to inform our understanding of

how sea level rise may impact long-

term habitat management.

Visitor Services

• Expand environmental education

programs focusing on urban youth,

especially in the Philadelphia area.

Provide more interpretive op-

tions readily accessible to urban

youth and expand Web-based

resources for visitors.

Refuge Administration

• Add up to 5 staff positions to sup-

port expanded habitat management

efforts and increases in the visitor

services program.

Expand existing administrative

facilities to accommodate the

additional staff and co-locate US

FWS Office of Law Enforce-

ment with the other refuge pro-

grams.


Comprehensive Conservation Plan Public

Meetings held at John Heinz NWR

The aptly-named Yellow Warbler

recently got a new name, Setophaga

petechia, * but that hasn’t changed

his bright, eye-catching color or

cheery personality. Yellow War-

blers are found across much of

North America, in wet, deciduous,

shrubby habitat, which flourishes at

Heinz Refuge. Look for them

bouncing around trees at all levels,

moving quickly in search of insects.

They are among a handful of war-

bler species that breed at the refuge,

constructing small nests to lay eggs

and raise their young.

Yellow Warblers frequently

serve as unlucky surrogates for

Brown-headed Cowbirds who lay

their eggs in other birds’ nests, to be

raised by someone else. This prac-

tice often results in death by starva-

tion of the host babies, as cowbirds

are larger than warblers, and crowd

out siblings to gobble all the food.

It’s interesting to watch oversized

cowbird fledglings follow their di-

minutive parents, incessantly beg-

ging for food. Nature works in

mysterious ways.

*DNA study results have reclassi-

fied Yellow Warblers from Dendro-

ica to Setophaga by the American

Ornithological Union (AOU).

Our Quarterly

“Species Spotlight”

is on Yellow Warblers

This lovely

photo of a

strikingly col-

orful Yellow

Warbler was

captured by

this month’s

featured pho-

tographer,

Sanjib Bhat-

tacharyya

Refuge Manager, Gary Stolz, and Re-

gional Planner, Lia McLaughlin take

questions and comments from the pub-

lic after their CCP presentation on

April 10th. All comments will be con-

sidered in the Final draft of the CCP.

Photo Credit: USFWS.

14


Spring has sprung and our new line

of T-shirts has arrived (see pic-

ture)!!! For this season, in honor of

our newest addition

to our eagle family,

we have selected an

eagle portrait with an

attitude to reflect the

pride that we all feel

for our nesting pair.

Whether you are here to catch

sight of our resident eagles, or here

for a stroll along our trails, we hope

you will stop in to check out the new

Eagle T-shirt in our store. While

you are there, be sure to take a look

at our other in stock Tees - and

sweat-shirts. Then, to make your

outfit complete, we also offer John

Heinz Refuge caps.

Since we all have eagles on our

minds, we have decided to add some

new books with material about their

natural history to our inventory.

These books are suitable for all age

groups. We are sure that you will

find them interesting, and perhaps it

would make a great gift for that

“special” guy in your life for Fa-

ther’s Day.

Some of our new “Eagle Series”

titles include:

"An Eagle Named Freedom"

by Jeff Guidry;

"Eagles: Hunters of the Sky"

by Ann C. Cooper; - and for

children,

"Our Wild World: Eagles" by

Laura Evert.

Don't forget our ever famous Song-

bird coffee, a fair trade item that en-

courages farmers to preserve the im-

portant rainforest habitat.

If you are still not sure of the

“perfect” gift for dad—you are in

luck, because we still have a few of

our beautiful hand crafted and

unique GABBY’s bird houses on

hand.

Tinicum Treasure Tales

As Told By Our Store Manager,

Annemarie Rapp

We are always in need of

volunteers to help in the

shop …. If you can spare

any time, please call Anne-

marie & Stan Rapp at our

home number: (610) 485-

7378 and leave a message, or

leave your name and phone

number with Fish & Wildlife

personnel at the reception

desk in the Cusano Environ-

mental Education Center.

Current members of FOHR get 10% off of their purchases (there are some exclusions) and profits from sales

are targeted for Refuge projects.

As a bonus, your FOHR membership also entitles you to a 10% discount at bookstores on all National Wildlife Refuges

located in New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland. Just show them your membership card!! It is that easy!!

We would like to recognize and

congratulate the Cub Scout from

Pack 140 (Conshohocken, PA), the

14 Cub Scouts from Pack 44

(Glenolden, PA), and the 10 Cub

Scouts from Pack 163 (Haddon

Heights, NJ) for becoming the most

recent recipients of the Heinz Refuge

Award, and thank them for support-

ing the Refuge by participating in the

program.

The Heinz Refuge Award program

is designed to help young people

learn more about the cultural, histori-

cal and environmental importance

surrounding the Refuge.

For more information, go to

FOHR’s Heinz Refuge Award

w e b p a g e a t h t t p : / /

www.friendsoftinicummarsh.org/

scoutaward.htm, or contact Refuge

Staff at 215-365-3118 and ask for a

copy of the Heinz Refuge Award

brochure materials. Stephen Watson

Newest Recipients of Heinz Refuge Award

http://www.friendsoftinicummarsh.org/scoutaward.htm,



15


Join or Renew your Friends of the Heinz Refuge Membership This is a (please check) [ ] new [ ] renewal [ ] gift membership.

Please choose your preferred membership level from the following list :

[ ] $10 Duckling (Student/Senior)

[ ] $15 Heron (Individual)

[ ] $25 Monarch (Family)

[ ] $50 Red-bellied Turtle (Group)

[ ] $100 Red Fox (Contributing)

[ ] $250 Merlin (Sustaining)

[ ] $500 Osprey (Corporate)

[ ] $ __________ Donation

[ ] To save paper, please notify me when Marsh Musings is available for viewing on the web.

[ ] I want to keep up with the latest news. Please put me on the list for monthly e-bulletins.

[ ] Please contact me about potential volunteer opportunities.

Membership supports conservation of the largest fresh water tidal marsh in Pennsylvania and entitles you to attend member only

events and a 10% discount at gift shops operated by Friends of National Wildlife Refuges in the Mid Atlantic. If you give us your

email address, we will email you (no more than monthly) with reminders of upcoming events and when the newsletter is posted to

our website. We do not share your information with any other organizations.

Make checks payable to FOHR Tinicum and mail to FOHR, PO Box 333, Folcroft PA, 19032-0333, or bring to the refuge next time you visit.

Report Violations

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

John Heinz N.W.R. at Tinicum (215) 365-3118

Pennsylvania Game Commission

SE Region Law Enforcement

(610) 926-3136

Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission

SE Region Law Enforcement

(717) 626-0228

EMERGENCY 911

The public can go to front desk of the Cusano Environ-

mental Education and Visitor Center at the John Heinz

National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum and borrow rods,

reels and a tackle box full of hooks and other terminal

tackle. This equipment is borrowed in much the same way

books are borrowed from a library. The Visitor Center

hours are from 8:30am to 4:00pm. Other tackle loan sites

can be found on the PA Fish and Boat Commission’s web

site at: http://www.fish.state.pa.us/loaner.htm

This program is a partnership between the Pennsylvania Fish and

Boat Commission, the American Sportfishing Association, and the

John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum. The program is

designed to make it easy for anyone to access fishing tackle. It's

hoped that those making the loans will enjoy fishing so much they

are hooked for life. This equipment may also be loaned to groups

conducting angler education programs in the community.

Name ______________________________________________________

Address ______________________________________________________

City, State, Zip _______________________________________________

Phone ______________________________________________________

Email ______________________________________________________

16


Family Fishing Day & John Heinz NWR 40th Anniversary Celebration

Saturday, June 30th

Friends of the Heinz Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum

PO Box 333

Folcroft, PA 19032-0333

Non Profit Org

U.S. Postage

Paid

Permit 335

Folcroft, PA 19032

Return Service Requested

Family Fishing Event - 9:30 AM till Noon

Poles, reels, bait and knowledge provided - Free

A great opportunity for children to spend quality time with their family,

to and discover the fun of fishing!

Learn how to bait a hook, cast a line, remove a fish once it’s caught, knot tying, and fish identification.

NO License Required for those under 16 years of age.

The only “catch” is, a child must bring and adult, and an adult must bring a child!!

Celebrate the Refuge’s 40th Anniversary - 1 PM till 3 PM A Gala Event ~ Honoring Our Past ~ Celebrating Our Future

Ongoing Children’s Games and Activities

Guided Tours

A Walk Through History

Refreshments

For more information on either event, please call 215 365-3118

newsletter of the friends of heinz refuge at tinicum marsh ... · on april 20th, 2012 at patuxent...

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