Welcome to the Park of the Week Newsletter for January 25, 2024. In celebration of Urban National Wildlife Refuge Day on January 29, this week’s park was the first Urban National Wildlife Refuge in the United States.
John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum
Location
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Claim to fame
John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge was established by Congress in 1972, making it the first urban national wildlife refuge in the United States. Managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the refuge is 1200 acres of varied habitats, including marshland, forest, and meadow.
The Heinz refuge includes Tinicum Marsh, the largest remaining freshwater tidal marsh in Pennsylvania. Designated an Important Bird Area by the National Audubon Society, over 300 bird species have been recorded here. The refuge also provides vital habitat for other wildlife and plant species, including the state-threatened American red-bellied turtle.
Reason to visit
Just outside of Philadelphia–the nation’s sixth largest city–the Heinz refuge is an oasis for wildlife, plant species, and humans alike. The refuge maintains 10 miles of popular trails, including stretches of boardwalk into Tinicum Marsh.
Like all 101 Urban National Wildlife Refuges in the U.S., the Heinz refuge provides city-dwellers with access to wilderness. The refuge offers a visitor center and environmental educational programming, like bird walks. Hiking, biking, canoeing, and fishing are popular.
Wild Fact
The first inhabitants of Philadelphia were the Lenape people. They hunted, gathered, and fished in the Tinicum Marsh, calling it “Tennakon Minquas” or “islands of the marsh.” The freshwater tidal marsh they depended upon was massive, at over 5,000 acres.
European settlers arriving in the 1600s began to drain the marshes, converting them to farmland. By the middle of the 20th century, Tinicum Marsh had dwindled down to 200 acres.
Following proposals to build a major roadway and landfill in what remained of the marsh, regional activists fought to protect it. Their efforts–including those of Senator John Heinz III for whom the refuge was named–resulted in the federal designation of the site as an Urban National Refuge in 1972. The first of its kind but not the last, the Heinz refuge created a precedent that would help protect urban wildlife across the U.S.
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