Friends of Heinz Refuge at Tinicum

Learn about this FOHR event with great partners who gave away trees in Delaware County!

There's a lot going on at Heinz Refuge this May! Get all the news right here: https://mailchi.mp/391ad468e2f0/kmpis1inyu-4911417

Thanks so much to Mark Schroeder, photographer and nature lover at Heinz! He captured this male Yellow Warbler at Heinz in his best breeding colors while hearing the wonderful sound of "sweet, sweet, sweet, I'm so sweet" all around him. Heinz has been playfully described as the Yellow Warbler capitol of the world... and to us... our most numerous and reliable breeding warbler each year. Enjoy!

Amazing work with Heinz FWS staff, wonderful volunteers, and the full support of FOHR!! Thanks!

Thanks to Photographer and a wonderful "FAN of John Heinz Refuge...", Cynthia Wilson, for making this lovely and interesting video of one of our Heinz downy woodpecker pairs making a nest! Enjoy!

2021 is another year that FOHR and all of our visitors hope to share at Heinz Refuge for our personal needs, wildlife preservation, and health for all in the coming year. For some of our folks, the virtual visits offered by the wonderful FWS Staff at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge At Tinicum are providing a great link for the pandemic, for others the Fans Of John Heinz NWR At Tinicum PA page is a great way to stay in touch. FOHR and FOHR's Board & Members stay in tou...ch with additional monthly meeting (Zoom for now) and planning programs like the upcoming Groundhog Family Fest, Plastic's Webinars, Summer Solstice Festival, eventual school bus grants to bring our precious youth for outdoor class experiences... and so much more. So we want to wish all of you a wonderful 2021! Our two photos of year-round feathered residents and breeders are the Red-tailed hawk (shown in the photo by Michael Anderson on a T-shirt FOHR has in our Nature store) and the beautiful & vocal all year Carolina Wren (by Bill Moses)! See more

CORRECTED POST!!! Almost every day/all year, folks come to Heinz to relax and enjoy nature. We are all so lucky. These are recent photos by #StephenDonnelly where he demonstrates the beauty in winter...Thanks to folks like Stephen who populate the FB@Fans Of John Heinz NWR At Tinicum PA for all of us to enjoy!!

CORRECTED POST: Jay Que, a wonderful photographer/visitor at Heinz Refuge, shared this wonderful collection of recent bird observations at our Refuge on the Fans Of John Heinz NWR At Tinicum PA page. FOHR would not want you to miss so many beautiful birds including many wintering only birds pictured here. Enjoy with thanks to Jay Que!

Our FWS staff at Heinz are offering great programs...like this!!!

Did you miss part 3 of "Plastics in Our World Today"? Not to worry! You can catch it here: https://vimeo.com/493786192

Welcome to winter! We at FOHR are wishing everyone a cozy and joyous holiday season. Please stay safe, stay warm, and enjoy the winter outdoors!

Free Gift! Now until December 31, receive a reusable shopping bag made of 100% recycled materials for your donation of $25 or more to the Friends of Heinz Refuge! https://argentasoftware.com/interfac//frmDonationForm.aspx

Sign up now for our FOHR Plastic's Webinar Tomorrow (Sat 12/19 at noon)! Stay warm and plan to help all of us make Heinz and the world a little better! Thanks!

We all like our feathered eagles here, right? Jay Que, a terrific photographer who goes to Heinz Refuge and posts on our "Fans of Heinz ... " page, shared this to enjoy! See link below.

Reminder to register for part 3 of our plastics webinar series! Scheduled for SATURDAY December 19th at noon. We look forward to seeing you there and sharing what we know about zero waste. Register here: https://argentasoftware.com//heinz/frmEventTicketSalesForm Description: ... We need methods and policies to decrease the plastics in our local environments, and the over 10 million U.S. tons of macro- and micro-plastics entering the ocean annually, equivalent to a city garbage truck of plastics being dumped into the ocean every minute. Zero Waste is an effective and economical waste management system that can be applied in a single institution, small community, state, or country. Zero Waste aims to reuse or repair, effectively recycle, compost, or use in renewable ways. Zero waste often augments the community’s economic and health methods. This webinar will introduce the concepts of zero waste, and present the communities and cities around the world that are creating their own zero waste methods. We want to consider how zero waste might be applied in our Philadelphia neighborhoods and suburbs to reduce the waste flowing through our creeks and damaging the quality of the environment and species habitats at the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge. This webinar will be presented on Zoom and Facebook Live. Register below to receive a Zoom link, or join us on Facebook Live!

https://fohrefuge-nature-store.square.site

Welcome to December! This holiday season, for the first time ever, FOHR has an online store! Take a look at what we’ve got, support FOHR and the refuge, and enjoy the holidays

The December issue of On the FOHR Front, our monthly e-bulletin is filled with all the latest news and programs! Get your copy here: https://mailchi.mp/04f925ba4ff3/kmpis1inyu-4788826

UPDATE from FWS: Due to the pandemic situation, the (mentored archery) deer hunt this week and related closures of the Refuge parking and trails have been canceled. This is GOOD NEWS FOR REFUGE VISITORS!!!

Heads up news from FWS Erika Scarborough... Share this info so our local youth can participate at Heinz Refuge this year (2021 contest): With Sean's departure Kelly Quain has taken over the Jr. Duck Stamp Art Contest and she is gearing up! If you have or know of any students in grades K - 12, we would WELCOME an entry! Here is the website for more information, entries are due to the refuge in March. https://www.fws.gov//junior-duck-stamp-contest-information

Before the next closure for the FWS Mentored Archery Deer hunt closure begins on 12/3-5, let's enjoy walking around this beautiful weekend and end of November. Thanks to Photographer John Vohs for his photo from 11/1 for this reminder that our eagles are enjoying this time at our refuge too!

Thanks to Larry Stier (our Groundhog Day Festival Chairman for FOHR) found this report or us about the reconstruction efforts needed after this hurricane season. Take a look and listen.

Refuge Manager, Lamar Gore, posted this live view of the Lindbergh Ave parking area and trail to welcome you for a nice walk!

FOHR is happy to show you some new mural artwork at the Refuge. FOHR has partnered with Heinz FWS in this project!

A call to our members! RSVP to [email protected] for our virtual annual meeting on November 12th!

Hi, Friends! The November issue of the Friends of Heinz Refuge's e-bulletin is now available! You won't want to miss all the exciting news in this one, especially our brand-new photo feature! Get yours here: https://mailchi.mp/b2b05637a2e1/kmpis1inyu-2944042

This is an amazing photo taken by Jay Que (thank you, Jay, for sharing) at Heinz yesterday! I don't remember seeing one like this before! Let's see what John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge At Tinicum also thinks of this air space sharing too!

If you live in Southwest Philly get your tree today! Our tree giveaway with @treephilly is free and trees will be delivered right to your door. Only 12 more days to register! Visit http://tiny.cc/Heinz-tree-giveaway to find out more

This is happy news!!! Lamar Gore, Refuge Manager at Heinz, has received recognition in this article in Philadelphia Magazine. This is well deserved as all FOHR (Friends of Heinz Refuge Board and Membership) can appreciate tremendously in our many partnerships and support that we receive with his leadership. If you are a FOHR Member (with current membership dues up to date) you will see him at our upcoming Annual FOHR Members Meeting on 11/12/2020! (Thanks to Fans of Heinz FB Member for sharing this happy news!)

Thanks to Michael Anderson for this late season photo of one of Heinz's very special endangered turtles.... the red-bellied turtle. Enjoy this before they hide from the cold weather altogether!

Here is a post from Heinz FWS staff that commends FOHR's support of this REFUGE that we share...

Here is a summary of the Annual "Big Sit" at Heinz Refuge on 10/11/2020 arranged by Debbie Beer, Heinz Refuge Volunteer Bird Walk leader, with support by Heinz staff and our wonderful local birders. See below...

HEINZ REFUGE IS SEEKING VOLUNTEERS THIS WEEK! In case you also like gardening/planting in addition to birding and photography... Here is a volunteer request for this week by FWS at Heinz! Different time slots are described if you read below!

The "Big Sit" at Heinz with covid 19 restrictions is Sunday (tomorrow), but still a great time to check in with this event!!! Thanks to Heinz Volunteer Walk Leader (and much more) for continuing to provide this great event at Heinz Refuge. Give them a wave if you walk by ...and you can ask what how the count is going!!

Just this morning, photographer Jay Que enjoyed being back at the Refuge and sharing some of his wonderful wildlife photos on the "Fans..." page... like these!

Here's a post from Heinz FWS FB page. Since it is re-opened, there is a lot of joy and activity!

Today is your last chance to get some beautiful native plants!! Thank you for all the amazing support we have already received Get ready to start planting!

Hi, Friends! The October issue of "On the FOHR Front", our monthly e-bulletin, is out! Check it out for all the news and activities this month! https://mailchi.mp/136d9aab48ad/kmpis1inyu-2927854

Here is a great way to see that Our Refuge is open as of today! Look for news about closed areas that are still work areas on the FB page of John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge At Tinicum!!

That’s right! We’ve extended our sale until October 2nd to sell the last of our inventory before pick up this Saturday!! All plants have been marked down 20% - check out our sale site for the new prices and help us find a home for the last of these beautiful native plants Thank you for all your support! fohrefuge-native-plant-sale.square.site

The Heinz Philly Fall Festival is currently active virtually on the FB page of #https://www.facebook.com/johnheinznwr/. Later today, 8pm, FOHR will be offering a Nature Quizzo that might be fun to check out too!

Many thanks to Photographer Scott Kemper for sharing this iconic and new view from 9/21/2020 of our refuge with the Phila. skyline from the Marsh! At this time, the Refuge is still closed at the main (Lindbergh) entrance, but intrepid visitor/photographers like Scott are enjoying whatever they can from the 420 entrance. Thanks so much!

Whether they had a permit or not - they did a great job. It does appear though that they had a facility to be able to do this. I can't believe how still the eagle was during its examination. Hope you like this.

We are getting close to the 2020 Heinz Refuge Philly Fall Festival (virtual 1.0) on 9/26/2020. This is sponsored by FOHR! FWS has prepared something for everyone and for all age groups ... so Pre-Register for special events and get ready for fun!

Did you save the date for Saturday's (Virtual) Fall Festival? Here is an activity that offers free supplies for you to enjoy... so REGISTER NOW!!!!

As we wait to have access again to our favorite refuge, you might want to see research about "winter finch" movements and range for this coming season! Take a look!

The official opening of our main entrance to Heinz Refuge is expected soon . There has been lots of work accomplished according to Deputy Refuge Manager last night at our FOHR meeting. So... keep checking the official FB page for John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge At Tinicum to see the announcement as soon as possible!

We are all so fortunate to have this wonderful person at Heinz Refuge! Her work in Environmental Ed with our youth and community is immeasurable! Read this to learn more about Brianna Amingwa...a very special member of our FWS team!!!

Our friends at "Fans of..." received this post by Bill Masterson with added info from Elizabeth Porter about some of the Hurricane Floyd damage from 1999. YOU might like to read this, and maybe you can also add your insights from events that rocked our refuge? Photos you might have would be great too! FOHR members might have their Marsh Musings newsletters from then to add info? Let's see...

Grab your canoe or kayak and join us at the Ridley Marina on Sept 13th for DCVA’s Annual Canoe Race. A fun event paddling down to John Heinz and back. Covid restrictions in place. https://argentasoftware.com//dcva/frmEventTicketSalesForm.

Our Plant Sale site is open for business! Check out the sale through our website or directly with the link provided. Orders can be made throughout the month, or until supplies lasts, and socially distanced pick up will be on October 3rd at the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge. Happy Planting!!! https://fohrefuge-native-plant-sale.square.site/

The September issue of FOHR's e-bulletin, On the FOHR Front, is here! Lots going on this month, check it out! https://mailchi.mp/893132f4ef2d/kmpis1inyu-2915090

If you are ready for a Heinz staff member program...tune in a 1pm today!

This article by Sierra Club in their latest newsletter was brought to our attention by FOHR Board Member Carol Armstrong. It reviews the history of Eastwick with flooding issues and involvements with the City to mitigate the problems. FOHR and Heinz Refuge are a strong supporters and neighbors of the wonderful EFNC that is fighting for all of us in the area.

Here are upcoming virtual events provided by Heinz Staff that you can enjoy from anywhere!

Info from Heinz FWS about Monarch Butterfly mating activities... you may see this in the surrounding areas too!

INFO from Heinz FWS about the trails...

Thanks so much to photographer, Bernice V. Coles, for sharing these wonderful views of the many moods or our Refuge over time. This is the spot we must always remember requires our support to preserve, protect and instruct others on how to appreciate the beauty of nature. It is people like us who can help the next generations appreciate and want to secure this important wetland and so many wonderful valuable natural lands and wildlife in America that we share!

Did you see this????

While we wait for our refuge to be repaired and available for us, the staff continue to work and provide environmentally useful information for us everywhere! See this example below...

Update today from FWS...

We have a great question and YOU could help Cathy Morgan and her grandchildren with suggestions while our Refuge is closed! Can you offer some suggestions!?

Thanks to our Friend, Judy Stepenaskie, here is info about Eastwick's Town Hall Monday 8/17 you might want to check out!!!

Here is a tour by Lamar Gore, our Refuge Manager, at the area around the "Little Boardwalk".

Here's an important update from Lamar Gore, Refuge Manager...

NOTICE: Good afternoon Refuge Visitors, please note that all refuge trails on the Philadelphia side of the refuge are currently closed. During the rain and wi...nd from Hurricane Isaias, as well as, two high tide events, Darby Creek overran its banks, sending water into our surrounding communities and the refuge. Both the refuge and communities experienced damage. We do not yet know the extent of damage in the communities, however, the refuge experienced damage to trails, roads, and infrastructure. All refuge trails have been impacted to some degree. The most severely impacted trails are the Wetland Loop trail and Big Boardwalk Loop Trail. There is significant damage to boardwalks, stairs, some paved trails/roads, and trees. We are currently assessing the extent of the damage and integrity of the trails and roads. Please check back in for updates each day. If we have not posted an update on this page, the refuge remains closed. Thank you for your patience as we are working to make the refuge trails safer for you and your families. Below, you can see both the flooding and some of the impacts of the storm. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Alliance for Watershed Education of the Delaware River See more

Thanks to Bernice V. Coles for preserving this wonderful visit on 7/29/2020 of this immature Little Blue Heron! Notice the darkish beak and yellow/greenish leg down to the toes! We also have snowy egrets visiting from time to time, but these are less frequent but usually seen annually! (Snow egrets have dark legs and yellow feet usually!) This was posted in our community of Fans of JHNWR at Tinicum first!!!

Did you know that hunters and anglers were among the first to work for wildlife protection and remain some of today’s most important conservation leaders? Their... efforts contributed to the North American Wildlife Conservation Model. This model has two basic principles that our fish and wildlife belong to all Americans, and that they need to be managed in a way that their populations will be sustained forever. As we get closer to launching the second Mentored Archery Deer Hunt at John Heinz NWR, we will be sharing more about the role of hunting in conservation. If you are interested in participating, see details in the flyer and on our website! https://rb.gy/qxnsus Flyer reads: "Archery Deer Hunt Registration Discover more about hunting and its role in conservation, deer biology, healthy habitat, field dressing, and vension cooking methods. Archery Hunt Windows (Thurs - Sat) Hunt 1: Oct 22 - 24 Hunt 2: Nov 19 - 21 Hunt 3: Dec 3 - 5 Hunt 4: Dec 17 - 19 Mandatory Orientation: Oct 11 Apply at fws.gov/heinz by August 31, 2020 Please email [email protected] for more information. Priority given to mentored first time hunters 12 and older, licensed Jr. hunters, people with disabilities, veterans, and active duty military. Subject to change based on COVID - 19 developments and CDC guideline updates. John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum America's First Urban Refuge 8601 Lindbergh Blvd, Philadelphia, PA 19153 SEPTA routes 37, 108, & 115 stop at 84th and Lindbergh Blvd. Eastwick Train Station is 0.5 miles away. For more info: (215) 365 - 3118 Facebook and Instagram @johnheinznwr www.fws.gov/heinz " U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Though July is coming to an end, ask yourself! What changes did I make this month? What changes do I wish I had made? How can I carry my plastic reduction habits into the other 11 months of the year? Plastic fact: 69-90% of marine debris is plastic. Imagine how much we could change if we all cut single-use plastic out of our daily lives! #PlasticFreeJuly #PlasticFreeOceans #PlasticFreeWorld

The August issue of FOHR's e-bulletin "On the FOHR Front" is here, packed with news you can use! Get it here: https://mailchi.mp/19e6e6cf27df/kmpis1inyu-2885306

You may wish to watch this free introductory 1 hr video that was just shown live! It is a great overview of many topics of interest to birders of ALL levels. This was developed by Cornell Univ. Ornithology Lab that is the source for a large part of our citizen science birding information!

There has been a lot of unnecessary fear about reusable items (like shopping bags) right now. That’s why Philadelphia announced that the city’s ban on single-use plastic bags will be delayed until January 2021. But Yes, you can still safely use your reusable bags at the grocery store during this public health crisis. Check out the helpful breakdown from @DelRivCoalition #plasticfreewatershed http://www.delriverwatershed.org//safely-using-reusable-ba Here is an important story about a businesses proving even in a pandemic we can innovate solutions that are better for the environment. #PlasticFreeWatershed https://thetyee.ca/News/2020/06/05/Zero-Waste-During-COVID/ Please refer to the Delaware River Coalition’s Plastic advocacy guide for resources on how to take action and fight single-use plastics https://bit.ly/plasticadvocacy

Did you miss the ABC news yesterday when the showed Heinz parking lot being reopened. Well, one of the stars of the show was Veronica! Veronica also joined our FOHR Board Meeting Zoom on 7/14! Thanks for her passion about our refuge!

See this official (and fun) announcement that the Heinz Refuge Parking lot is OPEN! Enjoy and still play it safe!