Remarkable Volunteer Support on Dr. Martin Luther King Day of Service
Doylestown, PA, January 20, 2012: Honoring the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a National Day of Service on Monday, January 16th, more than 75 volunteers from Bristol Borough High School, The George School, Villanova University, US E.P.A., Greenbelt Overhaul Alliance of Levittown, local residents and staff from Heritage Conservancy joined forces to help clean up a regional icon: the Bristol Marsh Preserve. Heritage Conservancy, an accredited not-for-profit conservation organization that specializes in preserving our natural and historic heritage, organized the event.
Located just southwest of Historic Bristol Borough Riverfront Park, the 33-acre Bristol Marsh Preserve contains a freshwater tidal marsh with unique ecological significance. An asset to this area, the marsh helps protect the Delaware Riverfront from some of the impacts of flooding and stormwater pollution. Fresh water tidal marshes contain critical natural features that support a wide variety of plants, birds and animals. It is a unique and important environmental resource. The marsh preserve is owned by both Bristol Borough and The Nature Conservancy. For the past four years, these cleanups have been co-sponsored by Heritage Conservancy, Bristol Borough and The Nature Conservancy. Heritage Conservancy’s work in the marsh is financed, in part, through a Federal Coastal Zone Management Grant, administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
“This year we had the most significant turn-out yet with over 75 dedicated volunteers,” said Susan Myerov, Senior Planner for Heritage Conservancy. “It’s wonderful to see this outpouring of enthusiasm for keeping natural areas, like the Bristol Marsh, clean. It was a special honor to be part of the greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service. In addition to our great volunteers, we are also grateful to the Bristol Borough public works staff for their assistance and to the King George Inn which graciously provided lunch to our volunteers.”
“The community’s support during this clean-up demonstrates a shared common goal of conservation and good will toward each other and our environment,” said Linda Cacossa, Chief Operating Officer. “Thank you to the volunteers who participated. Through their effort, we are better able to ensure the preservation of our land and natural resources so that future generations may enjoy them.”
About Heritage Conservancy
Based in Doylestown, PA, Heritage Conservancy is an accredited not-for-profit conservation organization that specializes in open space preservation, planning for sustainable communities, natural resource protection, property stewardship, historic preservation, adaptive reuse of existing structures, wildlife habitat restoration and biodiversity. Through 50+ years of professional land use planning and design; innovative land conservation and historic preservation strategies; public outreach and education; and the application of “best management practices” for property stewardship, the Conservancy has established itself as a acclaimed full-service leader. Its recent national accreditation by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission affirms Heritage Conservancy’s commitment to excellence, trust and permanence. Learn more by visiting HeritageConservancy.org.
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Contact: Esme Artz
Heritage Conservancy
Phone 215 345 7020, x131
Fax 215 345 4328 85 Old Dublin Pike
Doylestown, PA 18901
Phone 215 345 7020
www.HeritageConservancy.org