We are always excited when we hear about local events that foster a creative learning environment for the younger generations.  You may not always realize it, but Bucks County has an abundance of beautiful wildlife and natural resources that provide unique opportunities for the joining of conservation and education.

A few weeks ago, nearly 200 students from Bristol Borough Middle School and Neil Armstrong Middle School gathered for the 2nd annual “Future Stewards of the Bristol Marsh” – an educational field trip program hosted by Heritage Conservancy.

The Conservancy has been working as a local partner with The Nature Conservancy and Bristol Borough to promote the ecological restoration and stewardship of the Bristol Marsh Preserve (located in Bristol Borough in Bucks County, PA).  The Preserve lies along the main stem of the Delaware River and includes a freshwater tidal marsh, a special type of wetland habitat found in coastal areas but rare in Pennsylvania.

Seventh grade science teachers and educators from the Silver Lake Nature Center and Bucks County Conservation District worked with the Conservancy to create the program, which combined in-class presentations and a field trip that touched on topics like tidal and non-tidal marshes, invasive plants, and different ways plants and animals adapt in a wetland area.

In the end, it was the generosity of others that helped to turn this idea into a reality for the second year in a row.  During a live auction held at the Conservancy’s annual Barley Sheaf Benefit Dinner on May 20^th, guests were invited to bid on “Buses for Bristol.”  In total, donors funded 13 buses that were used (and will continue to be used) to transport students from financially challenged districts to the Bristol Marsh for this educational field trip.  Well done donors!

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