Ah, spring - the perfect time to introduce your children to nature or
re-acquaint them after a long winter. In Delaware County, there is a nice
variety of nature walks, from marshland to wooded to open fields. Most are
free and easily accessible for families with young children. Let me
introduce you to my family's three favorite nature walks, all of which are
free.
John Heinz Wildlife Refuge (http://www.fws.gov/heinz/index.html)
The Wildlife Refuge is by far my family's favorite place to walk. A fresh
water marsh located near the Philadelphia airport, the refuge has a ? flat
trail around a large pond-like area. The trail is paved up to the
birdwatching tower which is about a 20 minute walk from the parking lot.
If you continue around the impoundment area, the trail is gravel, only
suitable for jogging strollers. Beyond the impoundment area is about 10
miles of flat trails winding around the marsh.
A permanent bridge was built across the impoundment areas a few years ago.
It's the perfect spot to watch for turtles, fish, swallows, herons, and
egrets. The bald eagle nest is at the far end of the impoundment area
about a 10 minute walk beyond the bird watching tower.
Adjacent to the parking lot is the Cusano Environmental Center. Free and open to the public, it has a permanent display showing the wildlife at the marsh. At the back of the Center is a bird watching area with binoculars. You can also borrow binoculars from the front desk using your license.
When you go, stop in at the Cusano Environmental Center first to find out which birds have been spotted within the past week. If you spot an unusual bird, it can be added to the record kept at the front desk.
Public bathrooms are at the Cusano Center along with a water fountain.
This will be a 3 part series this week. Thank you to my friend Barb Hoyer for this great series. Barb writes at A Life in Balance.net, focusing on real food, healthy living, frugality, and local living for her family of seven. You can find more about her family's nature walks at her blog. (http://alifeinbalance.net/category/nature-studies/)
