MW14-A Refuge in the City

Take regional rail to Southwest Philadelphia. The nearby John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum, the first urban wildlife refuge in the nation, protects Pennsylvania’s largest remaining freshwater tidal marsh, with 1200 acres, ten miles of trails, a canoe ramp and opportunities to see birds, native wildlife and plants. End with Eastwick, Philadelphia’s lowest-elevation neighborhood. Redlined in the 1930s, the close-knit neighborhood nonetheless thrived into the 1950s, but then lost homes to eminent domain and airport parking. Today, the City of Philadelphia is working with Eastwick residents to address flooding, environmental justice and quality of life.

Updated description as of 10-14-2024.

Photo: John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum