This is my sanctuary, an oasis in the rush and clamor of urban life. This is my retreat, a haven of marsh, woods and wildlife, where my spirit is refreshed. This is my refuge.
When Congress established it, they set three mandates by which the refuge should be managed:
- To restore wetlands, wherever possible;
- To promote environmental education;
- To provide wildlife-oriented recreation opportunities for visitors.
We invite you to visit our refuge and to see for yourself just how well we have lived up to these Congressional mandates.
New Employment Opportunity with FOHR
Friends of Heinz Refuge seeks a community organizer focused in the Eastwick neighborhood of Southwest Philadelphia to support community engagement in nature based solutions to stormwater management and flooding. This position will play an important role in supporting community communication, education, coordination with one another, and support community voice and leadership in numerous nonprofit, city and federal opportunities and initiatives to address storm water management and flooding within the community.
Click the link below to see the full job description and application information.
Our online store is now open!
FOHR’s online nature store is now open! Visit https://fohrefuge-nature-store.square.site/ to shop from home!
Proceeds from the Nature Store directly benefit the Heinz Refuge and are instrumental in helping us maintain open space, wildlife recreation, outdoor recreation, and educational programs at the Refuge.
Over the last year, FOHR has provided support for programs that educate both the public and school aged children, restore critical areas of the Refuge, clean litter, and plastic pollution. In addition, we hosted or sponsored many community events this year including: Spooktacular, Groundhog Day, Earth Day Darby Creek Clean-up, Summer Solstice, Fall River Fest, and our annual photo contest “Nature in Focus.” We continue to help underwrite the cost of the Refuge’s flagship education program, Philly Nature Kids (PNK), and participated in the first annual Delco Gives Day, and Walk for the Wild.
All the programs and services at the Refuge are provided free of charge to the public, and provide the greater community with the opportunity to enjoy all that nature has to offer in the wonderful space at JHNWR.
In the December issue of On The FOHR Front:
- Holiday Shopping at the Nature Store!
- Heinz Refuge Calendar
- Refuge Update
- Mentored Archery Hunt Dates
- Jr. Duck Stamp Art Contest
- A Fond Farewell
- Book Club – New Selection!
- The Buzz – News from FOHR
- Annual Membership Meeting
- Save The Date
- Get Involved
In 2022, the Friends of Heinz Refuge presented four multi-disciplinary webinars that provide perspectives on how to prevent and reduce plastic pollution in the waters of the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge and beyond. Explore where it comes from, monitoring and clean-up methods, the role that policies can play, and tips to engage with communities and audiences to reduce plastic pollution – topics pertinent to many coastal watersheds.
A previous webinar series, Plastics in Our World Today, aired in 2020.
