Developing an Ecological Restoration Management Plan: John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, Philadelphia

Abstract

Planning is the first step toward efficient ecosystem restoration. Friends of the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was awarded funding through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Delaware Estuary Grant Program to develop a restoration plan for the lower reaches of Darby Creek, which runs through the refuge. Managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the refuge was established by an act of Congress in 1972 to protect the last 81 hectares of freshwater tidal marsh in Pennsylvania. The Delaware Riverkeeper Network was hired in 2005 to carry out an integrated planning effort. The resulting Restoration Management Plan for the Lower Darby Creek, completed in May 2006, combined historical research, aerial photo and map analysis, personal interviews, stakeholder feedback, field research, and data management. The creation of the plan offers a case study to inform other restoration planning efforts for large, diverse areas.