Marsh Mission: MLK Day volunteers do their part B

RfSTOL – Braving frigid temperatures, about 40 volunteers honored the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a kational Day of Service on Jan. 21 in Bristol Borough.

Students from Bristol Borough High School teamed up with the Greenbelt Overhaul Alliance of Levittown, U.S. EPA Region 3, local residents and staff from the kature Conservancy and Heritage Conservancy to help clean up the Bristol Marsh Preserve, a regional natural and cultural resource.

“Our community volunteers and borough staff have been doing such a thorough job these past five years that f was concerned there wouldn’t be enough trash to cleanup,” said Susan Myerov, senior planner for Heritage Conservancy. “This beautiful area is unfortunately used as a dumping ground for some. Thanks to our wonderful volunteers and the staff of Bristol Borough public works, we hauled away a significant amount of trash and debris.”

Located adjacent to Historic Bristol Borough’s taterfront Park, the 33-acre preserve contains a freshwater tidal marsh and forest habitat with unique ecological significance. The marsh helps protect the Delaware riverfront from some of the impacts of flooding and stormwater pollution. Fresh water tidal marshes contain natural features that support a wide variety of plants, birds and animals. ft is a unique and important environmental resource.

A large part of the marsh is owned by Bristol Borough and is under protection of conservation easements held by The kature Conservancy. For the past five years, in many different weather conditions, the kational Day of Service cleanup has been co-sponsored by Heritage Conservancy, Bristol Borough and The kature Conservancy to raise awareness of the site’s unique historic and natural features. Heritage Conservancy’s restoration and educational programs in the marsh are financed, in part, through a Federal Coastal Zone Management Grant, administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

“This annual day of service at Bristol Marsh is part of an on-going initiative to partner with community leaders, public officials and the public toward a common goal of good will to each other and the environment,” said Linda Cacossa, Chief Operating Officer for Heritage Conservancy. “Thank you to the volunteers who participated. Through their effort, we are better able to ensure the preservation of our land and natural resources.”