A NATURAL HERITAGE INVENTORY OF PHILADELPHIA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA December 2008 photo source: Andrew Strassman, PNHP Schuylkill River at Bartram’s Garden looking upriver at the downtown Philadelphia skyline. A NATURAL HERITAGE INVENTORY OF PHILADELPHIA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA December 2008 Submitted to: City of Philadelphia Prepared by: Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program Western Pennsylvania Conservancy Middletown Office 208 Airport Drive Middletown, Pennsylvania 17057 Copies of this document may be view at: City of Philadelphia or from the web in electronic format at: http://www.naturalheritage.state.pa.us/CNAI_Download.aspx This project was funded through a grant from the William Penn Foundation. The Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program (PNHP) is a partnership between the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC), the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC), and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC). PNHP is a member of NatureServe, which coordinates natural heritage efforts through an international network of member programs—known as natural heritage programs or conservation data centers—operating in all 50 U.S. states, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean. ii PREFACE The Philadelphia County Natural Heritage Inventory Managed areas such as federal, state, city lands, is a document compiled and written by the private preserves, and conservation easements are Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program (PNHP) of also provided on the maps where that information the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC). It was available to us. This information is useful in contains information on the general locations of rare, determining where gaps occur in the protection of threatened, and endangered species, of the highest land with locally significant habitats, natural quality natural areas in the county, and area in need communities, and rare species. The mapped of restoration to native habitat. It is not an inventory boundaries are approximate and our list of managed of all open space and is based on the best available areas may be incomplete, as new sites are always information. It is intended as a conservation tool being added. and should in no way be treated or used as a field guide. Implementation of the recommendations is up to the discretion of the landowners. However, cooperative Accompanying each site description are general efforts to protect the highest quality natural features management and restoration recommendations that through the development of site-specific would help to ensure the protection and continued management plans are greatly encouraged. existence of these natural communities, rare plants, Landowners working on the management of, or site and animals and enhance the quality of existing plans for, specific areas described in this document greenspace and open space. The recommendations are encouraged to contact the Pennsylvania Natural are based on the biological needs of these elements Heritage Program for further information. (communities and species) and the efforts necessary to maintain the health of the natural system in Although an attempt was made through meetings, general. The recommendations are strictly those of research, and informal communications to locate the the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and do not sites most important to the conservation of necessarily reflect the policies of the state or the biodiversity within the county, it is likely that some policies of the City of Philadelphia, for which the things were missed. Anyone with information on report was prepared. sites that may have been overlooked or the location of species of concern should contact the responsible agency (see Executive Summary page ix). The results presented in this report represent a snapshot in time, highlighting the sensitive natural areas within Philadelphia and areas with a high potential for ecological restoration. The sites in the Philadelphia County Natural Heritage Inventory have been identified to help guide wise land use and county planning. The Philadelphia County Natural Heritage Inventory is a planning tool, but is not meant to be used as a substitute for environmental review, since information is constantly being updated as natural resources are both destroyed and discovered. Applicants for building permits and Planning Commissions should conduct free, online, environmental reviews to inform them of project-specific potential conflicts with sensitive natural resources. Environmental reviews can be conducted via a link on the Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program’s website, at http://www.naturalheritage.state.pa.us/. If conflicts are noted during the environmental review process, the applicant is informed of the steps to take to minimize negative effects on iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This project was funded by a grant from the William Many thanks to everyone who participated in the Penn Foundation. Additional in-kind support was Technical Advisory Committee, including many of provided by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy the Philadelphia GreenPlan Management Group, by and the City of Philadelphia. Thanks to everyone reviewing the draft Natural Heritage Inventory who provided financial and administrative support Report: for the inventory. Without your help, this study would not have been possible. Robert Allen – Fairmount Park Commission Joan Blaustein – Phila. FPC Director of Environment, The species information utilized in the inventory Stewardship, & Education came from many sources as well as our own field William Bradley – Phila. Division of Technology surveys. We wish to acknowledge all of those who Santiago Burgos – Phila. Commerce Department David Burke – DEP, Watershed Manager carried out botanical and zoological survey work Lance Butler – Phila. Office of Watersheds over the years. Without their contributions, this Jason Cruz – Phila. Office of Watersheds survey would have been far less complete. Mark Focht – Fairmount Park Commission Eva Gladstein – Phila. Commerce Department The report benefited from the help of local Diane Kripas – DCNR, Recreation and Conservation, naturalists, conservationists, and institutions who Greenways gave generously of their time. Thanks to all the help Alex MacDonald – DCNR, Recreation and Conservation, and support given by: Greenways Barbara McCabe – Phila. Recreation Department Academy of Natural Sciences, Phila. – Rich Horwitz Howard Neukrug – Phila. Office of Watersheds Tim Block – Morris Arboretum, Botanist Ann Rhoads – Morris Arboretum, Botanists Delaware River City Corporation – Sarah Thorpe Keith Russell – PA Audubon Society, Phila. Area Fairmount Park Commission – Tom Witmer, Sarah Low Coordinator John Heinz NWR – Gary Stolz, Brendalee Phillips Flavia Rutkosky – US FWS, Regional Biologist Partnership for the Delaware Estuary – Danielle Kreeger Diane Schrauth – William Penn Foundation Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation Gary Stolz – John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge Philadelphia Water Department – Glen Abrams, Lance Carolyn Wallis – DCNR, Recreation and Conservation Butler, Jason Cruz, Debby Pajerowski Tom Witmer – Fairmount Park Commission Ann Rhoads – Morris Arboretum, Botanist Alan Urek – Phila. City Planning Commission Keith Russell – Pennsylvania Audubon Society, Phila. Area Coordinator Finally, we especially wish to thank the many Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education landowners that granted us permission to conduct Schuylkill River Development Corporation inventories on their lands; they are too numerous to Stephanie Seymour – Seasonal Field Ecologist list. The task of inventorying the natural heritage of US Army Corps of Engineers – Philadelphia District Philadelphia County would have been far more difficult without this tremendous pool of information gathered by many people over many years. Sincerely, Andrew Strassman Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program This reference may be cited as: Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program. 2008. A Natural Heritage Inventory of Philadelphia County. Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. Middletown, PA. iv H ATBORO GERM ANTOW N FRA Figure 1. Philadelphia Natural NKFORD 1 Heritage Inventory Heritage LANGHO RNE Significance and Conservation BEVE Figure 1. Map of sites in Philadelphia County by township and USGS Quadrangle.3 RLY Priority. 2 1 Site Site Name # 10 5 1 Poquessing Creek Greenway 9 4 2 Poquessing Creek Uplands & Benjamin Rush State Park 1 3 Byberry Creek Upland Forest 1 4 Northeast Philadelphia Airport 5 Pennypack Park 8 6 Delaware River Shoreline 5 7 Frankford Creek BRISTOL 8 Tacony Creek Park NORR ISTOWN 9 Wissahickon Valley LANSD OWNE 6 10 Schuylkill River Uplands 11 Fairmount Park CAMD 12 Tidal Schuylkill River Corridor 11 EN This map displays both 7 the Natural Heritage Inventory 13 Schuylkill River Oil Lands - North 22 Significance Rank and Conservation 14 Schuylkill River Oil Lands - South Priority Rank of each site: Significance 15 Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park 6 Rank is conveyed by the fill color of the 16 Philadelphia Navy Yard site and Conservation Priority Rank is 17 Army Corps Yard conveyed by the outline color of the site. The 18 Mingo Creek Tidal Area 12 ranking system is explained in the results section. 19 Fort Mifflin Shoreline 20 Eastwick Property Streams 21 John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge 13 USGS Quadrangles & Little Tinicum Island 22 12 Conservation Priority Rank 22 Cobbs Creek Park and Greenway Immediate Enhancement 20 Near-term Opportunistic 14 15 Natural Heritage Inventory Significance