Morrisville riverfront preserve will have public access and better habitat - Yardley News - Bucks Local News
This was already posted as a comment. Can you believe someone actually accused us of only posting negative stories about Morrisville! With other responsibilities such as jobs, kids, housework, leisure time, etc, some article do slip by. Our apologies.
By Petra Chesner Schlatter; BucksLocalNews.com
Morrisville Borough Environmental Advisory Council (MEAC) member Debby Colgan said that she and fellow MEAC members have been awaiting the kick-off of the community’s newest amenity: a naturalized riverfront park that allows increased public access and improved environmental habitat.
The start of activities to create the Morrisville Riverfront Preserve began on Wednesday, Sept. 22 at 6 p.m. at Philadelphia and Delmorr avenues.
Morrisville Borough, located along the Delaware River, is developing 8.8 acres along the riverfront as a naturalized riparian preserve. “The Morrisville Riverfront Preserve is situated at the uppermost tidal area of the Delaware River, just below the ‘Falls of Trenton,’ and the Special Protection Waters of the northern section,” Colgan said.
“The preserve will be a quiet piece of nature for fishers, birders, walkers and paddlers,” she continued. “Riverfront restoration will improve air, water and land quality, as well as provide improved floodplain function and flood protection.”
She said the preserve will provide the opportunity for public education on the value of natural waterfront habitats.
Morrisville is partnering with the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, which will provide assistance in developing restoration strategies that will ensure a successful and sustainable project.
“The site is currently overgrown with Japanese knotweed, which prevents public access in the summer and has overtaken the native species that contribute to the biodiversity of its habitat,” Colgan said.
Morrisville Borough is undertaking Phase 1 of the project which includes eradication of the knotweed and other invasive species, and the prioritization and identification of plantings and planting sites. Phase 1 is expected to last 12 to 18 months.
The first herbicide application is scheduled for this month and will be repeated in Fall 2011.
Funding for the project is being provided by the Bucks County Open Space Program, Morrisville Borough and private donations.
Additional matching support is still being sought ($4,400) for the completion of Phase 1, however costs associated with the first spraying have been secured, allowing the project to move forward.
Nancy Sherlock, Morrisville Borough Council president, noted that the Bucks County Commissioners approved the project. She thanks the Bucks County Conservation District and the Bucks County Open Space program for their part in making the project possible.
“We are very happy about the start of this project,” Sherlock said before the event. She commended the MEAC for their work to create the preserve.
Sherlock said the preserve is a piece of ground that is not ‘buildable’ because it sits in the flood plain.
“What better way to have it used?” she said of the preserve. “The idea is once we get the Japanese knotweed eradicated – which is not an easy task -- there will be access to the river.
“It’s just a big woods right now,” she said.
Morrisville Borough received a grant for $16,000 from the county, which will pay 75 percent of Phase I. Other grants will help fund the establishment of the preserve.
Among those attending the event were Diane Marseglia, Bucks County Commissioner; Bill Setzer, MEAC chairman; and Faith Zerbe of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network.
