About the Refuge
The old fields, woods, streams, and wetlands found in the John
Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum had been, as recently
as 1960, targeted for industrial expansion. Those plans were
changed in 1972 when in
response to intensive grassroots efforts
by local citizens, Congress passed legislation which put the
future of these lands into the hands of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife
Service; these 1,200 acres would become a National Wildlife
Refuge, and this refuge would become the nation's very first National
Environmental Center.
When Congress established it, they set three mandates by which the refuge should be
managed:
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Wherever possible, to restore wetlands;
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To promote environmental education;
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To provide wildlife-oriented recreation
opportunities for visitors.
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We invite you to visit our refuge
and to see for yourself just how well we have lived up to those
Congressional mandates.
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