The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection announced on March 15, 2019 that the New Britain Borough Nature Preserve Committee is one of its recipients for the 2019 Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence.

According to DEP, they “…evaluated projects for their degree of environmental protection, innovation, partnership efforts, economic impact, consideration of climate change, and sustainability and results achieved.” The Nature Preserve Committee received the award, according to DEP for “Habitat restoration at the nature preserve—Volunteers carried out a three-year project to clear invasive species; install nesting boxes; redesign trails to prevent erosion; conduct a soil study; install benches; and plant 386 native trees, 119 native shrubs, and wildflowers.”

Councilmember Tom Price, who serves as Council Liaison and Committee Chair stated, “It’s an honor for our committee to be recognized with this award for all the work we’ve been doing in the Preserve over the past several years. I’m very grateful to our committee members and all the other volunteers who have helped us carry out this long-term and on-going habitat restoration project.”

This is the second year in a row that the Borough’s Nature Preserve Committee has won a prestigious environmental award for its restoration efforts. In 2018, the Committee was the recipient of the Land Ethics Award given out by Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve.

The Wilma Quinlan Nature Preserve, established in 1971, is managed by an all-volunteer committee of Borough residents. The committee holds regular volunteer work days at the Preserve and meets on the second Monday of each month at 7:30 p.m. at 45 Keely Ave., New Britain, PA.

For more information on the Nature Preserve and the Committee’s restoration work, please visit:

https://www.newbritainboro.com/committees/nature-preserve-committee/