Virtual tour of the John Heinz Wildlife Refuge and why beavers are a nuisance

Get away from city life and visit America’s first urban wildlife refuge right here in our region. It’s a sacred place that many endangered animals call home.

And while beavers are known for helping the environment by building aquatic ecosystems—and being kind of cute—not everyone is a fan of them. Jason Nark met a New Jersey man who was fed up with the beasts getting on his nerves tree by tree.

Plus: Stay for the unveiling of Philly’s most beautiful private gardens.

⛅ Your weather forecast for the weekend: Smoke from the Canadian wildfires should no longer pose a threat for now. Expect daytime highs around 27°C. Conditions are good for outdoor activities today, but showers are possible Saturday and Sunday.

— Paola Perez ([email protected])

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Tucked away near I-95 and Philadelphia International Airport lies the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, the first of its kind in America.

More than 100,000 nature lovers enjoy the park each year, from birdwatchers and hikers to wildlife watchers and photographers. The preserve features a large boardwalk that spans the wetlands and marshes and offers 10 miles of hiking trails that are open daily from sunrise to sunset.

Hundreds of species of plants, trees, birds, insects and mammals live here. Some of the creatures are:

🐢 Northern red-bellied turtles

🐝 Lemon Cuckoo Bumblebees

🐸 Leopard frogs on the Atlantic coast

📮 Have you seen these or other rare wild animals at John Heinz? Send me an email (with photo) and tell me about your experiences.

Join me on a virtual walk along the boardwalk and discover some of what John Heinz has to offer on our illustrated tour of this precious piece of nature.

🎤 We now pass the microphone to Jason Nark. You can always find his work here.

“Arrogant” and “selfish” beavers gnaw at Chris Ritter’s peace of mind.

While North America’s largest rodent is widely considered one of Earth’s master architects, having built entire aquatic ecosystems from felled trees, the beaver is the destroyer of Ritter’s world, particularly the swampy backyard behind his pool and hot tub in New Jersey’s Pine Barrens.

“This is not a pond, this is my lawn,” Ritter said one recent February afternoon.

Ritter owns 30 acres of land in New Egypt, Ocean County, and a small stream, Jumping Brook, meanders through his property. His land borders a nature preserve dotted with ancient, defunct cranberry bogs. These man-made bogs are ideal for beavers to dam and flood, creating safe, swimming ponds that coyotes, their only natural predator in New Jersey, cannot reach.

“Realistically, beavers are just doing what beavers do. It’s hard-wired in them to create this perfect atmosphere for themselves,” says Adam Burnett, executive director of the Beaver Institute, a nonprofit organization that aims to “resolve conflicts between beavers and people in a science-based way.” — Jason Narc

Find out all about it in Nark’s detailed report. Read on to learn about the ongoing challenges of living with beavers.

News worth knowing

Philly may boast of being America’s garden capital, but some of the region’s most enchanting and lush landscapes are out of its reach because they are owned and maintained by private individuals.

Consider this your all-access pass to the city’s most beautiful (and hidden) private gardens. Peek inside five gorgeous spots, from the hilltop splendor of Chestnut Hill to an “explosion of nature” in East Falls.

10 seconds rest

🎤 Jason Nark says: This is from a recent trip to Animas, New Mexico.

A clear view. Not a single cloud in sight.

🌳 Your outdoor experience

It’s a good weekend for a bike ride. For those of us who are new to it, reader Peter McLoone has a clever life hack:

My pro tip for new cyclists in the area: If you’re not sure about riding a particular road, the best time of the week to try a new route is during an Eagles game. During daylight hours, the roads have the least traffic.

And Drew Nantais (hello, former colleague!) contributed another tip:

Sing a song. This helped me as a kid. You concentrate on singing the lyrics and you naturally start balancing on the bike. My favorite was “Old MacDonald.” If I started riding a bike today, though, I would choose “Apple” by Charli xcx.

Good choice. If I had to choose just one song, I’d go with “Come and Get Your Love” by Redbone.

Speaking of biking, there’s a cool event coming up soon in Mercer County, New Jersey called the Full Moon Bike Ride. If that sounds like fun to you, here are more details.

📮 Email me a report of your outdoor adventures (photos are a plus) for a chance to be featured in this newsletter.

We are approaching the sweet spot between summer and autumn.

I observe mad Men for the first time and in the middle of the third season, they are in the heat of the dog days of summer. Ken Cosgrove said, “New York in August? It’s like a giant wax museum where they melt molten wax.” How would you describe the Philadelphia area in August?

👋🏽 Nature is calling.

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