September 13, 2023
Today, we had a ceremony marking the completion of a conservation easement on 24 acres of forest in Upper Roxborough. Thanks to a $3 million gift from Jessica Berwind and Joanna Berwind, we will preserve the land from development, forever — it will remain an untouched forest for generations to come.
August 10, 2023
photo by Bastiaan Slabbers/ For The Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education
The Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education placed 24 acres of green space in Upper Roxborough into a permanent conservation easement, protecting the land from development forever.
Last year, donors came forward with a $3 million gift to fund the permanent preservation of the land. This gift, made through Vanguard Charitable, was provided by entities affiliated with longtime Schuylkill Center supporters and environmentalists Jessica Berwind and Joanna Berwind.
The donation – the Center’s largest ever – eliminates all development rights on the property, locally known as the Boy Scout Tract. The newly preserved tract will join the 340-acre main campus of protected land to bring the Center to 365 acres, the largest preserved private property in Philadelphia.
“The Berwind sisters and their families are eager to see the Center leverage this gift into becoming a world-class Center for generations to come through its people, programming, and campus, enriching the local community at a time when development continues to replace green space in the city,” the family said in a statement.
“We are incredibly grateful for the generosity of the Berwind sisters,” said Marilyn Tinari, president of the Center’s board of trustees. “Our duty as stewards is to engage with the earth sustainably, and sometimes, as in this case, not to engage at all but to act as guardians to preserve it as is. This gift will enable us to secure in perpetuity a significant piece of open space for Philadelphia.”
“This is a momentous occasion in the Center’s history, and this historic gift allows us to meet the future with a vision we can put into action,” said Erin Mooney, the Center’s interim executive director.
“This deep investment in the mission of the Schuylkill Center is transformational for the Center and the city of Philadelphia,” Mooney said.
In addition to addressing critical capital needs, these funds will unlock future funding opportunities for the Center, including other gifts from foundations and donors and opportunities for state grants that require matching funds.
The 24-acre parcel, originally given to the Center by one of its founding families, is located along Port Royal Avenue, fronting on Eva Street.
The Center engaged Natural Lands, the region’s oldest and largest land conservation organization, to create the conservation easement. Currently, Natural Lands holds the easement on the Center’s 340-acre main campus.
“We are honored to expand our longstanding relationship with the Schuylkill Center to protect this important landscape in the city,” said Oliver Bass, president of Natural Lands. “This conservation success isn’t just a legal document; it is a commitment to preserve and nurture nature for generations to come.”
The Center is engaging in a strategic process with stakeholders to consider how best to leverage the gift.
Since its founding in 1965, the Schuylkill Center has protected more than 400 acres of open space in Roxborough, including its main campus. Bounded by Port Royal Avenue, Hagys Mill Road, Spring Lane, and the Schuylkill River Trail, the Center’s programs operate on the main campus made up of forests, fields, streams, and meadows.
Recent Articles (updated 8/18/2023)
August 17, 2023 – Chestnut Hill Local by Regina Marie
August 11, 2023 – Times Herald
August 10, 2023 – Roxborough/Manayunk Patch by Max Bennett
August 10, 2023 – Philly Voice by Maggie Mancini
August 10, 2023 – Philadelphia Inquirer by Frank Kummer
December 7, 2022
The Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education today announced that preservation-minded donors have pledged a $3 million gift that will protect the entire 24-acre Boy Scout Tract from development in perpetuity. The donors, who wish to remain anonymous, are making the gift with Vanguard Charitable.
This 24-acre parcel, originally given by one of the Center’s founding families, is named for a time when Scouts camped there, and is located along Port Royal Avenue, fronting on Eva Street. The donation requires the Schuylkill Center to place a conservation easement on the property, a legal agreement that eliminates all development rights on the site in perpetuity.
“We are incredibly grateful for the generosity of the donors,” said Christopher P. McGill, president of the Center’s Board of Trustees. “This gift will have a significant impact for generations to come.”
“This is a watershed moment in our history, and we are so thankful to the donors for this, our largest gift, ever,” said Mike Weilbacher, the Center’s executive director. “We will be able to parlay this $3 million gift into bigger and better things while addressing transformational initiatives, while at the same time responding to the community’s strong desire to preserve the Boy Scout Tract.”
McGill said the Center “is beginning a thorough, very thoughtful conversation on how we best leverage the gift–in our people, programming, and our campus, making us a world-class Center for generations to come.”
Elaine Kenig, Director of Communications and Strategy at Vanguard Charitable says, “We are honored to play a role in this grant supporting our local community. This extraordinary grant will enrich the region far into the future.”
The Center has engaged Natural Lands, the region’s oldest and largest land conservation organization, to create the conservation easement. Currently, Natural Lands holds the easement on the Center’s 340-acre main campus, across Port Royal Avenue from the Boy Scout Tract property.
“This is an important step for conservation in the city as development continues to replace green space,” says Oliver Bass, president of Natural Lands. “We applaud the Schuylkill Center and the community for coming together to find this conservation solution.”
The easement process is expected to take six to nine months to complete.
Since its founding in 1965, the Schuylkill Center has protected more than 400 acres of open space in Roxborough, including its main campus. Bounded by Port Royal Avenue, Hagys Mill Road, Spring Lane, and the Schuylkill River Trail, the Center’s programs are run on 340 acres of permanently protected land, the largest preserved private property in Philadelphia.
“This land now joins all of our other protected open spaces in Upper Roxborough,” concluded Weilbacher.
The Center’s mission is to inspire meaningful connections between people and nature. Its staff offers a diverse menu of environmental education programs, including science-based school field trips, Nature Preschool, its pioneering environmental art program, a volunteer program, and land stewardship opportunities. The Center also operates the city’s only wildlife rehabilitation clinic, located on Port Royal Avenue near the tract.
Recent Articles (updated 12/15/2022)
December 15, 2022 – Chestnut Hill Local by Tom Beck
December 9, 2022 – 6ABC by Todd Haas
December 8, 2022 – MONTCO Today by Dan Weckerly
December 7, 2022 – Natural Lands
December 7, 2022 – KYW Newsradio by Shara Dae Howard
December 7, 2022 – GridPhilly by Bernard Brown
December 7, 2022 – Philly Voice by Maggie Mancini
December 7, 2022 – Times Herald
December 7, 2022 – Roxborough/Manayunk Patch by Max Bennett
December 7, 2022 – Philadelphia Inquirer by Frank Kummer
September 14, 2022 – Chestnut Hill Local by Tom Beck and Carla Robinson
September 8, 2022 – 6ABC by Katie Katro
September 6, 2022 – Philadelphia Inquirer by Frank Kummer
July 13, 2022 – Chestnut Hill Local by Carla Robinson
July 1, 2022 – Philadelphia Inquirer by Frank Kummer
An aerial photo of the Boy Scout Tract, showing the Higher Ground church on Eva Street on the right and a 19th-century home on the left. Green Tree Run flows across the bottom of the photo.
Topographical map