Palmyra Cove Environmental Education Foundation is a non-profit organization established in 1999 to preserve natural habitat and provide environmental education and passive recreational opportunities for all to visit.

New Jersey Partner

Palmyra Cove Nature Park (PCNP) is 250 acres of green in a highly developed area on the Delaware River just south of the Tacony Palmyra Bridge. With its woodlands, wetlands, tidal cove and wild river shore line, PCNP serves as an important feeding site for migratory birds. A Habitat for Birds NJ Audubon Society has identified over 250 different species of birds in the Park. Most of them are migratory so spring and fall are very busy seasons in the Park: Spring - Returning from their long journeys, sometimes thousands of miles, the birds stake out their territory, a spot where they will find shelter, water and food. Fall - Birds are busy "fattening up" and preparing to travel to their wintering spots.

We have nesting birds as well - one of these is the saw whet owl. PCNP and the Pine Barrens are the only two confirmed nesting sites in NJ for the saw whet. This special bird is a small owl only about 7 inches tall and is completely nocturnal. In our park, it nests under a canopy of honeysuckle vines. These vines grow up tree trunks, attaching themselves to the branches, and creates a protective canopy which the saw whet nestles under to protect itself from predators. The saw whets summer in Canada and hopefully will be back in the park in December.

Wetlands

These very important habitats are quickly disappearing in our state and in others, as development moves forward. Therefore, the wetlands are important sites for preservation.

Among the wetland sites in the park there is a 1.6 mile shoreline, along the Delaware River, from the Interpretive Center to the point of the Tidal Cove. There is also a tidal marsh, tidal creeks and a pond.

These wetlands provide habitat for a variety of water birds such as loons, grebes, cormorants, herons, ducks, geese, swans, egrets, and many more, including the American white pelican, which may be seen in the fall. The wetlands also provide habitat for plants, snakes, fish, turtles and frogs in various stages of development. The water level in the wetlands will determine which among the many living creatures will actually be present at any given time. Each also has a different place on the food chain. Part of the beauty of nature is to be found in its interconnectedness.

Woodlands

We have a variety of trees, plants, berry bushes, climbing vines and wild flowers. Some are native and some are non-native, some are fast growing and invasive species and some are slow growing and non-invasive. A special attraction of the woodlands is the succession forest; you can see early reforestation (low growth and seedling trees) to older growth (trees are taller with less light filtering down to the ground and, consequently, less underbrush) all the way to the mature, or climax forest where trees are thirty feet high, the canopy is broad and the forest floor is dark. These trees ultimately compete for water, begin to die, fall to the ground, and the entire process begins again.