Ecosystems Education Center & Freshwater Mussel Hatchery
World-Class Science and Collaboration on the Tidal Schuylkill River
With the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary (PDE), a new watershed education and restoration complex at Bartram’s Garden will feature an ecosystems education center and the world’s first production-scale hatchery for freshwater mussels.
Additional Information
Each adult mussel can filter up to 20 gallons of water per day while creating a nutrient-rich riverbed to help prevent erosion and support healthy conditions for other plants and animals. (But no, these aren’t the kinds of mussels we eat!) Thanks to regulations, scientific research, and dedicated residents throughout the region, rivers like the Schuylkill and the Delaware are now healthy enough to support a range of plants and animals, including native mussels, but only large-scale intervention like PDE’s new 9,000-square-foot hatchery will fully restore the natural ecosystem. The hatchery’s freshwater mussels will be seeded, or placed, in the riverbed in local streams, wetlands, and waterways.
The adjacent 12,000-square-foot education center will provide hands-on, year-round opportunities for intergenerational learning, making, and sharing thanks to a teaching kitchen and flexible indoor and outdoor classroom spaces.
Sponsors
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
NOAA Coastal Zone Management
PECO
William Penn Foundation
PENNVEST
Pennsylvania Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program
Sponsorship Opportunities
Fundraising is ongoing to ensure this project’s successful completion and sustainable programming as an inviting, free community asset. We look forward to discussing ways to showcase your sponsorship through naming opportunities and other benefits. To learn more, please contact Director of Development Caroline Winschel at cwinschel@bartramsgarden.org or 215 729 5281 x104.
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