Purchased in 2014, David Hughes’ woodland area, once overbrowsed by deer and overrun by invasive plants, is now a thriving forest-floor community of native plants. The monoculture of lawns has been replaced with warm-season grass meadows, native wildflowers and forest communities. Vernal pools and rain gardens have been created to add a thriving wetland community. Join the Preserve for a private tour of this inspirational property and listen to Hughes give inspired information on healing our degraded landscape reflecting on rich communities of native plants and the creatures that call it home.

David Hughes is a registered landscape architect and owner of Weatherwood Design LLC that specializes in native plant-based garden design, ecology and indigenous habitat conservation. He has worked in the green industry for 34 years designing landscapes that focus on bringing back ecological functions to the site and its surrounding community. Hughes’ designs improve the pathways in which ecological services are revived or restored to a site.

Find out more on his website.

Program Fee: $45 (Members, enter your code at checkout to receive your 20% discount.)

Want to begin bird watching but don’t know where to start? March is the perfect time to dip your beak into this fulfilling, lifelong hobby. Pam Newitt, Preserve naturalist, educator and ornithological enthusiast, will guide us around the Preserve. Using some of our familiar feathered friends as examples, we will learn the basics of field identification through both visual and behavioral cues. This program will help you prepare for the spring migration as returning birds make their way north from warmer wintering grounds. Bring binoculars if you have them, comfortable shoes and dress for the weather.

Pam Newitt has a B.S. in wildlife conservation from the University of Maryland, has been a professional interpretive naturalist since 1989 and is a long-time active presence at the Preserve. She loves walking woodland trails, looking up for birds and down at wildflowers.

Program Fee: $15 (Members: Enter your code to receive your 20% discount)

Walks are weather dependent; please dress for the weather.

Join naturalist Pam Newitt as we explore the park after dark. We will learn about amphibian life cycles, who’s who in the chorus we hear and why they make the Preserve home. Dress for the weather and bring a flashlight. All ages are welcome.

Pam Newitt has a B.S. in wildlife conservation from the University of Maryland, has been a professional interpretive naturalist since 1989 and is a long-time active presence at the Preserve. She loves walking woodland trails, looking up for birds and down at wildflowers.

Program Fee: $12 (Members: Enter your code to receive your 20% discount)

Parents are encouraged to enjoy the Preserve grounds while we learn and explore.

Nature play can awaken children’s senses, challenge their bodies, inspire their imaginations and build self-confidence. In order to grow up healthy and happy, children need abundant, unstructured time to play and explore in the natural world, but today’s children rarely have the opportunity to roam free outdoors. Creating nature play spaces that are inviting and engaging for children AND good for the planet is a great solution. Based on her book, with rich, inspiring images from around the world, detailed DIY project instructions, and an abundance of themed lists of child-friendly plants including many North American natives, author, educator, and landscape designer Nancy Striniste explains why and how to bring the beauty, adventure, and sustainability of nature play to backyards, schoolyards, churchyards, neighborhood parks, early childhood settings, and more.

Nancy Striniste is the founder and principal designer at EarlySpace, LLC, and has a unique background as both a landscape designer and an early childhood educator. For more than four decades she has worked with schools, childcare centers, municipalities, and organizations to create sustainably designed natural play and learning spaces in the mid-Atlantic and beyond, and to teach teachers and others about how to use the outdoors for teaching and learning. Nancy is the author of Nature Play at Home: Creating Outdoor Spaces that Connect Children to the Natural World (Timber Press 2019) and is the former National Policy Liaison for Green Schoolyards America where she focused on curating the pandemic-era National Outdoor Learning Library and on advocacy for the Living Schoolyards Act, a bill before the US Senate. After more than 20 years living and practicing in Arlington, Virginia, she has recently relocated to Bensalem, Pennsylvania and is eager to connect with colleagues in the area!

Program Fee: $15 (Members, enter your code at checkout to receive your 20% discount.)

All lectures will be held virtually using Zoom. They will be recorded and shared with everyone who registers for a short time.

Nectar and pollen from our native meadow plants such as the aster family and goldenrods (Solidago spp.) fuel the lives of our native pollinators throughout autumn. Join one of our seasoned naturalists for a guided tour of our 6.4-acre meadow to learn about meadow ecology and plant-pollinator interactions. The naturalist leading this invigorating walk will meet participants at the James Moore Pavilion. For ages 10 and up.    

Rick Anderson has been a Preserve naturalist for over 13 years and has led guided meadow walks for the past 5 years. He’s a scout merit badge counselor for nature, forestry and environmental science. He and Paula Walter have volunteered together at local schools, teaching students about watersheds, water quality and ecosystems. Anderson hosted a public video recording on our meadows, showcasing the ecosystem of wet, moist and dry areas that each support different plant and animal communities.

Paula Walter is a property steward and naturalist for several Bucks County education organizations. She has worked to install, maintain and monitor both large scale and backyard meadows. Walter is an advocate for the importance of meadows in a healthy environment and finds the Preserve’s meadow ecosystem both fascinating and beautiful.

Join the fun and make a festive holiday wreath out of natural materials and native plants, including Eastern juniper (Juniperus virginiana), white pine (Pinus strobus) and American holly (Ilex opaca). In this festive workshop, follow a step-by-step demonstration and hands-on instruction to help you create a work of art you’ll be proud to display during the holiday season. Space is limited for this program, so register early. For ages 14 and up.

The registration fee includes all materials.

Advance registration with payment is required by Dec. 5, 2025.

This is an indoor event taking place in the Visitor Center Auditorium. Participants are encouraged to bring their own backyard, garden and decorative materials (like ribbons) to add as personalized accent pieces if they wish.

Additional Information: Online registration for this program closes 12 hours before the start of the class. If you need help with registration, please email education@bhwp.org. If you need assistance with your membership code, please contact development@bhwp.org.

Registration Fees: $65 members ($78 non-members)

Join the fun and make a festive holiday wreath out of natural materials and native plants, including Eastern juniper (Juniperus virginiana), white pine (Pinus strobus) and American holly (Ilex opaca). In this festive workshop, follow a step-by-step demonstration and hands-on instruction to help you create a work of art you’ll be proud to display during the holiday season. Space is limited for this program, so register early. For ages 14 and up.

The registration fee includes all materials.

Advance registration with payment is required by Dec. 05, 2025.

This is an indoor event taking place in the Visitor Center Auditorium. Participants are encouraged to bring their own backyard, garden and decorative materials (like ribbons) to add as personalized accent pieces if they wish.

Join the fun and make a festive holiday wreath out of natural materials and native plants, including Eastern juniper (Juniperus virginiana), white pine (Pinus strobus) and American holly (Ilex opaca). In this festive workshop, follow a step-by-step demonstration and hands-on instruction to help you create a work of art you’ll be proud to display during the holiday season. Space is limited for this program, so register early. For ages 14 and up.

The registration fee includes all materials.

Advance registration with payment is required by Dec. 06, 2025.

This is an indoor event taking place in the Visitor Center Auditorium. Participants are encouraged to bring their own backyard, garden and decorative materials (like ribbons) to add as personalized accent pieces if they wish.

Nectar and pollen from our native meadow plants such as the aster family and goldenrods (Solidago spp.) fuel the lives of our native pollinators throughout autumn. Join one of our seasoned naturalists for a guided tour of our 6.4-acre meadow to learn about meadow ecology and plant-pollinator interactions. The naturalist leading this invigorating walk will meet participants at the James Moore Pavilion. For ages 10 and up.    

Rick Anderson has been a Preserve naturalist for over 13 years and has led guided meadow walks for the past 5 years. He’s a scout merit badge counselor for nature, forestry and environmental science. He and Paula Walter have volunteered together at local schools, teaching students about watersheds, water quality and ecosystems. Anderson hosted a public video recording on our meadows, showcasing the ecosystem of wet, moist and dry areas that each support different plant and animal communities.

Paula Walter is a property steward and naturalist for several Bucks County education organizations. She has worked to install, maintain and monitor both large scale and backyard meadows. Walter is an advocate for the importance of meadows in a healthy environment and finds the Preserve’s meadow ecosystem both fascinating and beautiful.