Land and Ecosystem Management

Land & Ecosystem Management

Churchville Nature Center helps maintain 700 acres of wildlife habitat in the Churchville Greenway, the connected area surrounding the Churchville reservoir and its watershed.

Management practices focus on improving and maintaining the ecological integrity of natural habitat for the benefit of native plants and wildlife while ensuring our trail systems are safe for public access.

Habitat remediation includes the removal of non-native, invasive vegetation, planting native trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants, protecting sensitive areas from deer browse damage, and the installation of nesting boxes for bluebirds and other bird species that have been impacted by competition from introduced, non-native species.

Counts & Studies

About Our Counts

Churchville Nature Center proudly sponsors a variety of activities intended to document populations of native wildlife. Current and past studies have focused on bird, reptile, amphibian and butterfly species of Pennsylvania.

NABA July 4th Count

In cooperation with the North American Butterfly Association, Churchville Nature Center coordinates the Lower Bucks branch of the annual July 4th Butterfly Count. We work with Silver Lake Nature Center and Waste Management Pollinator Cooperative on this count as well. It is a nation-wide study to chronicle the shifts in butterfly populations across North America. If interested in participating, we encourage seasoned butterfly enthusiasts to reach out to us!

Weekly Bird Surveys

Volunteers and staff of the Churchville Nature Center have been recording data during our weekly Saturday morning bird walks. Since 2000 we have collected over 20 years of raw citizen science data that tells a story of the Churchville Reservoir and its surrounding area. These bird walks are free to the public and start at 7:00 am from April through September & 8:00 am from October to the end of March.

We want to also thank all those who have participated in our free walks and all those who contributed to the data collection over the years. A special thanks to all the compilers.

Annual Bird Counts

We annually participate in the nation-wide Audubon Christmas Bird Count and perform our own Migratory Bird Marathon in the Spring. Both events are open to the public to participate in. The Migratory Marathon supplements our normal weekly data with a larger, all day survey around are area. Previously the marathon data was part of the now discontinued Pennsylvania Annual Migratory Count.

Churchville on eBird

If you are looking for more info on what birds are being seen around the center, the Cornell Lab's eBird site hosts independent sightings around Hotspots across the country. Churchville is one of those spots, check it out HERE.

Northern Red-Bellied Turtle

Red-Wing Blackbird

Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly

Bucks County Herpetological Survey

As a component of the Bucks County Natural Areas Inventory update project (BCNAI), Marlin Corn, former staff naturalist for the Churchville Nature Center, conducted the Herpetological Inventory, a comprehensive cataloging of the county's reptile and amphibian populations. With the help of numerous volunteers, 44 amphibian and reptile species were documented within the county borders.

We Run on Volunteer Power!
We rely on volunteer help to assist us in our ecological restoration efforts. If you are interested in offering a hand, please contact our volunteer coordinator, or visit Churchville Nature Center to learn more about our efforts to preserve and protect nature within the Churchville Greenway and throughout the region. To make sure these programs are staffed and continued, we are always looking for new volunteers to participate in these wildlife counts or to even spearhead new ones.

Female Eastern Box Turtle

Eastern Milksnake