November 11th, 2017

John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum, Philadelphia, PA, United States

On November 11th, 20 students from Drexel University and Temple University made the journey to the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge in Philadelphia for an event that included a tour of local cleanup sites led by Sierra Club Pennsylvania’s Amy Kwasnicki. Along the way, the students spoke with a representative from the US Fish and Wildlife Service about the refuge and its significance as the first urban refuge in the country. They also discussed the Lower Darby Creek Area cleanup site, which accumulated waste material over nearly two decades from the 1950s to the 1970s. The event underscored how crucial EPA funding is not only for the cleanup work, but also for the environmental justice program that assists the frontline communities most impacted by the pollution from these sites.