By the Center for Aquatic Sciences
Barbara Kelly
Aerial View of Petty's Island
In the middle of the Delaware River, just north of Camden and Center City Philadelphia, sits a 350-acre island. Most people have not heard of the island. However, Petty’s Island has a long and storied history that starts with the Lenni-Lenape and includes William Penn, Benjamin Franklin, and possibly even the pirate Blackbeard. Most recently, the island served as part of the industrialization of the area; owned by Citgo it was an oil storage and container drop-off location. The island is now going through the final stages of remediation with a conservation easement to the NJ Natural Lands Trust. During this time, the Center for Aquatic Sciences is partnering with the Trust to offer educational programs and conservation projects on the island. Since the island is not yet open to the public, these events offer a wonderful opportunity to explore a location returning to its natural beauty.
Although the Center brings residents on the island for a variety of programs, from nature walks to clean-ups to evening bat hikes, some of the most meaningful trips are with our own CAUSE youth. The Center’s CAUSE, Community and Urban Science Enrichment, program works with Camden teens, engaging them in environmental science activities starting as they enter the 9th grade and continuing through their senior year.
Holding a found frog
As 9th graders, their first trip to this island just minutes from their home seems like an entirely new place. Going to the island for the first time, Kori remembers “I’d never seen a place like that before…seeing all the different animals and the different…frogs. It was kind of mind-blowing.” Almost every teen in the program has those first memories of the island that stay with them. They often include the wildlife and the sense of something so beautiful and wild, yet so close to their city. When asked about Petty’s Island, Alex commented that his “favorite thing about Petty’s would definitely be the…animals. There’s an eagle’s nest. There’s a bunch of different birds. Just the other day, I was sitting…by the water and there were two beavers swimming up to Petty’s.” Juan mentions that the bat hikes are one of his favorite, “getting to see the sunset over the (Ben Franklin) Bridge and the city. Its so beautiful. And then the bats come up and we can see them and listen to them.”
Testing the water surrounding Petty's Island
It is so empowering for teens to have access to the island and to think about what that could mean for their community. As Jermyne shared “it shows what the world could look like, if we learn how to be more mindful with our environments. Seeing it go from the history of it, from how I remember it used to be, but now it is not like that anymore”. Kori adds, “it’s a place that is different than we are used to.”
As the teens continue to visit the island year after year, an amazing transformation occurs as they move from visitors to stewards of the land. They begin to take an active role in caring for the island by working together and with other groups on cleaning up the trash that always seems to be caught along the island’s edge. Kori noted that one of the things that always impresses her is “seeing how people have a passion for Petty’s. How they want it to be clean. Groups like that are inspiring.” In ten years, Jermyne pictures it “with more wildlife and definitely less trash.”
As the teens continue to learn about and explore their world, places like Petty’s become an important local treasure. Kori may have said it best when she was asked to describe it: “it’s like a free place where you can kind of just go on a little vacation.”