Wilma Quinlan Nature Preserve
The Wilma Quinlan Nature Preserve is a natural area along the Neshaminy Creek that has been owned by New Britain Borough since 1971. Expanded from its original 24 acres through both donations and purchases, the Nature Preserve encompasses 34 acres today.
The Nature Preserve was established in 1974 to preserve open space, to serve as a sanctuary for wildlife, and to provide visitors with a place to enjoy passive recreation activities such as hiking, nature study, wildlife observation, and birding.
The Nature Preserve is largely managed and maintained by the Borough’s Nature Preserve Committee, an all-volunteer committee. The Preserve’s management is based on the recommendations made in a 2007 Stewardship Plan prepared for the Borough by Natural Lands and on the Nature Preserve Committee’s own Strategic Plan, written in 2015. The Committee’s extensive habitat restoration in the Preserve has involved the removal of invasive vegetation, the planting of hundreds of native trees and shrubs, the installation of a warm-season grass and wildflower meadow, trail work, and the addition of many amenities to enhance the experience of visiting the Preserve.
The Nature Preserve Committee’s stewardship and habitat restoration work has been recognized with both local and state awards in recent years. In 2018, Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve presented the Nature Preserve Committee with its annual Land Ethics Award for the committee’s active stewardship of the Preserve. The Committee’s habitat restoration work was also recognized by the State of Pennsylvania in 2019, when the Committee was awarded the Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence.
If you would like to help with this continuing restoration work, the Nature Preserve Committee organizes numerous Spring and Fall workdays every year to help with trail maintenance, the planting of native trees and shrubs, and the removal of invasive plant species. Contact pricet@newbritainboro.com for more information about these workdays. The dates for upcoming workdays can be found below.
The Nature Preserve is open from sunrise to sunset. Dogs are permitted on the Preserve’s trails, but they must be leashed at all times. This rule is strictly enforced. Hunting, trapping, swimming, picnicking, camping, horseback riding, biking, snowmobiling, and off-road vehicles are prohibited.
Parking for the Nature Preserve is located at the Preserve’s main entrance on Mathews Avenue. Mathews Avenue is closed to thru traffic near the Preserve, so the main entrance can only be accessed using Sand Road, off West Butler Avenue. Miriam’s Meadow, and several pedestrian entrances to the Preserve are located along Landis Mill Road and can still be accessed using Mathews Avenue, but parking on Landis Mill Road is limited.
Links to Resources:
- Spring 2024 Workday Flyer
- WQNP Trail Map
- Stewardship Plan [2007]
- Stewardship Plan Addendum [2014]
- Strategic Plan [2015]
- 2024 Progress Report on Stewardship Goals
- Winning Project Description for 2018 Land Ethics Award
- Winning Project Description for 2019 Governor’s Award
- Chronological History of the Wilma Quinlan Nature Preserve
- Borough Newsletter Article on the Preserve’s 50th Anniversary
- Acquisition and Aftermath 1965-2005 (50th Anniversary Presentation, Part 1)
- Restoration and Expansion 2005 to the Present (50th Anniversary Presentation Part 2)
