11-Acre Habitat Restoration Project Planned At Tyler State Park

A nationwide effort to save endangered monarch butterflies will make progress locally, thanks to a new project at Tyler State Park.

Three Tyler Park habitats serving indigenous plants, birds and butterflies will be restored thanks to a $10,000 grant from PECO and the hard work of Bucks County Community College students. The habitats will make up more than 11 acres at the 1,711-acre state park.

The project is a partnership between the college’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics department, PECO and Tyler State Park, BCCC announced this week.

The three local habitats will be added to the more than 12,000 habitats throughout the country that are registered through MonarchWatch.org, a Univerity of Kansas nonprofit conservation and research program.

Two of the habitats located at the main entrance area of the park will be planted with native seed mixes and milkweed plugs this spring. The third habitat, which is approximately 10 acres on the western side of the park, will take five years to fully restore, according to information from BCCC.

The habitats will "serve as a destination for monarch butterflies during their annual migration to the warm climate of Mexico," the college explained.

The project will also serve as a valuable learning tool for students.

“This project presents our STEM students with a unique opportunity to gather, report and interpret actual scientific data, thus providing insight into how such information becomes scientific knowledge in their textbooks,” instructor Michael Bernarsky said. “PECO’s financial support of our project has provided the launch pad toward making these opportunities for our students a reality.”

Plus, the park will benefit.

“This habitat-restoration project will enhance the park’s natural resources and provide additional opportunities for the parks’ environmental education program and park visitors,” said park manager Brian Flores.

According to the college key components of all three habitats include:

• A mix of native flowers with different bloom times, including some overlap in flowering, to ensure a stable food source for butterflies
• Native milkweed to provide food for monarch caterpillars
• Minimal, well-timed management that limits impact to all pollinators, including butterflies, while eliminating woody species as needed
• Interpretative wayside exhibit panels and nature trails
• Avoidance of insecticides

A formal dedication of the habitats will be held later this spring, the college said.