The Discovery Center in Philadelphia Has Opened Its Gates

约炮视频鈥檚 newest nature center will provide outdoor experiences for all Philadelphians in collaboration with the Strawberry Mansion community and Outward Bound.

The Discovery Center, a nature-focused educational facility managed jointly by 约炮视频 Pennsylvania and Philadelphia Outward Bound School, officially opened on Friday. Located in Fairmount Park in North Philadelphia, the Discovery Center will be a space where the two partner organizations will bring outdoor opportunities and educational programming to members of the communities that live near a storied Philadelphia landmark, the newly renamed Strawberry Mansion Reservoir.

For longtime residents of the adjacent Strawberry Mansion neighborhood who attended the opening, Friday鈥檚 festivities were the first time many of them engaged with the space in nearly fifty years鈥攂efore its recent restoration, the entire area was fenced off from the public.

鈥淲e are excited and pleased to be able to welcome you all here today. It鈥檚 been a long time coming鈥攄ecades of fencing, decades of not knowing what is behind here, and decades of loss from a place we loved and brought our families to,鈥 said Tonnetta Graham, a Strawberry Mansion native, executive director of the Strawberry Mansion Community Development Corporation, and an integral figure in the re-opening of this sanctuary in Philadelphia.

鈥淵ou are going to hear from some amazing people who are committed to environmental education, who are committed to leadership development, who are committed to saving places like this, not only for wildlife, but for us.鈥

鈥淭he first and most important thing to do is to just come out and enjoy this absolutely beautiful view. Most people in Philadelphia will never have seen this before because it鈥檚 been behind barbed wire for almost 50 years,鈥 said Greg Goldman, executive director of 约炮视频 Pennsylvania. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a unique place to observe wildlife and an abundance of bird species in the Philadelphia area.鈥

Meg Wise, executive director for Philadelphia Outward Bound School, took the time to describe how both her organization and 约炮视频 Pennsylvania intend to use the space. In addition to the students Philadelphia Outward Bound School and 约炮视频 Pennsylvania will serve, Wise stressed the importance of the Discovery Center being for everyone.

鈥淭his is a public space and this is a space for everyone here,鈥 Wise said. 鈥淎s Tonnetta said, this is a space of respite, a place to learn, a place to connect to other people.鈥

鈥淚 am reminded here today of how many times people ask, 鈥榃hy is it that nonprofits cannot work together?鈥欌 said David Yarnold, president and CEO of the 约炮视频. 鈥淣onprofits can work together in partnership with communities they serve and do amazing things.鈥

Like its other nature centers in places like Los Angeles and Columbus, Ohio, 约炮视频 will provide free opportunities like nature walks and experiential programming for community members to explore the natural world in their own backyard. A primary goal of 约炮视频 with the Discovery Center is to serve Strawberry Mansion residents.

During its nearly 50-year closure, the Strawberry Mansion Reservoir became a critical habitat for more than 150 species of birds. The common themes of wonderment and rediscovery throughout the keynote addresses were punctuated by cameo appearances of the birds from Fairmount Park.

Throughout the speeches, attendees got to experience the diverse ecosystem firsthand. A Red-tailed Hawk circled overhead and Wood Ducks in the reservoir caught the attention of people in the crowd.

鈥淲alking over here is like an oasis that makes people feel better about themselves and where they are at,鈥 said Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney. 鈥淭o have our kids have an experience like this is a wonderful thing, and does nothing better than to enhance their lives.鈥

At the conclusion of everyone鈥檚 remarks, the attendees made their way the center鈥檚 gates to officially mark the opening of the Discovery Center. Amani Reid, former Alliance for Watershed Education fellow and current the Discovery Center assistant, did the formal ribbon-cutting. The celebration carried over into the weekend with the inaugural monthly Discovery Day, which was filled with interactive 约炮视频 and Outward Bound activities.