Local Links for Biodiversity—Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Museums and Nature Centers:

Academy of Natural Sciences
1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Phone: 215-299-1000
www.acnatsci.org
A museum of natural history operating since 1812, undertakes research and education that focus on the environment and its diverse species. Hosting nearly 250,000 families, schoolchildren and tourists each year, the museum is one of the city's top cultural attractions and is famous for its dinosaurs, live butterflies, and historic dioramas.

Fairmount Park
Kelly Drive
Philadelphia, PA 19131
Phone: 215-685-0060
www.ushistory.org/districts/fairmountpark/welco.htm
The largest urban park in the country, Fairmount Park has 8,900 acres of land, divided among 63 separate parks-one in nearly every Philadelphia neighborhood. The largest parcel, which makes up approximately half of the park system, is the 4,400 acres along the Schuylkill River and Wissahickon Creek.

Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, Kempton
1700 Hawk Mountain Road
Kempton, PA 19529-9449
Phone (Info Line): 610-756-6000
Phone (Offices): 610-756-6961
www.hawkmountain.org
This raptor conservation, education, and research center is located on 2,400-acre preserve straddling the Kittatinny Ridge in eastern Pennsylvania.

Insectarium
8046 Frankford Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19136
Phone: 215-338-3000
www.insectarium.com
The Insectarium is home to an amazing variety of creepy, crawling creatures. The collection includes a wide array of live butterflies, termites, scorpions, tarantulas, and terrestrial and aquatic insects, as well as thousands of mounted specimens.

John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum
86th Street and Lindbergh Boulevard
Philadelphia, PA 19153
Phone: 215-365-3118
heinz.fws.gov
More than 280 endangered species live within this 145-acre refuge. Visitors can explore diverse habitats, such as streams, marshes, woodlands, and meadows, by walking or biking along the numerous trails, or from high atop the observation decks. Fishing is permitted in designated areas.

Longwood Gardens
Route 1, P.O. Box 501
Kennett Square, PA 19348
Phone: 610-388-1000
www.longwoodgardens.org
Longwood Gardens is a plant lover's dream! Covering more than 1,050 acres, Longwood has more than 11,000 varieties of plants in its 20 gardens and indoor greenhouses. The staff conducts dozens of classes and lectures year-round, and, during the summer, Longwood Gardens presents organ concerts every Sunday in addition to several musical-theater performances.

Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania
100 Northwestern Avenue
Chestnut Hill
Philadelphia, PA 19118
Phone: 215-247-5777
www.upenn.edu/arboretum
University of Pennsylvania's Morris Arboretum is an interdisciplinary center that integrates art, sciences, and the humanities. This 92-acre Victorian landscape, complete with paths, streams, and special garden areas, showcases thousands of rare, woody plants, including many of Philadelphia's oldest and largest trees.

The Philadelphia Zoo
3400 W. Girard Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Phone: 215-243-1100
www.phillyzoo.org
Visitors to the nation's oldest zoo can check out various species of monkeys in the new PECO Primate Reserve. Other favorites of Philly Zoo visitors include the tiger, zebra, and polar bear displays.

The Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education
8480 Hagy's Mill Road
Philadelphia, PA 19128
Phone: 215-482-7300
www.schuylkillcenter.org
Founded in 1965 and located on 500 acres, the Schuylkill Center offers more than 6 miles of hiking trails, 4 ponds and a wetland area, bird blinds, and a community organic garden. Staff members and volunteers conduct a variety of outdoor and indoor natural history and environmental science programs, as well as birthday parties, seasonal festivals, earth journeys, and public education programs. The center also works in wildlife rehabilitation, providing medical treatment and a temporary refuge for rescued birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians.

Wagner Free Institute of Science
1700 W. Montgomery Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19121
Phone: 215-763-6529
www.wagnerfreeinstitute.org
In 1855, William Wagner founded this North Philly natural history and education museum, which maintains its collections in the same way visitors would have seen them in the 19th century. A national landmark, the Wagner Institute is fascinating for its architecture and structure, and also is notable for its collection of more than 100,000 specimens, including dinosaur bones.