The Blackbird Fields Forest Restoration project aims to restore 3.75 acres of wooded lands and convert .25 acre to native grassland and meadow. We hope this will help increase tribal community access to the space, create a space that is free of aggressive invasive species, restore forest health, attract wildlife and provide it with habitat and refuge, encourage the growth of plants that are medicinally and culturally significant to our community, and promote species that will help feed wildlife and visitors. The project will include Black and Indigenous youth from local Delaware tribes and communities and the Philadelphia area.
The desired impact of this project is that restoring these woodlands and making it an accessible area for the community will have a contagious impact. We envision the woodlands to be used by the community as a teaching space and a space to be enjoyed and available. We will include educational programing with professionals and elders for visitors to learn about plant identification and medicinal, and cultural use of plants and natural working lands. Inspired by the woodlands, we hope the community will look to advocate for such spaces in their backyards and their neighborhoods and grow native species and foster a deeper connection with the land.