Nature Fact:
Female monarch butterflies have several hundred eggs to lay during their short life in the spring. Monarch butterfly larvae eat milkweed,
and need it to survive.
Milkweed plants are being cut down to make roads and houses, and the monarch butterfly population is decreasing because of this. Conservationists are working hard to bring back the milkweeds so that monarch butterflies have a place
to live and grow.
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Upcoming events:
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4th Annual
Farm to Table
 Saturday, August 4th6:00 PM Lindsay Farm in Warwick, PA
Locally grown food prepared by acclaimed chefs from Earl's Bucks County & Jamie Hollander Gourmet served in a rustic and picturesque outdoor setting.
View video HERE.
$250 Locavore Ticket*
$75 Single Ticket *Locavore price includes 2 tickets and special benefits!
Sells out every year! Click HERE for more info, or contact Maggie at (215) 345-7020 x 107.
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Save the Date: September 22, 2012
Art of Preservation:
A Farm to Table Event
Join us for an elegant evening of cocktails and locally sourced delicacies on a historic farm at our inaugural Farm to Table event in Upper Bucks County.
Proceeds benefit land preservation efforts, including farmland, in the Cooks Creek Watershed area.
Stay tuned for more information. Or call Maggie Uliano at (215) 345-7020 x 107. |
Save the Date: December 2, 2012
Annual
Christmas for Aldie  Kick off the holiday season with us at our home in historic Aldie Mansion for a black tie optional event that includes cocktails, dinner, a live auction and festive entertainment! Proceeds benefit the ongoing upkeep and restoration of the mansion. Stay tuned for more information. Or call Maggie Uliano at (215) 345-7020 x 107. |
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"Like" and recommend us to your friends on Facebook! |
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Follow us on Twitter! Just click the logo!
Interact with us online!
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Weddings at Aldie Mansion
Voted "Best of Weddings" in 2011 by The Knot! 
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Local Groups, Organizations & Individuals Honored at our
Annual Garden Party
We hosted our annual member appreciation and donor recognition event on Thursday, June 14th. Beautiful weather complimented the "Garden Party," which included a cocktail reception on the Aldie Mansion terrace followed by an awards ceremony. Over 150 people were in attendance. As part of the event, we presented our "Heritage Partnership Awards" to four local groups, organizations, and individuals who have shown extraordinary commitment to conservation of our natural and historic heritage.  | |
John & Jan Ruhle, recipients of the 2012 Conservation Philanthropist Award
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The first award went to Mr. and Mrs. John H. Ruhle Jr. of Springfield Township. Because of their donation of over half of the market value of their 91 acre farm's conservation easement to the Conservancy and Springfield Township, they were presented the 2012 Conservation Philanthropist Award. The second award went to Bushkill Township, which was one of the first municipalities in Northampton County to raise their own money for open space preservation. Bushkill Township received the 2012 Land Conservation Award for the tremendous strides they have made in the past five years in land preservation.
Our third award was presented to Newtown Historic Association, which has been performing educational walking tours of historical sites in Newtown, PA with 5th grade students. Since the program's inception, more than 10,000 students have experienced this tour. We recognized Newtown Historic Association's efforts of connecting kids with history with the 2012 Historic Preservation Award. The fourth and final award was given to the Quakertown Swamp Amphibian Rescue Partnership. Representatives from Richland and East Rockhill Townships, and from a group of dedicated volunteers (and amphibian enthusiasts) received our 2012 Grassroots Partnership Award for the coordination and rescue of over 1,000 amphibians in the Quakertown Swamp area during amphibian mating season.
 | Members of the Quakertown Swamp
Amphibian Rescue Partnership, recipients of the 2012 Community Leadership / Grassroots Partnership Award |
Click HERE to view more photos from this event on Facebook. |
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Many Faces, One Voice
Get to Know Maggie Uliano, Our Membership & Special Events Associate
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Maggie with her German Shepherd, Elsa
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Margaret (Maggie) Uliano joined Heritage Conservancy in May 2011 and works within the Conservancy's Development & Community Engagement department. Maggie is responsible for many aspects of the organization's membership program. She also leads the planning and implementation of special events, both fundraisers and member appreciation events.
"I love interacting with engaged members of the community and spreading the word about Heritage Conservancy's mission," said Uliano. "Bucks County has always been my home. I'm very happy to work everyday for an organization whose mission is to protect this beautiful area."
Before Heritage Conservancy, Maggie studied Anthropology, with a focus in Archaeology at Temple University, and then went on to study Culinary Arts and Restaurant Management at the Art Institute of Philadelphia. She worked in Alumni affairs at Temple University, and most recently as a Pastry Chef in Philadelphia.
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76 Acres Preserved in Lower Saucon Township
As the open space consultant for Lower Saucon Township, we assisted with the preservation of the 76 acre Benner/Whitmore property in the Township. The property consists of mature woodlands with steeps slopes, seeps springs and unnamed tributary of the East Branch of the Saucon Creek.
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East Branch of the Saucon Creek that flows through the Benner/Whitmore.
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About 40 acres of the property were once a dairy farm but have been abandoned for over a decade. We assisted the Township in developing a conservation easement that would protect the critical natural resources on the property while allowing portions of the land to be converted back into active agricultural use.
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To Point or Not to Point?
Expert Historian and President, Jeff Marshall, answers a question about removing stucco to restore a historic stone wall
One of the most common questions we get from property owners is summarized in a recent email I received from an old house owner in Lumberville. She wrote:
"I am considering having the stucco removed to restore the house to its original condition. However, your book taught me that the stone may very well have been stuccoed from the beginning, if the stone is in poor condition. My question to you is: how can I tell? Again, I want to restore it to its original condition."
Determining whether the original stone was meant to be exposed or not can be difficult. What we consider attractive today is quite different than in the 18th and 19th century, when people strived for a more formal (stuccoed) appearance. Today, we appreciate the "natural" look.
One way to determine the original appearance is to carefully remove a test area of stucco. If the stone is small and irregular with large joints, then it was originally designed to be stuccoed. If the joints between the stone have evidence of pointing (formal ridge pointing or a smooth finish coat of plaster), then it is likely the stone was exposed at one time.
If there is no evidence of neat pointing, then either it was originally stuccoed, or the original pointing was removed when it was stuccoed (which is less likely). Step back and take a look. If you see the joints more than the stone, then the original stone should not be exposed.
As a final caution, if you do decide to point the stone, you should use a mortar that is not as strong as modern Portland cement. Mortar was designed to break when buildings move or settle. In many cases, the mortar is so hard that the stone will break. In yesteryear, it was expected that repointing was an ongoing maintenance task. Not like today, where we strive for "no maintenance" solutions.
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Example of stone cracking because the mortar was harder than the stone.
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-Jeffrey L. Marshall President |
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