Step outside, take a deep breath, and enjoy the fresh air this week, friends. In today’s edition:
A view from above: Fly up the Delaware on a tour of the river’s most intriguing islands.
Chicken fight: A retired nurse has helped dozens of towns legalize backyard birds.
Your outdoorsy experience: A moment of peace among the butterflies.
☀️ Your weekend weather outlook: Mainly sunny skies during the days and deliciously cooler nights in the sixties.
— Paola Pérez and Alyssa Passeggio (outdoorsy@inquirer.com)
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There is a string of more than 100 islands where visitors might find birds nesting, unusual plants, and old military forts.
The 330 miles of Delaware River from Wilmington, Del., to New York state are home to shoals, sandbars, or hundreds of acres of uninhabited islands.
Some were playgrounds for the wealthy. Others are owned by industrial giants. There are even tales of pirates.
Our latest interactive will take you for a ride over the islands of the Delaware.
News worth knowing
Fox Chase Farm volunteers disband after more than 30 years following conflict with Philly school district
Abington is paying the feds to ‘harass’ geese with lasers, pyrotechnics, and boats
A meteorite that crashed into a New Jersey home contained ‘alien world chemistry,’ a new study says
Camden County wants to spend $400M to make Cooper River swimmable and improve other waterways
Gloucester County just turned a vacant T-ball field into its first playground designed for children with disabilities
🦋 Your outdoorsy experience
My colleague Lizzy Ravitch wants to put us on to a natural respite that seems to be hiding in plain sight:
In Whitemarsh Township, just minutes away from bustling suburban shopping centers in any direction, a stretch of road runs past the Erdenheim Farm, and nestled among it is the Dixon Meadow Preserve & Boardwalk.
That’s where I have found myself on quite a few occasions, including the recent sultry Sunday after the Fourth, with my husband and two young kids. The morning promised too much heat for a long walk or hike, but at the preserve, with less than a mile of walking trail to tread, we didn’t have to worry about that.
It may not seem like an escape into nature, given that cars passing by on Flourtown Road are in view from most of the area. Yet somehow, while walking the paved path and a raised boardwalk, one can feel as if a bubble has been created around the preserved space. It’s surprisingly quiet — well, except for the birdsong and occasional quack from a marsh-dwelling duck.
The 14-acre preserve is home to native plants, and it’s frequented by a variety of colorful birds — and binocular-toting birders. Monarch butterflies also hang out there this time of year, and they were our favorite friends to see on that recent Sunday.
After about 30 minutes of wandering, covered in sweat, we headed back home. We didn’t get in many steps, but that wasn’t the point. On a weekend when air conditioning and shade were the responsible choice, it had been nice to spend a moment among the butterflies.
Beautiful! Thank you, Lizzy.
📧 What are you enjoying out there? This is your spot to shine. Send your special stories and moments in an email — with a picture, if you have one. You may see it featured here.
🎤 Now we’re passing the microphone to South Jersey reporter Sarah Nicell.
Any Collingswood resident over the last 18 years can remember the fight to legalize backyard chickens. Or the second attempt. Or the third.
Gwenne Baile, 77, knows the efforts well. A Haddon Township resident and the unofficial “Chicken Lady of South Jersey,” Baile initially became interested when she saw Martha Stewart showing off her chickens on TV. After retiring in 2009 from a long career as an ob-gyn nurse, Baile decided she needed a hobby.
“I started looking into it,” Baile said, “but it was illegal here.”
Since then, Baile said, she has played some part in changing the ordinances in 35 municipalities across South Jersey, including in her hometown. She keeps a list of places with pro-chicken zoning rules, including the 19 municipalities in Camden County that allow them. Baile now has five hens, taken in as fosters, including those injured by predators or forced from owners whose municipalities do not allow coops. — Sarah Nicell
Keep reading on the push for residential hens.
Paola’s picks
🐺 A win: There’s hope for the future of the most endangered species on the planet.
🌡️ A song: “I feel like summer.”
🐉 An activity: Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival at Franklin Square.
🐻 A read: “I watched a bear eat from a bear-proof trash can.”
An oceanic view
There’s something about bodies of water...
👋🏽 Happy trails.
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