Department of Parks and Recreation

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PLEASE DON’T FEED THE WATERFOWL!
Parks and Recreation is working with the USDA Wildlife Service to protect the health of our park birds and wildlife. Please do not feed the waterfowl (geese, ducks, gulls, etc.). Feeding these wild animals creates dependence, promotes the spread of disease and upsets the natural cycles. The birds foul our shores, pollute our water and drive away timid species. Thank you for your cooperation.

TRAIL MAPS AVAILABLE!
There are now over 5 miles of paved trail at WCP! Maps can be downloaded from the Township website for personal use. These new trails bisect the park to create a multitude of walking, biking and running opportunities. Along the way, you’ll experience some hidden park treasures and enjoy much of the wildlife. Please note the posted trail signs for everyone’s safety! A map can be downloaded from the Township website for personal use.

AT WARMINSTER COMMUNITY PARK (WCP)
As WCP becomes more popular, the number of residents from Warminster and the surrounding communities who enjoy this new park continues to grow.  We invite everyone to visit the site, take a walk, bike or rollerblade, play on the playground, picnic in the pavilion or relax by the pond.  This 243-acre parcel was received as a public benefit transfer (free) from the US Department of the Interior with a real estate value of over $15 million.  To the residents of this community who strive to preserve open space, the value is priceless. 

Grant Update:  We have finally received the official approval from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) to move forward with the Township’s $100,000 matching grant.  This grant will be used to continue our Master Site Plan development of WCP with the installation of a dog park, labyrinth garden, basketball courts and maintenance facility.  Bids are being prepared and should be awarded before the end of the year.  Construction will begin as weather permits.  Businesses interested in making donations towards any of the above projects should contact the Parks & Recreation office.

Special Events At WCP:  Warminster Community Park is proving to be a popular spot for community special events due to unique site attributes.  Below is tentative listing of the activities we will be hosting for the remainder of 2008:

Sun, 8/31; 9/28;10/12 
            - Sport Car Club of America (SCCA)
Sat, 9/4-6 – Warminster Days
Sun, 9/14 – Carol for Heart
Sat, 9/20 – Tails of the Tundra
Sat, 10/11 – Craven Hall 5K
Sun, 10/19 – Ford V-8 Specialty Car show
Sat, 11/1 – Pumpkin Chuck & Touch-A-Truck

BIRDERS ENJOY OUR PARKS!
Southbound bird migration begins in August, and continues through November.  Shorebirds are the first to fly south, since they have the longest distance to travel, and you should be able to spot Least Sandpipers, Spotted Sandpipers, Solitary Sandpipers, and Semipalmated Plovers around the Warminster Community Park ponds in August or September.  Warblers, thrushes and vireos should be migrating through Kemper Park in September.  Hawks and geese will be migrating overhead, beginning with large numbers of Broadwing Hawks in September, continuing with Sharp-Shinned and Cooper’s Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks, Merlins, American Kestrels and Peregrine Falcons, and finishing with the eagles in October and November. Sparrows will be going through in October, and the ducks of various kinds will arrive in late October, into November and December.  Owls should be calling at night by November. 

Meanwhile, keep an eye out, and don’t forget to clean and fill your feeders, especially during the winter months.  A Red-Headed Woodpecker visited a feeder near Christ Home for a few days at the beginning of August, and our Eastern Meadowlarks in Warminster Community Park have drawn birders from miles around.

A great way to keep track of your observations and those of other birders is www.ebird.org.  This free website accumulates everyone’s sightings, and compiles them in easy to understand and accessible reports and charts.  Warminster Community Park is a designated “hot spot”, and other locations in Warminster should soon be available.  You can get plenty of information on Bucks County and surrounding locations here, too.