New Sign At Croydon Nature Preserve Designed By Local Student

A new sign outside the Croydon Woods Nature Preserve in Bristol Township was designed by a local student.

The illustration created by sixth-grader Madison Vengoechea, who attends Bristol Township School District’s Franklin D. Roosevelt Middle School, has been adopted as the new sign for the nonprofit Heritage Conservancy’s outdoor classroom at the nature preserve.

The fourth and fifth graders at Keystone Elementary School in Croydon, which Vengoechea attended, created the illustrations last year for the competition to design the sign. The goal was to make the community feel welcome in Croydon Woods.

Heritage Conservancy staff members voted on the designs after receiving 50 student submissions, and Vengoechea was declared the winner.

Vengoechea’s sign features a picture of two individuals going through a forest with creatures, plants, and insects all under a clear blue sky.

“The vibrant colors and connection of people enjoying the woods really made her artwork stand out!,” said Heritage Conservancy Community Engagement Programs Manager Shannon Fredebaugh-Siller. “The outdoor seating area really needed something to help the space feel like a space to bring the community together and I think Madison’s sign will do just that! We hope that the outdoor classroom/seating area will be enjoyed by the school and everyone in the community, whether they are looking to sit and enjoy nature, watch birds, or go for a hike on the trails in Croydon Woods Nature Preserve.”

Five honorable mentions from the contest were students Jaidary Perez, Yairah Melendez, Solomia Tkach, Liliana Hadfield, and Chesta Patel.

“Students drew what they enjoyed the most about the woods and left a white circle in the center of their artwork for Heritage Conservancy’s logo, website URL, and text ‘Croydon Woods Nature Preserve.’ On the outer edges of the circle, the sign includes the word ‘welcome’ in not only English, but also Spanish, Chinese and Arabic. Heritage Conservancy wanted to be as representative of the community as possible and these are the languages that are most spoken by students at Keystone Elementary,” according to the Bristol Township School District.

The William Penn Foundation, DowGives, The GIANT Company, and Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s Healing the Planet grant program all provided funding for the new sign, which was put up at Croydon Woods Nature Preserve earlier this month.

Croydon Woods sits next to Keystone Elementary School and features an outdoor classroom for use by students.

In 2016, the Heritage Conservancy purchased the property from Dow Chemical for $2.05 million. The majority of the cost was raised through grant funds from a variety of sources and with the support of local lawmakers.

Croydon Woods, which was once badly polluted, received an award from the Environmental Protection Agency in 2019.

The 80-acre site is special because of its size in the lower end of the county and what it features. Croydon Woods is widely considered among the last remaining coastal forests in the state and has vast wetlands, the Hog Run Creek runs through it, and a wide variety of animal and plant life.

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