Welkinweir is located within the Hopewell Big Woods, one of the most important natural areas in southeastern Pennsylvania. The nature sanctuary features a greenway corridor centered on a stream and series of ponds and wetlands, surrounded by maturing and mature forest communities that provide foraging and nesting sites for a great variety of birds, reptiles & amphibians, mammals, and more, preserving the rapidly vanishing pastoral landscape that has characterized Chester County for the past 200 years.
Did you know? The extensive forests that surround Welkinweir, plus a matrix of other high-quality habitats, supports an incredible diversity of flora and fauna, including several species that are rare or endangered. These lands have been identified by the Audubon Society and a partnership led by the Pennsylvania Biological Survey as an Important Bird Area and an Important Mammal Area, so that their habitat value may be recognized, celebrated, and protected.
Natural Areas
Learn more about the variety of habitats at Welkinweir, and the wildlife they support in our natural areas.
Hopewell Big Woods
Welkinweir is part of the Hopewell Big Woods: the last large, unbroken forest left in southeastern Pennsylvania, and one of the most important natural areas in the region. Learn more about this special place.