Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration Program
Case Name:
M/T Athos I Crude Oil Spill
Country:
United States of America
Restoration Types:
Habitat Enhancement; Recreation
State:
Pennsylvania
Affected DOI Resources:
Recreational Use Loss
City:
Tinicum Township
Phase:
Monitoring / Completed
Little Tinicum Island is a three-mile-long island located in the Delaware River off Tinicum Township, PA. At approximately 200 acres, the island is a designated Natural Area managed by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' (PA DCNR) Bureau of Forestry. An estimated 3,500 to 4,000 people access Little Tinicum Island each year but there were no maintained trails on the island, only thick scrub forest ringed by tidal freshwater wetlands. To compensate for the loss of recreational opportunities caused by the M/T Athos I oil spill, this project installed a permanent loop trail, two wildlife observation decks, and a breakaway bridge to cross a small wetland area. Along the trail, invasive plant species were removed and the area was revegetated with native plants to prevent further spread of invasive plants by people using the trail.
State
Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry; Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Fish and Wildlife Service
Map of Little Tinicum Island showing location of the main trail (red line), side trail (black line), breakaway bridge, and wildlife observation decks. , Credit: M/T Athos I Oil Spill Trustees Council
New Jersey Ecological Services Field Office
4 East Jimmie Leeds Road, Suite 4, Galloway, NJ 08205 | (609) 383-3938 | http://www.fws.gov/northeast/njfieldoffice/