Friends of the Heinz Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum (FOHR) Photo Group
A Dynamic Group with a Focus on Service

By Bill Buchanan

I want to take you on a little journey to meet one of the most dedicated groups you will find in any Friends group in the National Wildlife Refuge System. It has been my good fortune to have been part of this from the beginning; first as a volunteer and then as a FWS staff member who now serves as the liaison between the Friends of the Heinz Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum Photo Group and the refuge staff. I am still an active photographer and contributor to the Group, but rely, as does many of the staff, on the generosity and expertise of the Group members.

The Photo Group, one of the first committees created when the Friends of the Heinz Wildlife Refuge was established in the mid 1990’s, consisted of just a few people interested in nature photography. Many regularly took the refuge’s “photo walks” that I was leading at the time. I thought we could serve the fledgling FOHR, and the refuge, through our photo skills and suggested we become a committee under their umbrella. We eschewed bylaws, officers, and individual dues by NOT designating ourselves as a “club”. It has worked beautifully over the years. Members must simply keep up their yearly FOHR membership and contribute, as time allows, in one of our many programs and/or needs of the refuge staff.

Today, the FOHR Photo Group, with about 10 dedicated and seasoned members, not only provides breathtaking images and video for interpretive displays, environmental education and public outreach, but offers its “Learning about the Environment Through the Lens” (TTL) program for high school students in the greater Philadelphia area.

Once or twice annually, as many as six students are invited for a half day each of classroom, field, and display work with the guidance of Photo Group mentors. Along with their individual displays the students also work on a collective display to build a sense of teamwork.

In addition to learning the basics of photography, students learn the history of the refuge and Tinicum Marsh and its role in the Darby Creek Watershed and Delaware Estuary. Students not only gain a sense of place, but a better understanding of the natural interconnections in the watershed. The entire curriculum was developed by the Group.

Each student is teamed up with a FOHR Photo Group mentor, who guides them through field work, photo composition and creativity – skills that only experience and experimentation can hone. I have always believed it is that human connection that can only be appreciated as one generation hands down to another, what may be a lifetime of trial and error, resulting in a wealth of insights that no computer chip could ever convey or embellish.

Several of the mentors have been with the program since its inception such as Ned Connelly, Frank Doyle and Robert Richards. Mark Bohn actually teaches the photography side of the program while I have been doing the EE portion.

Other Group members who have mentored include Stan Rapp, Craig Lewis, Ron Holmes, Frank Miles, and Larry DiPietro. Larry also serves as the coordinator for the Group. He took on the position when I became a staff member in 2000 and has done an outstanding job in expanding programs and organizing new initiatives including the annual photo contest, “Photo Fest”, for the general public. This year Larry handed the reins of leadership for the contest over to Sue Rachlin. Sue has a strong background including leading the Churchville Nature Center Photo Club in Bucks County, PA.

In addition to the TTL program and photo contest another large undertaking for the Group has been the development of a “Traveling Photo Exhibit”. The exhibit consists of about 40 mounted, matted and framed 11x15 inch photos shot by Group members. The exhibit showcases the refuge and continues to be booked at regional venues.

I have found there never seems to be a lack of energy or enthusiasm for photography, the refuge, and the natural world as a whole by these people. They are as diverse a group as you could ever find, and those differences make the Group exciting. The Group has been a haven for learning, exchanging ideas, creating lasting friendships, and serving the Heinz Refuge. They may be the perfect example of, “give and you shall receive”.

Former Refuge manager, Kate McManus, expressed her regards to the Group during this past year’s Photo Fest Awards Ceremony and said, “The Photo Group has been an invaluable asset to the refuge. Its members have given an amazing amount of time and talent. Many also contribute to the refuge in other ways such as by serving on other committees, being involved with refuge projects and always giving us outstanding materials for use in public relations, interpretive displays and documentation. We thank them for their time, talents and dedication to the refuge and the National Wildlife Refuge System.”

And I thank them for all the joy, admiration and friendship they have given me for all these years. The Group flattered me by having a special award given as “best in show” during Photo Fest in my name. The “Bill Buchanan Award for Photographic Excellence” was their way of recognizing me as their “founder”. I hope that what I have written here can express to all of them my sincere pride and thanks to all of them for what they have contributed. Without them there would be no Photo Group.