A secret green space in the Delaware River? Meet Petty’s Island

Once home to oil refineries, this island is off-limit to (most) humans and now a sanctuary for birds, berries, and more.

In the Delaware River, between Camden, New Jersey’s Beideman neighborhood, and the eastern side of Philadelphia is Petty’s Island. The quiet, 300-acre island is full of history and wildlife, yet is devoid of human inhabitants. 

Petty’s Island wasn’t always desolate. For centuries, it was a place where people lived, farmed and worked. North Americans living in the Delaware River region, who called themselves the Lenape, were the first to occupy the island. But when natural resources were depleted in the region, the Lenape sold the island in 1678 to an English Quaker named Elizabeth Kinsey. 

The island then went through numerous owners, including Philadelphia merchant John Petty, who bought it in 1732. The island was named after Petty, and today is referred to as “Petty Island” and “Petty’s Island.” 

Eventually, the island became a hub for industry and international commerce. Its central location, within the Port of Philadelphia and its connection to more than 60 steamship lines offering direct trade routes to many countries, made the island ideal.

The company now known as CITGO purchased some of the island in 1916, and used it to store and refine petroleum products. Nearly 40 years later, CITGO gained full ownership, but its operations never required use of all 300 acres of the island.

In the early 2000s, the petroleum company discovered a pair of American bald eagles nesting on the island, along with other threatened wildlife, and offered to donate the island to New Jersey. The state rejected CITGO’s offer. 

Years later, through the state Department of Environmental Protection’s Natural Lands Trust, New Jersey accepted a different offer that involved CITGO working to rid the island of contamination. That included removing pollutants from the soil and groundwater, moving contaminated materials off the island, and restoring the island’s ecosystems and habitats. 

Petty’s Island was originally intended to be cleaned up and opened as a state urban wildlife preserve by 2020; however, five years beyond that deadline, remediation is still in progress.

Once environmental remediation is complete, the island will be transferred from CITGO to the New Jersey Natural Lands Trust, and will be classified as a preserve.

Touring a secret island

The island is closed to public use in its present state. However, visitors accessing it via scheduled programs, like private tours or clean-up efforts, can explore its natural landscape and scenic views of the Delaware River. 

On July 8, Linda Cairnes, the Camden community program coordinator for New Jersey Natural Lands Trust, led a private tour throughout the island for members of Green Philly, a sustainability-focused media company.

Insects buzzed faintly and soft waves crashed onto the island’s shores as Cairnes spoke about the island’s history, current state, and unknown future. 

“This is a good place to hang out,” Cairnes said. “I’m watching osprey build a nest, eagles fly by, deer running by, geese trying to cross the road. It’s just amazing watching the wildlife around here.”

Cairnes said that since CITGO stopped its operations, wildlife has taken back much of the areas that the company once occupied. During the tour, a deer was spotted galloping its way across a mudflat, and a hawk flew near one edge of the island. 

“It’s a space that’s protected,” Cairnes said. “You get to see more of that [wildlife] here than you would if you were anywhere else.”

A variety of land mammals, migratory birds and insects call Petty’s Island home, according to Cairnes. A plethora of plant species, including berries, grasses and mushrooms, also can be found on the island. 

Some tour guests asked if they could eat mulberries that were present on the tour path. Cairnes explained that those specific mulberries were safe to eat because they were far from where industrial operations once took place, but the same would not be true in other parts of the island.

A fan-favorite find along the tour path was art that exhibits the island’s wildlife, created by Camden-based environmental artist Priscilla Rios.

Cairnes said she hoped that Petty’s Island can open to the public, so that all can enjoy it — especially those in heavily urbanized areas, like Camden, N.J., who live a short distance away from the green expanse.

“Whatever happens to this island in the long run, we want Camden residents front and center because they’re right here,” Cairnes said. “This is their space, and they deserve this space.”

This story originally appeared on Delaware Currents.

Photos by Madasyn Andrews