Boat tours on Preston’s Pearl fund preservation while teaching history, ecology
WORTH TWP — Boat tours held at Moraine State Park give riders the opportunity to learn more about the park while supporting an organization dedicated to preserving it.
Nearly 40 people climbed aboard Preston’s Pearl for a boat tour of Lake Arthur and the surrounding shores of Moraine State Park Sunday afternoon, July 19. During the tour, they were taught history and ecology and were given the chance for sightseeing.
The tour took off from McDanels Boat Launch and visited various spots along the lake. From the dam that keeps the artificial lake in place to the Frank W. Preston Conservation Area, those aboard were given a new perspective of a park many had visited before.
Stephanie Pale, of Pittsburgh, said she grew up not far from the park and would visit often with her family. Since moving away nearly 20 years ago, she said she still likes to visit the park and family when she can.
“I just like being out in nature and just hanging with my family,” she said.
Another rider, Jen Senchak, said she was also hanging out with family, but not in the same way Pale was.
“My mom’s the tour guide. She just started doing it this year,” she said.
She added she, her brother and their two spouses were all out to support her as she gets used to the role.
“It’s my first time too. I’m excited to be in nature,” she said.
Sunday’s tour was also a birder’s paradise: from swallow nests hidden below the Route 528 overpass to gulls, waterfowl, a heron and even a bald eagle, all spotted either flying, swimming or perching in a shoreline tree.
Near the boat launch, an osprey could be seen watching the boat from atop the camera set up by the Moraine Preservation Fund to monitor the osprey nest.
“Straight ahead of us, on that pole, is an osprey nest that can be viewed through a webcam. You can tune into morainepreservationfund.org to see our osprey chicks. Two of them fledged. They hatched in May,” Mona Telesz, the tour guide for Sunday, said.
Telesz explained to the people aboard the fund led an effort to reintroduce ospreys to the area.
“In 1993, the Moraine Preservation Fund went out to the Chesapeake Bay area and they brought back eggs,” she said.
Telesz said the current project the fund is taking on is creating an ADA accessible trail. She added the Preston’s Pearl boat tours were one of the biggest moneymakers for the fund.
“We’re also having a fundraiser. On Oct. 3, we’re going to have a band and activities here at McDanels Boat Launch,” she said.
Moraine Preservation Fund offers a number of cruises and tours aboard Preston’s Pearl, ranging from weekend tours to pizza cruises to special fall foliage and eagle focused routes.
Standard cruise tickets cost $19 for adults and $10 for children and can be purchased from the fund’s website. Specialty and dining cruises are priced higher.
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Keen eyes can spot a bald eagle perched in a central tree that was spotted during a boat tour of Moraine State Park Sunday, July 19, 2026. Sol McCormick/Butler Eagle
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Sailboats are spotted during a boat tour of Moraine State Park Sunday, July 19, 2026. Sol McCormick/Butler Eagle
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Boats in the distance sail across Lake Arthur in Moraine State Park Sunday, July 19, 2026. Sol McCormick/Butler Eagle
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A sailboat sails across Lake Arthur in Moraine State Park Sunday, July 19, 2026. Sol McCormick/Butler Eagle
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A sailboat sails across Lake Arthur in Moraine State Park Sunday, July 19, 2026. Sol McCormick/Butler Eagle
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Moraine State Park's north shore beach on Sunday, July 19, 2026. Sol McCormick/Butler Eagle
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A sign for the Moraine Preservation Foundation's boat tours is seen sitting near the dock for Preston's Pearl at Moraine State Park Sunday, July 19, 2026. Sol McCormick/Butler Eagle
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A pontoon boat sails near Preston's Pearl during a boat tour of Moraine State Park Sunday, July 19, 2026. Sol McCormick/Butler Eagle
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Jen Senchak uses a bubble wand to make bubbles while riding Preston's Pearl during a boat tour of Moraine State Park Sunday, July 19, 2026. Sol McCormick/Butler Eagle
