|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
Dear Friends:
Welcome new TTF team members!
 | | Welcome to the team, Jon & Dory�n! |
Join me in welcoming Jon Musselman, our Upstream Municipal Watershed Coordinator, who will work closely with our Montgomery County watershed communities, particularly Cheltenham Township. Supported by our William Penn Foundation grant, his position is shared with our partner the Pennypack Ecological Restoration, for their work with Horsham Township. Jon comes to us from Habitat for Humanity, is a Fisher Park community activist, and has a Masters in City and Regional Planning from Rutgers University.
Downstream in Philly, Dory�n DeAngel has joined us as our new Community Watershed Leader for Philadelphia. As part of our Philly team, she will bring programs and stewardship to our city neighborhoods, with a focus on Tacony Creek Park. A Cheltenham resident, Doryan has been an outstanding TTF volunteer and has a Bachelors in Environmental Science from the University of Puerto Rico.
Please join me in thanking and wishing the best to Alix Howard, who has moved on after serving as our Director of Education & Outreach for the past two years.
Best,
Julie
|
| IT'S G.Y.F.W.W. (GET YOUR FEET WET WEDNESDAY!) |
|
Through our participation in the William Penn Foundation's Delaware Protection Program, TTF and the Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust (PERT) will work together to recruit, train, and support a cadre of citizen monitor water quality monitors for our creeks and tributaries. There are many miles of streams running through Montgomery County, and we need your help to keep an eye on their health.
 If you'd like to learn more about becoming a Streamkeeper, please attend tonight's introductory meeting! The program will feature an introduction to our organizations and projects, life in our stream, and how we will monitor water quality in our creeks. Watch your email for more information! WHAT: Get Your Feet Wet: Become a Streamkeeper WHEN: Wednesday, June 4 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 pm WHERE: Abington Friends School, 575 Washington Lane, Jenkintown 19046 |
|
WREN GRANT FUNDS BACKYARDS WITH BENEFITS
|
For the second year in a row, TTF has been awarded a grant from the The Water Resources Education Network (WREN) Project, a project of the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania Citizen Education Fund (LWVPA-CEF) through their Watershed Education initiative to prevent polluted runoff to waterways. TTF is one of 22 community partnerships across Pennsylvania awarded a share of grant funds totaling $68,720.
Through Backyards with Benefits, TTF will work with Cheltenham Township and the Cheltenham Environmental Advisory Council to identify, educate, and actively engage streamside residential property owners about non-point source pollution. TTF will work with NAM Planning & Design, LLC to select, design, and plant five riparian buffers along one of the branches of the Tookany Creek. Homeowners will be required to: make a financial commitment to the project; agree to maintain the buffer; and welcome visitors during a community buffer tour. We are delighted that Audubon Pennsylvania and Clean Water Action Additional will work with us as project partners!
Watch your mail and inbox for more information!
|
|
TACONY CREEK PARK: THE WORD ON THE TRAIL
|
Tacony Creek Park is in full bloom and we're taking every opportunity to enhance and capture its beauty!
The spring edition of Love Your Park Week had the I St. and Ramona Ave. park gateway bustling with activity! A group of birders met up with expert Keith Russell of the Audubon Society for a bird walk in the park. During the walk, they spotted a very rare bird-- read here to find out what it was! In addition, under the direction of Luke Rhodes of the Fairmount Park Conservancy, PowerCorpsPHL members planted 8 American elm trees to welcome park users.
Led by TTF and Parks & Recreation, a group of grade-schoolers made their way from Ferko Playground into Tacony Creek Park. Each student was given a camera to photograph their journey. Read about their photo expedition here. We'll be displaying their photographs at our Tacony Creek Park block parties in July!
Speaking of those block parties-- be sure to mark your calendar now!
- July 15 at I St. and Ramona Ave.
- July 16 at Whitaker Ave. and Loudon St.
- July 17 at Rorer St. and Roosevelt Blvd.
As you can see, we're committed to working with lots of partners to bring fun, educational programs to Tacony Creek Park. We're excited about upcoming tree plantings and more, so check out our calendar to get involved! Let us know your ideas, keep in touch with us on Facebook and Twitter, and send us photos when you visit Tacony Creek Park.
|
|
SUMMER INTERNS INVADE TTF!
|
This summer, TTF welcomes five new interns coming to us from
Arcadia, Bucknell,and Temple universities, as well as Springfield Township High School. We're also so pleased that veteran interns Amanda Bustamante and Emily Pronchick will continue to help us staff events, along with David Boginsky, another new summer intern. Read more about our interns here.
|
|
WATERSHED INFO & ACTIVITIES FOR YOU!
|
|
|
|
NATIVE PLANTS 101
Since we planted native plants in our riparian buffers -- Cedarbrook Elementary, Glenside Elementary and Abington Jr. High -- and rain gardens -- Olney Rec Center and Vernon Park -- we get a lot of interest in this topic.
So, we've put together a native plant fact blog just for you! Read here.
|
STRAP ON YOUR WADERS! IT'S MUSSEL SURVEYING TIME!
Mussel surveying is just one way we can meet our goal to improve the health of our creek and its watershed. Working with the Mussel Surveying program of the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary (PDE), we train volunteers to look for freshwater mussels.
Read more here.
|
|
| JENKINTOWN GROWING GREENER GRANT |
The Jenkintown School District was recently awarded a Growing Greener Grant to engineer a unique, water harvesting system, which will be used to meet the irrigation demands of its football field. By taking advantage of the area's steep topography, the system will operate as a natural water-tower, reducing the energy needed to keep the water flowing.  This project is aimed at reducing and controlling runoff. It will also address ongoing erosion problems, contributing water quality improvement. The project will also help to conserve resources, by reducing the District's demand on the public water supply. Furthermore, it will serve as a tool for education and public outreach.
|
Thank you to everyone who helped make our Spring Open House May 17th such a success. We hope that all of you who joined us enjoyed a beautiful spring afternoon at Edgehill Castle. We very much appreciated your help in spreading the word about the nursery.
If you were unable to come to the Spring Open House, but would like to visit or if you would like to return, please contact us by phone at 215-715-3439 or by email to set up an appointment.
If you enjoyed Robin Irizarry's hand carved wooden toys and his wood carving demonstration, you can view more of his work here.
|
|
|
UPCOMING EVENTS
|
|
All events are FREE unless noted otherwise!
Participants will be provided tools and salvaged materials (primarily obsolete laptop computers) and will be instructed as to how to use the tools to take apart the laptops to repurpose them. Each participant will be given an old wooden cigar box to decorate with the computer parts. A primary goal of these events is to give people a lifetime of permission to play with trash and recycling!
DATE: Saturday, June 14
TIME: 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
PLACE: TBD* (*not the location listed in the link.)
CONTACT: To register, contact Leslie Kaufman at [email protected]. Registration will be accepted until 2 days before the workshop.
Join us for a walk to look for birds right here in Philadelphia. Expect some good bird spotting (woodpeckers, chickadees, hawks, oh my!) Donuts, coffee and binoculars provided.
DATE: Sunday, June 29
TIME: 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
PLACE: I Street and Ramona Ave, Philadelphia 19124
|
|
4500 Worth Street, Philadelphia, PA 19125 � 215.744.1853
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
