October 2015
Newsletter

Dear Friends:

See you at Creek to Craft!
I know that you support our work because you're reading this newsletter! Please take the next step and buy a ticket -- or two -- for Creek to Craft on Wednesday, October 20 at Guild Hall Brewing Company in Jenkintown. Your donations make our clean water work possible!

 

Advocacy: Clean Water Network & Next Great City
TTF is proud to be a member of these two active coalitions working on critical issues in Washington and here in Philadelphia.

Clean Water Network is a nationwide network of local, regional, and national groups fighting to protect the waterways we love. We were proud to work with CWN to sponsor our successful Clean Water Forum in June...and successfully support the Clean Water Rule! We look forward to working with the network to bring attention to water issues. Find the latest clean water news here. 

Next Great City is made up of over 100 civic associations, labor unions, businesses, public health, environmental, faith-based, and social service organizations dedicated to creating a positive future for Philadelphia by advocating for common sense, cost-effective policies that enhance environmental quality, strengthen neighborhoods and increase our economic competitiveness. The Coalition has identified six key initiatives for the next Mayor. 
TTF is proud to serve on the 
Trails & Bike Lane Access 
and the Clean Public Places Subcommittees.
 
TACONY CREEK PARK NEWS 

Tree Hugging Intern?
We're looking for an intern for our monthly weekday morning Nature's Hidden Surprises program in Tacony Creek Park! Enjoy nature walks and taking pictures of wildlife and plants? This internship is for you! Help with outreach, assist with the walk, and write a blog. Contact [email protected]/215.744.1853 


 
Audubon Adventures lands!
This fall, PA Audubon staff and volunteers from Wyncote Audubon Society will bring Audubon Adventures to the Olney Christian School. Students will play and learn right across the street from the school in Tacony Creek Park. This outdoor classroom is perfect for learning about birds and migration, and the importance of a healthy watershed. Students will see bird migration first hand on an exciting Militia Hill Hawk Watch field trip. We're excited to inspire the next generation of watershed stewards. Contact [email protected]/215.744.1853.
 
Bird Guide
Picked up your Tacony Creek Park Bird Guide yet? We have lots of copies, thanks to our friends at PA Audubon! This handy booklet features a Tacony Creek Park map, list of bird species found in and around Tacony Creek Park, and tips for spotting and identifying birds. Contact us for a copy today!

UPSTREAM NEWS

Ethel Jordan Park
In early November, we will plant a creekside buffer and trees to beautify the park and improve water quality, reduce erosion, and create habitat along Jenkintown Creek, our priority tributary. This project is supported by a number of funders and partners. Looking to improve your watershed and get dirty? See Upcoming Events and join us.
 
Rain Barrels!
Ray Capriotti displays his new rain barrel!
Congrats to Ray Capriotti of Cheltenham, winner of the Camel's Hump rain barrel from our Jenkintown Festival of the Arts raffle. Ray joins scores of other watershed citizens who have bought over 60 rain barrels since our first of three workshops in last February.
 
Each barrel holds 58 gallons of rooftop water for gardens, washing furniture, and birdbaths...and keeping 3,500 gallons of runoff out of the Tookany Creek during each rain. Rain barrels are an easy way to improve the health of our creeks while saving water and money!
 
Rain Barrel Owners: be sure to bring your rain barrel indoors or drain it during winter months. Information: Winterizing Your Rain Barrel. We'll raffle off a rain barrel (value of $75) at the Cheltenham Annual Community Harvest Festival on October 17. In the Spring, we'll provide rain barrel workshops and sell Camel's Hump rain barrels again.
 
We Need You -- to be a Streamkeeper!
Streamkeepers are volunteers who monitor a creek each month to collect data about changes in water quality, erosion, and vegetation. Learn more here. Interested in becoming a citizen scientist? Contact [email protected]/215.744.1853.
BULLETIN BOARD
TTF EVENTS

Trails Through Time: Historic Frankford & Tacony Creek Park Tour
Join Bob Thomas as he leads us through the 300 year old streets of Frankford and Juniata Park. See mills and factory buildings that used water from Frankford Creek. Walk along Tacony Creek Park trails and enjoy beautiful Friends Hospital grounds. Co-sponsored by Philadelphia Parks Alliance (PPA). 
DATE: Saturday, October 10
TIME: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. 
PLACE: Meet at 9 a.m.. at SEPTA Church Street Station on Market-Frankford Line or at 10:15 a.m. at Tacony Creek Park (TCP) Gateway at I Street & Ramona Ave., Philadelphia 19124
COST: $15 for PPA members/$20 for non-members. TCP neighbors welcome as TTF guests.
RVSP: [email protected]/215.744.1853

Creek to Craft
Celebrate the link between clean water and good beer, and support our work by tapping Watershed Wit for the first time! Tickets: $35 in advance/$40 at door
DATE: Tuesday, October 20
TIME: 6 to 9 p.m.
PLACE: Guild Hall Brewing Company,
208 York Road, Jenkintown 19046
RSVP: Watershedwit.eventbrite.com 215.744.1853

Nature's Hidden Surprises: Fungus Walk
Join Environmental Educator Judith Gratz for this FREE monthly morning nature walk. 
DATE: Wednesday, October 21
TIME: 9:30 am to 11:30 am
PLACE: Tacony Creek Park Gateway at I Street & Ramona Avenue, Philadelphia 19124
RSVP: [email protected]/215.744.1853
 
Bird Walk
Join expert birder Martin Selzer of Wyncote Audubon Society for this FREE walk. Expect some good fall migration bird spotting! Donuts, coffee, and binoculars provided. 

DATE: Saturday, October 24 Saturday, October 24
TIME: 8:30 to 10:30 a.m.
PLACE: Tacony Creek Park gateway at Bingham St. & Roosevelt Blvd., Philadelphia 19120 
RSVP: [email protected]/215.744.1853

Get Your Feet Wet: Understanding the Urban Watershed Workshop for Educators
Explore urban watershed resources including Fairmount Water Works 
Understanding the Urban Watershed curriculum. Participate in hands-on activities for classroom & schoolyard. Learn about local restoration and water monitoring projects. (First of FREE two workshop series; 2nd workshop on February 25, 2016)
DATE: Wednesday, October 28
TIME: 4 to 6:30 p.m. (includes dinner)
PLACE: Abington Friends School, 575 Washington Ln, Jenkintown 19046
RSVP: [email protected]/215.744.1853

 

Ethel Jordan Park & Jenkintown Creek Community Plant Day
Join us to plant a creekside buffer and trees that will beautify the park and improve water quality, reduce erosion, and create wildlife habitat along this Tookany Creek tributary. Groups welcome!
DATE: Saturday, November 7
TIME: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
PLACE: Jenkintown Road between Cadwalader & Osceola Avenues in Elkins Park 19027
RSVP: [email protected]/215.744.1853

Trails Through Time: The Winding Wingohocking Creek Tour
Join Philadelphia Water Department's Drew Brown and Adam Levine on this bus tour that will follow the winding course of the Wingohocking Creek. Once a major tributary to Frankford Creek that provided power for factories, the Wingohocking now runs in a sewer that drains neighborhoods including Mt. Airy, Germantown, Olney, Feltonville, and Juniata. Points of interest will include Awbury Arboretum and Belfield, home of Charles Wilson Peale. Learn about watersheds and how you can help protect the streams in your neighborhood.
DATE: Saturday, November 7
TIME: 1 pm to 5 pm
PLACE: Start & end at Tacony Creek Park Gateway at I St. & Ramona Ave., Philadelphia 19124. Fee of $5.
RSVP: [email protected]/215.744.1853

Nature's Hidden Surprises: Dirt, Soil, Earth, Humus -- Taking a Closer Look at What's Underfoot
Join Environmental Educator Judith Gratz for this FREE monthly morning nature walk.
DATE: Wednesday, November 11
TIME: 9:30 am to 11:30 am
PLACE: Tacony Creek Park Gateway at I St. & Ramona Ave., Philadelphia 19124
RSVP:[email protected]/215.744.1853
PARTNER EVENTS

Sunday Cinema: October - "A Bug's Life"
FREE series featuring water-themed family-friendly movies and documentaries by the Fairmount Water Works
DATES: October 11, 18, 25
TIME: 1 to 3 p.m.
PLACE: Fairmount Water Works, 640 Waterworks Dr., Philadelphia 19130
RSVP: 215.685.0723

Plastic Trash in our Rivers - What is the Impact? What Can be Done About It? Tapping Our Watershed: Delaware River Watershed Initiative happy hour seminar series of The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University
Alan Robinson and Kelly O'Day will present on plastics in the Schuylkill River. A Philadelphia team recently collected 4,600 plastic bottles in 1.5 hours. Summary of current research and discussion on how to produce results.  
DATE: Monday, October 19 
TIME: 6 p.m. 
PLACE: National Mechanics, 22 S. 3rd St, Philadelphia 19106
RSVP: Meetup. FREE

4th Annual Parktoberfest presented by Friends of High 
School Park
Old fashioned fun in the park! Celebrate fall with games, moonbounce & music. Face painting, pie contest, dog costume parade.
DATE: Saturday, October 31
TIME: 1 to 3 p.m.
PLACE: High School Park, Montgomery Ave. & High School Rd., Elkins Park 19027
RSVP: 215.782.8082. Nominal fee for activities
Stay Connected
4500 Worth Street, Philadelphia, PA 19125 � 215.744.1853