Event Overview

Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy

Stream clean-up Conservation Projects

April 18, 2009

The Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy was established in 1964 to combat increasingly poor water quality throughout the Perkiomen Creek watershed of eastern Pennsylvania. For 45 years, the Conservancy has been committed to protecting the water resources of the Perkiomen Creek through a dedication to and expertise in Environmental Education, Conservation and Stewardship. The Conservancy's service area includes 362 square miles of diverse communities and spectacular landscapes in western Montgomery County and substantial areas of Bucks, Berks and Lehigh Counties.

A population of more than 500,000 individuals and thousands of businesses rely on water from the Perkiomen Creek or its associated local aquifers for their water supplies. The Conservancy promotes the concept that we all live downstream from someone & therefore we all need to protect our water resources through community action. During the 2008/09 school year, the Conservancy provided award winning environmental education services to more than 10,000 applicants at their stone barn headquarters in Schwenksville and at schools throughout the region.

Recent publications by Montgomery County and the Natural Lands Trust illustrate that the Perkiomen Creek watershed is the "natural heartland" of the region. The concentration of unique landforms and natural areas within the watershed provide clean water for communities as small as East Greenville Borough and as large as the City of Philadelphia. But as growth and development push further into the exurban areas of the region, it becomes even more important to emphasize the quality of life benefits that we all accrue from these critical natural areas. The Conservancy's mission calls its constituents to help all residents of the watershed understand that the quality of life is directly related to the natural environment. Each participant in a Conservancy program gains new insights into how they can help protect the valuable water and related natural resources their communities rely on.

As increasing attention is paid to global environmental issues, the goal remains the same - to instill an understanding that taking actions to protect the "environment" outside your own backdoor is just a critical to our global well being as protecting the rainforest or the icecaps. By reaching out to children, the Conservancy is creating an insurance policy that will help impacted communities retain the exceptional environmental quality that draws world-class businesses and families to the region.

The recently expanded adult programming creates a platform for better understand of our place in the natural world and helps citizens make wise decisions regarding how our limited natural resources are used. The Conservancy's active conservation and stewardship efforts turn words into actions and provide engaging opportunities for involvement and action.

The adult oriented "Out & About" series takes participants to all corners of the watershed to explore and discover the many interesting locales and landscapes that impact our water resources. Excursions could be to local quarries, Green Lane Reservoir, Spring Mountain or other interesting landscapes throughout the watershed. The "Out & About" walks are led by local experts who are excited about sharing their knowledge and enthusiasm for their topics.

Conservation
In addition, the Conservancy conducts stream bank stewardship and conservation projects throughout the watershed. These projects result in thousands of new trees and stream bank restorations that will help protect regional water quality for years to come. The Conservancy is also helping member municipalities meet their state mandated storm water management requirements for public information and participation. This effort includes retrofitting storm water basins to be a more natural part of the landscape and do a better job removing pollutants from storm water before it reaches local creeks.

The largest volunteer activity of the year is the Conservancy's annual Stream Clean-Up. Each year, volunteers pull tons and tons of trash, tires and large items from the Perkiomen Creek and its tributaries. In 2008, this activity included 500 people and filled four dumpsters!

On Saturday April 18th, an INCREDIBLE six hundred Watershed Warriors rallied to 36 different stream clean-up sites throughout the Perkiomen Watershed, from Collegeville, Arcola, Oaks, Schwenksville, Skippack and Harleysville to Lederach, Green Lane, East Greenville, Boyertown, Pennsburg, Telford, Perkasie and Sellersville!

The lists of collected trash included many more large items (furniture, scrap metals, tires, car parts, toys, etc.), which tends to be the case along waterways, as opposed to road sides.

Total statistics for the clean-up included:

- 600+ volunteers
- 36 clean-up locations throughout the 362 sq. mile Perkiomen Watershed
- Four 20-30 yard dumpsters filled (to overflowing!)
- one ton of scrap metal, recycled
- 278 tires, cleaned and recycled

Aquafina was delighted to provide water to hydrate volunteers on a record-breaking day for rubbish collection and temperatures.

http://www.perkiomenwatershed.org/

Event Page >