Volunteers planted flowers around the sign to brighten things up a bit

Check out more photos here!

The mature trees in this entrance to the Tacony Creek Park are excellent buffers for stormwater runoff from the street. Before the water can get to the creek, the trees soak up much of the rainwater and filter out many pollutants. TTF helps plant and tend trees with Philadelphia Parks and Recreation and the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) because they are an inexpensive and effective stormwater management tool. They do, however, need to be maintained and kept healthy — which is why trees are so much happier when they don’t have to compete with weeds, and when mulch is used to insulate and moisten their roots! To learn more about the benefits of trees, click here.

TTF will continue to work towards making Tacony Creek Park a resource for the community for walking, bicycling, picnicking, nature-watching, and learning. Nearly everyone driving by the park on Saturday looked over and some people honked their horns in support. Maybe next year we’ll have a “HONK if You LOVE Your Park!” sign!

There’s still time to celebrate your Philadelphia parks! Click here to learn more and join TTF for a rain garden workshop with PHS and a garden party in Vernon Park!

To volunteer for events, please contact 215-844-8100 or email Ashley Schmid at ashley@ttfwatershed.org.

To get involved in tree planting or tending in Philadelphia, please contact 215-844-8100 or email Abby Grosslein abby@ttfwatershed.org.

Glynis, Diane, and Abby pause after working hard to plant a variety of grasses and wildflowers.

The sunny weather and wet, clay soil made the plants very happy. Everyone pitched in, digging holes with shovels to nestle plant plugs into, pruning some weeds, and talking about compost and gardens. Some of the plants even got a little watering to perk them up.

If you would like to get involved with future plantings like this, please contact Ashley at ashley@ttfwatershed.org or click here.

Volunteers from City Year pose before planting

Reverend Williams hosted the large group of volunteers on his front lawn as they took a break and ate lunch before getting back to work. The weather was beautiful, providing lots of sunshine for our new trees. Our volunteers had fun planting and weeding and learned about how what they did would help soak up rainwater and keep the streets cleaner!

Check out more photos from the event here.

TTF plants trees with the Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Department and PHS as part of the Plant One Million campaign to absorb and filter rainwater, keeping our creek clean. To learn more about trees, click here.

For more volunteer opportunities, contact Ashley at ashley@ttfwatershed.org.

PHS’ Sally McCabe leads this fun and informative course. Topics covered during the class include: how to test soil, decide which plants to grow, find out who owns a vacant lot, recruit volunteers, install rain barrels, and much more!

I am taking this class as part of my work as TTF’s Community Liaison. Community members often ask us about starting or maintaining gardens in their neighborhoods, and this class will enable us to better assist them.

If you are interested in learning more about Garden Tenders, check out the PHS website.

Check out these sites for information about lot ownership and impervious lot cover.

Speakers at the program included Julie Slavet, TTF’s Executive Director; Steph Clymer, TTF’s AmeriCorps VISTA and Community Liaison; and Mindy Maslin, Project Manager for the PHS Tree Tenders program. Attendees came from all over the TTF watershed, representing Environmental Advisory Committees and Tree Tenders groups. The evening started with an introduction by Julie Slavet and a watershed lesson by Steph Clymer. After Mindy Maslin discussed the many ways trees are being planted in Philadelphia, the floor was open for comments and a Q&A session.

During the session we identified the need to have a guide to identifying tree planting opportunities in the watershed. There are many ways to plant trees in the Philadelphia area, and many organizations and programs to help you. In order to help you navigate your way through these options, here is some additional information.

The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society runs the Tree Tenders program to provide training and support for community tree planting efforts. In Philadelphia, applications for street or yard trees are accepted through your local Tree Tenders group. Street trees are free and are planted by Tree Tenders groups during the fall and spring plantings. Yard trees for you to plant yourself cost $10 (free for Tree Tenders graduates) and come with a hand trowel. For questions about Tree Tenders in Philadelphia, contact Mindy Maslin. For information about PHS tree planting programs in the counties surrounding Philadelphia, contact Barley Van Clief.

TreePhilly is a program of Philadelphia Parks & Recreation that provides free yard trees for Philadelphia property owners who are willing to pick up their tree at a distribution event and plant it on their own. TreePhilly’s goal is to plant 15,000 new trees in the City in 2012, working to increase the tree canopy of Philadelphia to 30%. The website also includes forms to contact the City to request a street tree to be planted in front of your home or for street tree maintenance. For more information, contact Erica Smith Fichman.

Community groups in Philadelphia are also working with the TreePhilly program to identify locations (such as empty tree pits or open planting strips) suitable for street tree plantings. Trees will then be planted by City contractors. If you are interested in getting involved in street tree surveying in West Oak Lane, contact TTF.

TreeVitalize is a program committed to providing funding to restore tree cover in metropolitan areas across Pennsylvania. This includes street tree and riparian buffer plantings organized by homeowner associations, watershed groups, land trusts, municipalities, and schools. For information about applying for TreeVitalize funding in Montgomery County, contact the Montgomery County Conservation District.

All of these planting initiatives are part of the Plant One Million campaign that includes Philadelphia and surrounding counties in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.

Philly Tree Map is an online database documenting trees in the greater Philadelphia region. Use this site to find out about trees in your area or to add trees that you’re planting.

If you have any other tree-related questions, don’t hesitate to call us!

Thanks to all of our fellow tree-planters in the area, keep up the good work!

Volunteers hard at work planting trees.

TTF created the Wingohocking Tree Tenders in response to the declining tree population in Germantown and a growing demand for street trees. Trees contribute to clean water in our city by absorbing rainwater after it hits the ground. We educate residents on the benefits of trees in urban areas, plan and implement new tree plantings, and care for existing trees. This is a fun and exciting group of people who are focused on beautifying our community!

Thank you so much to the supporters of this effort: Bryner Chevrolet and Fill A Bagel of Jenkintown, High Point Cafe of Mount Airy, Awbury Arboretum, Habitat for Humanity, the Fairmount Organic Recycling Center of Philadelphia Parks & Recreation and the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.

Watch volunteers spread mulch around the base of a newly planted tree and give it water.

Watch TTF Executive Director, Julie Slavet pound stakes!

See more photos from this event in this Flickr set.

Volunteers hard at work raking leaves.

TTF hosted an information table and fun activities for kids.

The day’s program included speeches from Mayor Michael Nutter, Parks & Recreation Commissioner Mike DiBerardinis, Water Department Commissioner Howard Neukrug, Barbara McCabe from Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, Maitreyi Roy from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, TTF’s own Julie Slavet, and Ruth Seeley from Friends of Vernon Park.

Mayor Nutter thanks volunteers.

After the speaking program, the crowd cheered as Mayor Nutter and stakeholders cut the ribbon for the brand new rain garden!

Mayor Nutter cuts the ribbon.

The event was covered on ABC 6 and Fox 29, as well as in this great NewsWorks article. You can also see pictures from the event in this Flickr set.

Thank you so much to everyone who worked so hard on this project, and especially to TTF’s outgoing AmeriCorps VISTA, Lesley Saliga, whose hard work and dedication made the whole project possible!

Check out more pictures from the project here.

Read more about our work with Cedarbrook Middle School here.

In Cheltenham Township, Steph spent the day with Cedarbrook Middle School teachers, over 100 seventh graders, and Nancy Minich from NAM Planning & Design, LLC. We worked together to plant hundreds of trees and shrubs in order to create a riparian buffer and outdoor classroom along Rock Creek behind Cedarbrook Middle School. Students had the opportunity to apply concepts they are learning in the classroom, and topics of discussion included earthworms, plant physiology, stream ecology, and stormwater runoff. Students also discussed ways to reduce the litter blowing down the hill from their recess area.

Cedarbook students plant along the sloped hill leading to the creek.

Cedarbrook students learn how to plant properly.

You can read more about our work with Cedabrook Middle School here. Check out more pictures from this planting in this Flickr set.

Meanwhile, at Vernon Park in Germantown, Lesley worked with a small group to prepare for our rain garden installation, which will take place at the Love Your Park: Fall Edition event on November 5. (More information on our Events page.) This event was a great example of citywide collaboration: Ray from Philadelphia Parks & Recreation expertly controlled a backhoe provided by the Philadelphia Water Department. Rod from AKRF supervised the entire project, including pickaxe-wielding representatives from TTF, Delaware Valley Earth Force, Friends of Vernon Park and the Philadelphia City Planning Commission.

Rod and Ray discuss the excavation strategy.

Dan and Andy from Delaware Valley Earth Force do some digging.

Lesley from TTF commands a dirt-filled wheelbarrow!

Read more about our work in Vernon Park here, and check out more Vernon Park rain garden preparation pictures in this Flickr set.

Thanks to all of our great partners and volunteers!

Stephanie Clymer, TTF’s new AmeriCorps VISTA, and our Education and Outreach Coordinator Ashley Schmid pose with a watershed poster.

Reverend Chester Williams addresses the crowd.


The ribbon is finally cut!

To see all of our photos from the event, check out this Flickr set.

Below is a partial video from the event. In it, you’ll see TTF Executive Director Julie Slavet, part of Reverend William’s speech, and Philadelphia Water Department Commissioner Howard Neukrug’s remarks. Thanks again to all of the fabulous partners and community members who made this night a success!