We met Terri and Patty when we contacted them about the raffle we ran as part of our outreach to Cheltenham E-Waste Drive (November 19) attendees.

Terri signed up for the TTF e-newsletter and when we emailed her to let her know she had won a Trolley Car Diner gift certificate, this is how she responded: “By the way, I have a stream that runs through my property, which with the flooding rain recently has been gouged out quite deeply. As result, I found I have a deep area at the upper corner of my property that has FISH (I saw a small shoal of fish — about 20 of them ranging in size from about 1.5 to 4 inches.) My concern is that just above that area is a storm water run-off pipe. Is there any way to get the township to put a damper of sorts on that pipe to help preserve this area for the fish?”

We contacted the PA Department of Environmental Protection, which provided this guidance: “It is not unusual to find fish living in our urban streams. Several species are common. These fish populations are surviving in an environment that has been impacted by stormwater discharges for a long time. From the description provided, there is no reason to suspect a particular threat to the fish, and no official action seems to be required. “

Yesterday, we personally delivered the gift certificate to Terri and Patty, who are incredibly knowledgeable stewards of their creekside property on Church Road in Cheltenham. They have two rain barrels and their home is a National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat! They are an example of watershed stewardship we’d like to see catch on!

The books and movies highlighted below discuss threats to clean water and how YOU can help create solutions. When you buy any of these by clicking on the link, TTF will receive a portion of the purchase price…it’s really giving two gifts in one!

Damian VanHart started today and enjoys working in an office that has ample views of the trees gracing Awbury Arboretum’s property. Having volunteered with TTF in the past, he likes learning new things about our watershed. Damian’s major is Interdisciplinary Science with a Chemistry emphasis.

This is Lauren’s second semester as an intern at TTF. We love to have her sunny personality in our office. She’s glad to be back planting trees and working with the TTF staff. Lauren is majoring in Religion with a minor in Theatre.

ERNST Seeds recently donated Black-eyed Susan seeds for us to package and distribute to guests at our upcoming events.  Native plants like these help absorb and filter rainwater, reducing flooding and pollution in our area. Lauren and Damian are packaging these seeds in newspaper origami packets.  We’ll share these seed packets as a way to educate and encourage community members to improve their watershed.

Tree Tenders are volunteers in the five-county Philadelphia region providing support to the Plant One Million campaign by planting and tending to street trees. The goal of Plant One Million is to increase the tree canopy of the Philadelphia region by planting one million trees. However, newly planted trees will die unless properly cared for, especially during the first few years. This is when Tree Tenders step in to make sure the young trees are given a good start to their long, leafy life.

These additional certified Tree Tenders will enable TTF to continue tree planting and maintainance across our watershed. Tree planting projects are just one of the many tools that TTF uses to improve water quality and reduce runoff. TTF started the Wingohocking Tree Tenders, a street tree planting group in Germantown/East Mt. Airy. We’re committed to initiating and working with Tree Tenders groups across our watershed, both in the City and in Montgomery County!

Right to left: Julie Slavet, TTF’s Executive Director; Stephanie Clymer, TTF’s Community Liaison; and Dan Brown of Earth Force were among those completing training last week.

There are a variety of things business owners can do to help protect the watershed, including: plant a tree, use rain barrels, create a container garden, wash your car on the grass, create plans for dealing with oil spills, keep trash out of your storm drains, and use alternative salts for winter de-icing. Check out our detailed list of steps business owners can take.

If you want to join us, there is one more workshop coming up! It will be next week, on Thursday, October 20th from 7:00 – 8:00 pm at the Rowland Community Center at 400 Myrtle Ave. in Cheltenham.

For more information, view our Events page or contact Dottie Baumgarten at dottiebaumgarten@gmail.com.

This is a fabulous movie but I get the sensation that it is an hour of the problem and a half hour of the solutions. But there is hope — never forget it! What can do you? Start in your own spaces by reducing the demand of water that the privately-owned companies are supplying. Use low-flow showerheads, turn off the faucet when you’re brushing or shaving, don’t water your lawn if your climate can’t support the grass, and be mindful of your water usage (like, don’t wash your car if it’s raining). Americans can easily use 25-30% less water than we do now. Know where you water comes from; know your watershed. Get involved with water issues in your community. Wash you car and water your plants and lawns with rain barrels (and consider that private companies have attempted to privatize rain water! collect it as long as you can!). Plant container gardens. Reduce your use of soaps and other products that pollute water sources. Reach out to your elected officials and let them know that you want safe water to be available to everyone, everywhere. Remember that when you look for life, you look for water. If there’s no water, there’s no life. Let’s keep what water we have in the system and use it wisely!

Buy the movie here:Blue Gold: World Water Wars

Buy the movie here: Tapped

Last week, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection released a draft Watershed Implementation Plan (the “WIP”) outlining Pennsylvania’s plan to reduce pollution in our local waterways and meet the expectations of the Chesapeake Bay cleanup strategy, officially called a total maximum daily load or TMDL. The federal Clean Water Act requires the cleanup plan because the Bay is officially listed as “dirty” and pollution has prevented fishing or swimming. While we don’t expect you to the read the 175-page draft, we will read it. Expect to hear more from us about how to get involved in shaping the cleanup plan or contact us about an upcoming webinar to learn more. It’s time to whip this watershed into shape.

The goal of the coalition is to rescue Philadelphia’s riverfronts from development and save them to be used as recreational trails. CPR explains that not only do people tend to have a higher opinion of cities with greenways, they also provide cleaner water, commuter routes, opportunities for public health benefits due to increased recreational space and enhanced economic and commercial development.

There are many organization that have an interest and a stake in this project, the TTF included. The coalition will allow all of these organization to work together and be a more powerful voice for change.

Visit www.coalitionforphiladelphiasriverfronts.org for more information!

WHAT CAN WE DO?

Investing in renewable energy resources is one way to combat pollution from conventional energy production. Wind and Solar Power generate electricity without any waste or altered water flowing into our streams and creeks.

As a Philadelphia resident you can lease Solar Panels for no upfront cost from companies like Urban Eco Electric. Or, you can install your own solar panels. They can be purchased at a variety of retailers.