Sightlines Employees Mark Jenkintown Storm Drains!

Posted on May 20, 2012 by Abby

A sunny, dry afternoon provided the perfect time to do a little something different from the day-to-day routine for Sightlines LLC in Jenkintown, PA this Thursday. Ten employees from their Jenkintown building helped to mark an estimated 50 storm drains in the borough from Mather Road north up to West Avenue and east to Old York Road/611.  This TTF effort is in partnership with the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary (PDE) storm drain marking program, which works to place medallions with a fish saying “No Dumping! Drains to Creek” on storm drains across the Delaware Estuary.

Storm Drain marker

Many people don’t realize that storm drains on the street lead to our local waterways. Food packaging, plastic bags and cigarette butts thrown onto the sidewalk or street ultimately make their way through the storm drain system and into our creeks and rivers. During rain, the polluted water from our streets floods our waterways.

What we hope to avoid with the markers!We hope these new markers help to keep this situation from happening!

The two groups were led by TTF’s Community Liaison Steph Clymer and Tree Campaign Organizer Abby Grosslein. In addition to marking storm drains, our enthusiastic volunteers also talked with passersby about how using the storm drains properly can help keep our water clean. We distributed flyers and informed the community about TTF and how they can get involved with our activities.

Ashley with a medallionAshley Schmid, TTF’s Director of Education and Outreach, introduced TTF and the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary before we got started.

Volunteers removed two bags full of trash and one of recyclables from the streets, keeping them out of the newly-marked storm drains.

Everybody!All of the Sightlines volunteers pose with a newly-marked storm drain.

Thank you to Sightlines for being such awesome volunteers! Thank you to Jenkintown Borough for sending these great volunteers to TTF! Click here for more photos!

We still have more storm drains to mark in Jenkintown and across the watershed! To get involved with future events like this, email Ashley Schmid at ashley@ttfwatershed.org.

Posted in Clean-ups, Flooding, Sewers | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

LOVE Your Park Tacony Creek Park Clean-Up A Success!

Posted on May 17, 2012 by Abby

This past Saturday morning, Tacony Creek Park got some much needed LOVE from dozens of volunteers of all ages. Tacony Creek Park is this year’s signature park for LOVE Your Park Week, which made both TTF and the creek very happy! The volunteers, led by staff from Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, the Fairmount Park Conservancy, and the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, helped cultivate and mulch tree pits, pick up trash, mulch the path, and cut back invasive species at the park entrance at 5100 Tabor Ave.

Love Your Park Spring 2012 -- Planting

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.

 

Posted in Clean-ups, Events, Plantings, Tacony Creek Park Area, Trash, Trees | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Adding Plants to Glenside Elementary’s Riparian Buffer

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Abby

In preparation for the grand ribbon-cutting ceremony at Glenside Elementary School on May 24, TTF organized a planting in partnership with members of the Glenside Parent Teacher Organization to add more plants to a swath of the riparian buffer between the school grounds and a branch of the Tookany Creek.  Two hundred plants including grasses, ferns, and wildflowers were planted with the help of Diane, Glynis and Glynis’ young son Johnny.

Glenside Elementary Planting May 2012

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.

 

Posted in Events, Kids, Montgomery County, Plantings, Wyncote/Glenside | Leave a comment

TTF is Hiring!

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Steph

TTF is hiring for two positions through the AmeriCorps VISTA progam — a communications assistant and an educator — to begin this August. We hope you will share these postings with your networks. If you have questions, please contact Katie Donnelly at katie@ttfwatershed.org.

Communications Assistant
The Communications Assistant will help to engage community members as watershed stewards through use of communications tools, including but not limited to social media, grassroots campaigns, press releases and printed materials. The Communications Assistant will expand TTF’s public presence by growing the organizational email contact list, tracking stakeholders who do not have email access and develop new methods to reach them, maintain and improve a dynamic social media presence and website, design targeted print materials, write press releases and create monthly newsletter content. Apply online here.

Educator
The Educator will work with businesses, community organizations, schools and existing TTF partners to provide education and service-learning opportunities related to watershed issues and stormwater management. The goal of the Educator is to provide stormwater management and watershed education and to promote clean water practices through a series of lessons, trainings and stewardship activities. Once the VISTA has become familiar with stormwater management, watershed education, neighborhood issues, lesson planning and event coordination, s/he will begin to make connections with businesses, community organizations, schools and partners in the watershed. S/he will have the opportunity to draft a year long education/service-learning plan as well as organize and lead watershed presentations and workshops for new and existing partners. Apply online here.

Posted in Jobs, TTF News/Announcements | Leave a comment

Tree Planting, Garden Weeding, Street Cleaning Extravaganza!

Posted on May 10, 2012 by Abby

On April 21 this Earth Day Weekend, TTF led volunteers from City Year, Arcadia University, and the Chew and Belfield Neighbor’s Association in planting seven trees, weeding a nearby community garden and picking up trash in and around the Chew Ave neighborhood. Thanks to Bryner Chevrolet for their truck, LaSalle Fresh Grocer for snacks, Weavers Way Community Programs for funding the tools and to everyone who came out and helped!

Tree Planting -- City Year Group Is Ready
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.

Posted in Clean-ups, Plantings, Trees | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

TTF 5% Day at Jenkintown Whole Foods

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Katie

TTF at Whole Foods

Thanks to everyone who came out to support TTF at 5% Day at Jenkintown Whole Foods! Not only did we get to promote watershed health,  stewardship, and our organization we raised funds at the same time!

TTF staff members enjoyed speaking with shoppers about the importance of protecting our watershed and gave out information on rain barrels, rain gardens and native plants. We also brought along an enviroscape to demonstrate how watersheds function and a button maker so people could make their own water-themed buttons. When the day was over, Whole Foods raffled off two rain barrels to some lucky shoppers as well.

Thanks to our partners at Jenkintown Whole Foods and everyone who helped make the day a success!  Please stop by to see us if you missed us last week — or to see us again — on Sunday, April 29 from 1:00 to 4:00 pm at the EcoFest at Jenkintown Whole Foods. We’ll have lots of great free information and resources.

Posted in Events, Jenkintown, Partners | Leave a comment

Working with Your Legislators

Posted on April 22, 2012 by Steph

TTF’s Executive Director Julie Slavet spoke to a group of enthusiastic Arcadia students in Social Action and Social Change about developing relationships with their elected officials. Drawing on her experience working as senior district staff member for Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz, Julie explained what to do — and not do — when contacting your legislators.

The top ten things to do:

1. Get involved!
2. Do three things for every one you ask.
3. Be credible.
4. Work with your legislator’s staff.
5. Explain the local impact of policies.
6. Research your legislator’s background.
7. Introduce yourself and your organization.
8. Imagine yourself in their shoes.
9. Work around their schedule.
10. Invite your legislators to events.

Contacting your representatives can help you solve problems and affect change in your community. From constituent services to voting on bills, our legislators are there to serve us. Be sure to tell your legislators how much you care about protecting our watershed!

Posted in Montgomery County, Policy, Wyncote/Glenside | Leave a comment

Community Members Help Shape the Lower Northeast District Plan

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Steph

Did you know that in the last 10 years, the Lower Northeast was the 4th fastest growing district in Philadelphia? Or that in 1684, German settlers founded Frankford along the Frankford Creek? This settlement’s main street (what’s now Frankford Avenue) was originally a Native American trail and later became the King’s Highway, which ran from South Carolina to Massachusetts.

Currently, residents of this area of Philadelphia are looking to attract more businesses and make their neighborhoods safer. The Philadelphia City Planning Commission hosted a community meeting at Friends Hospital to collect input from residents, business owners, and property owners. Participants talked about making the area more walkable, decreasing crime, adding street lighting, cleaning up litter, and turning local parks into community assets. TTF was excited to participate in this event, since clean and safe neighborhoods and healthy watersheds go hand-in-hand! The information from this meeting will be compiled and included in the future development plans for the area.

Lower Northeast District Plan - Making Our Mark

A staff member from the Philadelphia City Planning Commission labels a map of the Lower Northeast with community input.

Posted in Events, Policy, Tacony Creek Park Area | Leave a comment

How Plants Can Change Your Life

Posted on April 13, 2012 by Steph

One of TTF’s partner organizations, The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS), is currently running a Garden Tenders basic training course to prepare residents to establish and maintain community gardens in their neighborhoods. The ripple effect surrounding city gardens is incredible! As gardens are planted, community members come together, take care of each other, and experience a higher quality of life and increased property values. Additionally, crime and litter decrease, leading to healthier watersheds.

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.

Posted in Partners, Plantings | Leave a comment

EPA Approves Green City, Clean Waters Plan

Posted on April 12, 2012 by Katie

This Tuesday, TTF staff and board members joined area environmental and political leaders at an exciting event at the Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center: the EPA’s official endorsement of the Philadelphia Water Department’s Green City, Clean Waters plan. TTF is proud to be a partner in this plan, which emphasizes green solutions to Philadelphia’s stormwater management problems.

At the event, Mayor Nutter, Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz and EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson praised the plan. We were especially thrilled to hear Mayor Nutter mention our creek!

For more about yesterday’s event and the Green City, Clean Waters plan, check out this article from The Inquirer. From the article:

EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson joined Mayor Nutter and other officials at the Fairmount Water Works to sign the agreement for a 25-year plan that has been described as one of the most innovative and ambitious in the nation.

It will transform not only how the city handles storm water – treating it as a resource instead of a waste product – but also how the city looks.

Greenery planted to soak up rainwater will also beautify streets, which could increase property values. Shaded homes will be cooler in summer, which could lower electricity bills. Air quality should improve.

“The city has earned a place as a national and global leader on sustainable innovation and clean water protection,” Jackson said at the signing, noting that it was a fitting way to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Clean Water Act this year.

Read the rest here!

Posted in Articles, Events, Green City, Clean Waters | Leave a comment