TTF Watershed is excited to announce that now it’s time to enjoy our August virtual tour of Vernon Park on Germantown Avenue in Philadelphia! In this tour, you can explore summertime wildlife at Vernon Park. Think trees, flowers, birds, and…squirrels!
This historic location was where we installed our first ever rain garden, a special Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) feature. This is just one of over 25 TTF restoration projects across our watershed! A rain garden is a shallow garden in which compacted clay soils are removed, and softer more porous soils are added. It’s then planted with native plants and shrubs.
GSI uses nature to manage stormwater run-off, which is the biggest source of pollution for our creeks. The Vernon Park rain garden slows down the flow of stormwater run-off from the roof of the Center in the Park, preventing our stormwater system from becoming overburdened. Regularly controlling invasive (non-native) planet species and removing trash ensure that the Vernon Park GSI site functions properly.
We are proud to partner with the Friends of Vernon Park to maintain this site collaboratively through the Philadelphia Water Department’s Soak It Up Adoption program. We recently hosted a cleanup and maintenance day (on July 30) to work with volunteers to weed and clear litter. We’re proud to take great care of such a significant rain garden site.
A little more about Vernon Park: it’s an historic, beautiful 8-acre park in Germantown that offers playground equipment, adult fitness equipment, picnic tables and benches, paths, and gardens. The property is home to the historic Wister estate, Vernon House.
Our new virtual watershed tours led by environmental educator Brandon McCracken are available to enjoy in English and Spanish. Take these guides along with you on your phone for a walk at various sites across for watershed for a self-guided tour.
We encourage you to explore our interactive virtual tour of this incredibly remarkable landmark. See you in Vernon Park!
