Restoring Tacony Creek Park is a long-term commitment. Some days we celebrate milestones, and other days we face new challenges that remind us why stewardship never stops.
This month, we’re marking an important step forward at one of the park’s most persistent illegal dumping sites with the installation of new anti-dumping fencing at Whitaker Bridge. At the same time, our LandCare team is responding to the arrival of Beech Leaf Disease at the unnamed nature preserve at Friends Hospital, developing a long-term strategy to protect one of the preserve’s most valuable natural resources.
Another Step Forward at Whitaker Bridge
For years, the area beneath the Whitaker Avenue Bridge has been one of Tacony Creek Park’s most persistent illegal dumping hotspots.
Volunteers, TTF staff, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation crews, and the #CreekyCLEAN! Squad has returned again and again to remove illegally dumped tires, construction debris, and household trash. Too often, after a successful cleanup, new dumping would appear.
This month marks an important milestone.
A new anti-dumping fence has been installed at this key legacy dumping site, helping protect years of restoration work and making it much more difficult for vehicles to access the area.
This improvement was made possible with support from PennDOT, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, the Philadelphia Parks & Recreation Office of Sustainability, the City of Philadelphia Office of Clean and Green, and the many volunteers who have refused to give up on this space.
The new fencing represents more than new infrastructure—it reflects a shift from continually cleaning up illegal dumping to preventing it from happening in the first place.
A New Challenge in the Forest: Beech Leaf Disease
While restoration continues on the ground, another challenge is emerging high in the forest canopy.
At the unnamed nature preserve at Friends Hospital, TTF’s LandCare team is monitoring the arrival of Beech Leaf Disease, an emerging forest threat caused by microscopic nematodes that attack the leaves of American beech trees. As the disease spreads, leaves lose their ability to photosynthesize, eventually weakening and killing the tree.
Beech trees are among the preserve’s most important canopy species. Many have grown undisturbed for more than 100 years in a 200 plus-year woodland, creating the deep shade that helps suppress invasive plants and supports a healthy forest ecosystem. As LandCare Director Drew Rinaldi Subits explained during a recent staff training, these mature trees are one of the site’s greatest ecological assets.
Fortunately, the preserve still has a diverse mix of oaks, tulip poplars, hickories, and maples, making the forest more resilient than areas dominated almost entirely by beech trees.
Managing the Disease
Although Beech Leaf Disease has already been detected at the preserve, TTF is taking a thoughtful, science-based approach.
Current plans include:
- Monitoring the health of beech trees across the preserve.
- Treating a small number of significant specimen trees to preserve important canopy cover.
- Strategically girdling selected infected trees to slow the spread while maintaining valuable standing dead trees as wildlife habitat.
- Replanting future canopy gaps with diverse native hardwood species to build an even more resilient forest.
As Drew shared with the team, some beech trees will likely be lost, but by acting early and managing the forest strategically, TTF hopes to minimize damage while protecting the long-term health of the preserve.
Get Involved
The work continues all season long! And every bag of trash removed, every invasive cut back, and every tree planted helps shape the future of the park.
Join us for upcoming volunteer days and #CreekyCLEAN! events at:
https://ttfwatershed.org/events
🧼 Cleaner Creeks
🌱 Greener Parks
🚶 Safer Trails
🎉 More Fun for Everyone!
This blog is part of the #CreekyCLEAN! TaconyCreekPark initiative. Learn more at:
🔗 https://ttfwatershed.org/programs/creekyclean-tacony-park/
