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Philadelphia County

Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, Philadelphia Co, $5000

Funded by: LWVPA-CEF WREN Project, Drinking Water Source Protection Project 2007-2008
Project Title: The Schuylkill Center and Fairmont Water Works Collaborative Watershed Education
Area to be protected: Schuylkill River

Partner: Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center of the Philadelphia Water Department

Focus: provide watershed education to high schools in Philadelphia that includes in-class lessons on nonpoint source pollution and its intersection with drinking water supplies, a field trip to observe the breadth of watershed issues that impact the source water, creation of posters, and a service learning project aimed at increasing awareness about urban watershed issues. 

Contact:  Gin Ranly 215-482-7300x129,

vranly@schuylkillcenter.org

Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, Philadelphia, $4,720

Funded by: LWVPA-CEF WREN Project, Drinking Water Source Protection Project 2003-2004
Project Title: Philadelphia Area Student Water Monitoring Network
Area(s) to be protected: Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers
Partner(s): Philadelphia Water Department, Baldi Middle School, and Green Woods Charter School
Focus: expand the Students' Water Monitoring Network, develop water resources education lesson plans which include material about source water protection, and conduct workshops for teachers
Contact: Dana Walker, 215-482-7300, email: dwalker@schuylkillcenter.org

University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, $3,800

Funded by: LWVPA-CEF WREN Project, Watershed Protection Project 2002-2003
Project Title: Demonstration Landscape & Open-Air Classroom
Area(s) to be protected: Historic Mill Creek Greenway, Schuylkill River
Partner(s): University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, Philadelphia Water Department, University City Green & Baltimore Avenue in Bloom
Focus: create a demonstration landscape adjacent to Mill Creek
Contact: Alison Mostrom, 215-895-1137, email: a.mostro@usip.edu

Center in the Park - Senior Environment Corps, Philadelphia, $4,980

Funded by: LWVPA-CEF WREN Project, Drinking Water Source Water Protection Project 2002-2003
Project Title: Connecting the Community to the Creek
Area(s) to be protected: the Monoshone /Wissahickon /Schuylkill
Partners: Center in the Park - Senior Environment Corps, Philadelphia Water Department - Public Education Unit, Office of Watersheds, Robert Fulton Elementary School & School District of Philadelphia
Focus: continue a water education program in partnership with the Philadelphia Water Department
Counties served:
Contact: Susan McLaughlin, 215-848-7722, email: smclaughlin@centerinthepark.org

Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, Philadelphia, $3,800

Project Title: Student Non-Point Pollution Education Project
Area(s) to be protected: Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers

Partner(s): School District of Philadelphia and Philadelphia Water Dept
Focus: develop and conduct three different classroom based non-point source pollution education programs in elementary classes and provide students with a tour of the Philadelphia Water Dept .
Contact: Dana Walker, 215.482.7300, email: dwalker@schuylkillcenter.org

 

Stroud Water Research Center, Philadelphia, $3,000

Funded by: LWVPA-CEF WREN Project - Drinking Water Source Water Protection Projects - 2000

Project Title:  Monoshone Creek Outreach Program

Areas to be protected: Monoshone/Wissahickon/Schuylkill rivers, Greater Philadelphia Area

Partners:   Center in the Park, Senior Environmental Corps, Fulton Elementary School, Philadelphia School District, and the Philadelphia Water Department
Focus: The SWRC educators and senior volunteers will coordinate water testing of Monoshone Creek. Resulting data and information on prevention of non-point source pollution and protection of the community's drinking water source water will be presented by the students to local residents and decision makers.
Contact: Vivian Williams, 610.268.2153 ext. 249,
email: vwilliams@stroudcenter.org

Philadelphia Water Dept, $3,000

Funded by: LWVPA-CEF WREN Project - Drinking Water Source Water Protection Projects - 2000

Project Title: Belmont Water Intake Protection Project: Phase II.

Area to be protected: Schuylkill River

Partners: Fairmount Park Commission, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Focus: The PWD will complete Phase II of the Belmont Water Intake Protection Project by finishing the stream bank restoration both upstream and downstream of the completed project area. Revegetation of Peter's Island and temporary fencing will deter geese from drinking water intake.
Contact: Christopher Crockett, 215.685.6234,
email: Chris.Crockett@phila.gov

 

Manayunk Development Corporation, Philadelphia. $2,906

Funded by: LWVPA-CEF WREN Project - Drinking Water Source Water Protection Projects - 2000

Project Title: Manayunk Canal and Schuylkill River Watershed Improvement Program
Areas to be protected: Schuylkill River
Partners: Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, Dobson and St. Mary's School (Philadelphia School District), and Philadelphia Recreation Dept and the Philadelphia Water Dept.
Focus: Building on a successful first year, the coalition will expand its cross-curricular environmental service learning program centered on water quality to another school in the Phila. school district. The coalition will develop recommendations and report them to the Manayunk community.
Contact: George Dudzek, 215.482.9565 Ext.204,
email: gdudzek@manayunk.org

Awbury Arboretum, Philadelphia, $3,000

Funded by: LWVPA-CEF WREN Project - Watershed Education for Pollution Prevention Projects - 1999

Project Title: Frankford Tacony Watershed Lesson

Focus: The partners will develop a watershed education program, including brochures and lessons plans, about the Frankford Tacony Watershed which begins in the Awbury Arboretum. The program will include the theme of Backyard Conservation and will be targeted at school age children who visit the Arboretum.
Partners: Frankford United Ministries, Fairmont Park
Contact: Thomas Mishler/Nicki Toizer, 215-849-2855, awbury@voicenet.com, Website: http://www.awbury.org

Northern Liberties Neighbors Association, Philadelphia, $3,000

Funded by LWVPA-CEF WREN Project - Nonpoint Source Pollution Prevention Grants - 1997-1998

Coalition Partners: Philadelphia Water Department, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Public Works Studio, American Philosophical Society, Bodine International School
Contact: Rita Fitzgerald, 215-627-6562.
Focus: To support a surface water education project at an erosion-prone, urban site that is directly over an underground waterway. Activities included storm water inlet stenciling (labeling) and the demonstration of practical techniques to mitigate surface water runoff. In the process of accomplishing these goals, volunteers and neighbors learned about water resource issues.
Accomplishments, Outreach:

• Presented project overview to Philadelphia Storm Water Pollution Education Citizen's Advisory Council.
• American Philosophical Society library hosted 25 high school students researching the area's early water regulations.
• Established partnership with Bodine High School for International Affairs (magnet school).
• Developed community service pilot project for joint venture between community groups and high school students.
• Area professionals made presentations to participating classes on urban water issues.
• Conducted storm water runoff mitigation experiments/demonstrations at Liberty Lands site.
• Fifteen youth and six adults from the area, including a volunteer from a youth group from La Salle University, participated in the storm inlet-stenciling event. The group stenciled about 40 storm water inlets and was visited by Captain Sewer during the event.

Successes, Obstacles, and Unanticipated Outcomes: Difficulties in coordinating schedules, and the absence of water education topics in the official curriculum, prevented completion of additional planned activities with the high school. Impromptu discussions held with neighborhood passersby during the stenciling event led to observation that the absence of curbside trash barrels may encourage casual dumping into the storm inlets. This was reported to the city.

Belmont Water Intake Protection Project
Funded by LWVPA-CEF WREN Project - Drinking Water Source Protection Project 1999

Focus: Geese congregate in Fairmount Park near one of the City of Philadelphia's water intakes. Threats to the water supply from the geese include cryptosporidium, an infectious pathogen, and excessive nutrients, both of which increase treatment cost and raise water safety concerns. The project plans to place signage to discourage feeding near the water intake and to develop land management practices that will discourage geese from gathering and nesting near the water intake.
Partners: Philadelphia Water Department, Fairmount Park Commission, U. S. Fish and Wildlife
Grant: $3,000
Contact: Christopher Crockett, 215-685-6234, email: Chris.Crockett@phila.gov

Manayunk Canal Project
Funded by LWVPA-CEF WREN Project - Drinking Water Source Protection Project 1999

Focus: The partners will organize a cross-curricular environmental services learning program centered on water quality and the Manayunk Canal for seventh graders at Dobson Elementary School. The program will serve as a model that will be duplicated in other schools in the area.
Partners: Manayunk Development Corporation, Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, Dobson Elementary School
Grant: $2,956
Contact: Joe Matassin/Kathy Bright, 215-482-9565, kbrightgrn@aol.com