Byrne Family Preserve - Wissahickon Valley Watershed

Currents
w i n t e r 2 0 1 5 • Vo lu m e 5 8 • N u m b e r 4
Byrne Family Preserve
L
eaning on his cane, Dr.
Robert Byrne scanned his
fields with the early hues
of autumn unfolding. He
described how he and his
family had lived on his farm since 1937.
The 91 year-old retired orthopedist spoke
proudly of his daughter, Catherine, who
would ride horseback on the farm when
she was young. Before she passed in
2014, Dr. Byrne reiterated his promise to
preserve their family farm in her honor. Dr.
Byrne’s commitment resulted in the latest
acquisition made by the Wissahickon Valley
Watershed Association in October 2015.
The nearly 16-acre Byrne Family
Preserve - surrounded by a suburban landscape filled with elegant homes, warehouses
and Lower Gwynedd Township’s Oxford
Park - is a throwback in time. The homestead
with a sturdy barn, groves of trees, bucolic
fields and streams, is located on Welsh Road,
a heavily used artery in the region. Hedgerows and stately Catalpa trees line a discreet
driveway away from the main road.
For the Wissahickon Valley
Watershed Association, the Byrne Family
Preserve is a unique opportunity to ensure
a family’s wish to preserve the fields,
wetlands and streams that they enjoyed for
decades. The two tributaries, which form
the headwaters of the Trewellyn Creek, are
now protected forever.
In the future, the WVWA will
develop a Wildlife Habitat Management
Plan that carefully considers the value
of existing habitats on the Byrne Family
Preserve. The fields will be managed
as grasslands to ensure that pollinating
plants are available for butterflies,
hummingbirds and other beneficial
species. Invasive plants will be removed
and native vegetation planted where
appropriate. Water quality monitoring
and macroinvertebrate studies will be
conducted on the property’s waterways.
The mosaic of different wildlife
habitats is very important for preservation
in this region. “With countless flocks of
birds migrating through southeastern
Pennsylvania annually, the Byrne Family
Preserve provides shelter and a food
source that is becoming increasingly
rare,” said Executive Director, Dennis O
Miranda. As fall colors subside, winter
residents such as Golden Crowned
Kinglets, White throated Sparrows, Slate
Colored Juncos and Robins will flock to
the Byrne Family Preserve as they have for
the last 78 years.m
T
he preservation of
the Byrne Family Preserve
is a quintessential WVWA
achievement. For almost
60 years WVWA has
preserved ecologically sensitive properties
to support its mission to protect the health
and beauty of the Wissahickon Creek.
Critical to that mission is protection of
the land that surrounds the Creek - as the
Creek’s health is a reflection of the health
of the land through which it flows.
David Froehlich
Jamie Stewart
Land Worth
Preserving...
Support
the Annual
Campaign
a Rick Collier, WVWA Board Chair
with Dr. Robert Byrne.
Together we can make a difference;
with your help the Association will
restore our natural heritage – our
common ground - to guarantee that
future generations will have opportunities
to enjoy these wild, open spaces in the
Wissahickon Watershed.
Please support the Land Worth
Preserving Campaign today and make
a difference where you live. Make a
donation by December 31, 2015 and
your gift will be doubled thanks to a
generous challenge grant of $25,000
from Bill and Leslie MacDonald. m
online at
www.wvwa.org
n Donate
1
Stockfresh
How Can
You Help?
Help prevent salty
spikes in the Wissahickon
Creek this winter and consider
some of the following actions:
Jamie Stewart
Stockfresh
Help Prevent a
Saltier Watershed
Shovel early after a storm
to minimize the need for
deicers.
W
inter is here,
and with it comes the
dreaded snowy roads
and icy driveways.
Millions of people
across the Northeast use road salts to
deice their homes and roads, but how
does it affect our waterways, and is there
anything we can do to reduce our impact?
Salts are composed of ions that
are bonded together, and are present in
both fresh and salt water. Salts are a vital
part of life! However, as road salt became
popular as a deicer in the 1970’s, we have
seen levels of chlorides (or dissolved salt
ions) spike dramatically in our fresh water
ecosystems.
As ice and snow start to melt
throughout winter and spring, chloride
concentrations spike in roadside streams
and tributaries from stormwater runoff.
Chloride concentrations tend to be
higher in areas with paved surfaces like
highways, parking lots and driveways
because stormwater and snowmelt runoff
do not have a chance to soak into the
2
ground and filter before entering rivers,
lakes, and streams.
Once the chlorides are present
in a water body, there are no biological
processes to remove them, and they are
not typically removed at water treatment
plants because desalination technology is
very costly.
The full implications of these higher
chloride levels have yet to be determined,
but scientists who study freshwater
ecosystems have found many indications
that increased salt concentrations can
be harmful to plants and wildlife in the
watershed. Higher salt concentrations
may interfere with biological processes
that help organisms maintain the proper
concentration of salt and other solutes
in their cells, impacting the animal’s
survival, growth, and reproduction.
At WVWA, our staff, as well as our
Creek Watch volunteers, monitor chloride
concentrations in the stream year-round
to keep tabs on levels of salts in our waters,
and use this information as a tool to
instruct our local behavior. m
Apply deicers early and
sparingly; extra salt will not
melt ice faster!
If you must use a
deicer, consider a prewetted 1:1 sand and road
salt mixture to minimize the
amount of chlorides released.
Consider using salts
with beet juice
additives – beet juice
is becoming popular as
an organic deicing agent
that melts ice at very low
temperatures and is less
corrosive to our cars and
roads than salt.
Consider using
permeable pavement
for paved surfaces on your
property.
a WVWA Educator, Suzanne Smith-Oscilowski, teaches sixth grade students at Wissahickon Middle
School about aquifers and wells as they explore the importance of ground water.
T
he Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association works in
partnership with local school districts and private schools to provide
academic enrichment programs throughout the school year. This 20152016 school year will feature a variety of existing education programs
and add a selection of new programs. Most WVWA education programs
have both a classroom and field based component. Students acquire background
knowledge during classroom sessions then participate in a field experience designed to
enhance and reinforce their learning. The WVWA education programs are developed
to meet Pennsylvania state education standards as well as to reflect important issues in
the Wissahickon watershed community.
Local elementary students will continue to
The WVWA
participate in the Evans-Mumbower Mill program
education program
and the Watersheds and Wetlands program. These
elementary programs culminate in a field experience
welcomes volunteers
designed to engage and excite students. Some middle
from the community.
school students acquire knowledge of Groundwater
If you are interested in
through classroom sessions, science experiments and
helping students explore
problem solving. Other middle school students are
these exciting topics,
introduced to the importance of water quality through
contact Suzanne
programs that are classroom-based and include field
study activities. High school students examine the
Smith-Oscilowski at
physical, chemical and biological aspects of water quality
[email protected].
through the Stream Studies program by conducting
extensive water quality tests in the Wissahickon Creek.
New initiatives for the school year include the Ecological Communities
program. This program encourages 4th grade elementary students in the Wissahickon
School District to explore small-scale ecosystems in their school campus natural areas.
A Butterfly and Caterpillar program is being piloted with upper elementary students in
a local private school. Both of these new programs will be curriculum-based with a field
study activity to provide students a hands-on science experience. m
Local Eagle Scout Adds
Signs to Green Ribbon Trail
Sidarth Giddu regularly uses the
upper sections of the Green Ribbon
Trail. As a
trail runner,
he noticed
locations
along the path
that needed
improved
directional
a Sidarth Giddu (third
signage.
Sidarth came from left) & Scouts from
Troop 152.
to WVWA
with the idea to add new trail signs
and maps to help trail users find their
way in spots where the trail was not
well defined. As part of his project, he
prioritized the sign locations, designed
maps, and installed the final signage
along the trail. WVWA thanks Sidarth
and Scout Troop 152 for all the hard
work to help the Green Ribbon Trail
be even more user friendly!
WVWA participates in
Alternative Gift Market
WVWA is honored to be a
participant in
the Alternative
Gift Market
at St. John’s
United
Church of
Christ in
Lansdale since
it’s inception. a St. John’s member, Peter
Conver, makes a donation to
St. John’s
WVWA at the Alternative
started the
Gift Market.
gift market
12 years ago to give the community an
alternative to buying “regular” gifts
during the holiday season. Shoppers
can make donations to 18 local and
nationwide charities to honor family and
friends. Events such as the Alternative
Gift Market allow the WVWA to spread
the message of its mission to new friends
and we thank St. John’s for inviting us to
return each year. m
John Hendricks
WVWA Education Programs
Test Water Quality & Explore
Local Ecosystems
WVWA
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Calendar
January
Wolf Watch Tour at the
Lakota Wolf Preserve
Katerina Hlavata
Saturday, January 9
• 8:30am - 4:00pm
Have you ever
wanted to see a
wolf in person, or
hear one howl?
Take a tour of
the Lakota Wolf
Preserve, located
in Columbia, NJ, with WVWA. You’ll learn
all about wolf biology and behavior, as well
as many other fascinating facts.
• $60 includes transportation and admission fee
• Registration required, space is limited
Winter Walk with WVWA
Saturday January 23 • 1:00-3:00pm
• Willow Lake Farm
There’s nothing quite like the peaceful
stillness of the
winter woods, so
put on your hiking
boots and join us
for a walk along
the trails of Willow
Lake Farm. We’ll
go in search of wintering wildlife through the
woods and fields of this 107-acre preserve,
then head to WVWA headquarters to warm
up over some hot chocolate!
• Free, registration requested
U.S. Fish & Wildlife
Decline of
Bats in the
Northeast
4
Friday, January 29
• 7:00pm
• WVWA Headquarters
Join Todd Sinander,
Senior Biologist at
Bat Conservation
and Management, Inc., as he discusses the
alarming decrease in the bat population
in the northeast, highlighting white-nose
syndrome and how it decimates the native
bat species.
• Free, registration requested
2nd Annual Volunteer
Recognition Party &
Annual Member Meeting
Wednesday, January 13, 2016 • 6:00pm - 8:30pm
WVWA will host its 2nd Annual Volunteer Recognition Party on Wednesday,
January 13, 2016, to honor the dedication, work and spirit of our volunteers.
The Volunteer Recognition Party will be held in conjunction with WVWA’s
Annual Member Meeting.
• Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres followed by awards and program
• Germantown Academy Honickman Auditorium
• Look for email invitation in early December
February
Maple Sugar Festival
Tour of the Special
Collections at the Academy
of Natural Sciences
Saturday, February 13
• 8:45am – 3:00pm
Philadelphia is the birthplace of American
Paleontology and the Academy of Natural
Sciences houses many of the original
specimens in its Special Collections, some
of the oldest in the United States. WVWA is
offering the opportunity to be given a limited
private tour of these remarkable collections
by ANS Curators.
•$60 includes transportation, tour and museum
admission fees
• Registration required, space is limited
Fireside
Frostbite 5 Miler
Saturday, February 20
• 9:00am
The Ambler Area
Running Club proudly
presents the 17th annual Frostbite Five
Miler. Amenities include chip timing,
great post-race food from Fireside Bar &
Grille, and long sleeve tech shirts. The
race benefits WVWA.
• To volunteer – contact Gina at [email protected]
• To register to run - www.aarclub.com/Frostbite/
Sunday, February 28
• 12:00pm – 3:00pm
Learn how maple syrup
and sugar are made.
Guides take small groups
through the woods to
see the tapped trees and
then watch the sap being
boiled into syrup. End your walk at WVWA’s
historic headquarters for hot chocolate and
warm treats with maple syrup. Tours last
approximately 45 minutes.
• WVWA Members: $5 adult/$3 child
• Non-Members: $10 adult/$5 child
• Registrations requested - register online
March
Attracting
Bluebirds
Tuesday, March 8
• 7:00pm
• WVWA Headquarters
Betsy Nutt, Penn State
Master Gardener
and member of the
Bluebird Society of
Pennsylvania’s speaker’s bureau, will give a
talk on the history, biology, habitat and more
of the bluebird. • Free; registration requested
View Complete Calendar & Register for Events at www.wvwa.org/calendar
w i n ter 2 015
Wintering Birds of
Mannington Meadows
Saturday, April 9
• 9:00am – 12:00pm
• Byrne Family Preserve
Help WVWA continue
our restoration efforts this
spring at our newest preserve
– Byrne Family Preserve. Volunteers will
remove invasive plants and plant native trees
and shrubs. Please wear sturdy shoes for
digging, and bring a shovel and gloves if you
have them; otherwise we will provide.
• Sign up at www.wvwa.org/servethepreserve
Saturday, March 12
• 8:00am - 4:00pm
Join WVWA
naturalists on a tour
of the 6,000-acre
Mannington Meadows,
a complex of wetlands
and tidal waters in Salem County, NJ,
which provides globally significant
migratory bird habitat. After birding,
we’ll head to Auburn Road Vineyards, for
a late lunch of wood-fired pizza.
• $60 includes transportation and lunch
• Registration required
Rain Barrel Workshop
Camels Hump
Thursday, April 21 • 7:00pm
• WVWA Headquarters
Rain barrels collect water that
would normally flow directly
off the roof through gutter
down spouts and become storm
water runoff. Learn how to hook up and
care for your rain barrel, retaining runoff
and reusing the water in your garden!
Rain barrels are from Camel’s Hump.
Learn more at: www.camels-hump.com.
• $75 for the cost of the Camels Hump Barrel.
• Registration required; space is limited.
April
46th Annual Creek Clean Up
Saturday, April 30
Be part of the
46th Annual
Creek Clean
Up of the
Wissahickon
Creek and its
many tributaries. Help WVWA clean up
the trail and the creek bed too. Volunteers
are pre-assigned to sections of the Creek
and trail. Canoes are also needed to help
clean the deeper parts of the creek.
• Sign up online at www.wvwa.org/creekcleanup
Cuba Birding tour
Bird Watching Basics Classes
Discover easy methods
to find and identify birds
in the Wissahickon Creek
Watershed through a series
of two classes with three of
WVWA’s most experienced
birders, Jamie Stewart and Amy Johns and
WVWA Staff Naturalist, Margaret Rohde.
Sunday, April 3, 9:00am – 11:00am
• Four Mills Reserve
Sunday, April 10, 8:00am – 10:00am
• Preserve TBD
• Course Fee: Members $35; non-members: $60
• Registration limited to 12 participants
• Sunday, April 17
• Sunday, May 15
• Sunday, June 19
• Sunday, July 17
Travel to Cuba with WVWA
Francesco Veronesi
Stockfresh / Linda Goschke
From Soup to Owls
Friday March 18
• 6:30pm - 9:00pm
Join us at WVWA
Headquarters for a
delicious soup dinner and
conversation about all
things owls! After dinner,
we’ll head out to Willow
Lake Farm for a moonlight walk in search of
Eastern Screech, Great Horned, Northern
Saw-whet, and Barred Owls.
• $5 per adult, free for children 12 & under
• Registration requested
EvansMumbower
Mill 2016
Open House
Events
Serve the Preserve
• Cuba’s Western Mountains, Zapata Swamp,
Atlantic Archipelago, Eastern Endemic Range, and
Colonial Havana
• April 17 – 26, 2016
The Wissahickon Valley Watershed is promoting an exclusive,
U.S. led and managed birding program to Cuba. The Cuba
Bird Survey is managed by the Caribbean Conservation
Trust, Inc, which has been leading bird conservation tours in
Cuba for twenty years. Beginning and ending in Havana, this
exciting itinerary will take you to Cuba’s best bird habitats, most beautiful national
parks, diverse biosphere reserves and unique natural areas. We will interact with local
scientists and naturalists who work in research and conservation.
This trip will be co-led by WVWA Executive Director, Dennis Miranda, WVWA
Staff Naturalist, Margaret Rohde and Cuban Biologist, Dr. Giraldo Alayon. • Participation is limited to 14 people.
• Complete details at www.wvwa.org/CubaBirding
5
WVWA Quintessential
Ambassador Retires
F
Jamie Stewart
the best attended and most
memorable in the Wissahickon
Valley! She also made them into
prolific sources of income for the
WVWA.
During her years of
service, Carol DeLancey was
the soul of the WVWA. Her
familiar voice would cheer on
the runners at the Tex Mex 5k,
welcome guests to the
Green Ribbon Gala and
celebrate with volunteers
about the unique trash
collected at the Creek
Clean Up. Upon meeting
new guests at the Barn or
an event, Carol could be heard
asking “Do you know what a
watershed is?” or “Are you a
member yet?” Her devotion to
the WVWA community was
extensive. With a personal
a Carol DeLancey with volunteers, Debbie Whiteley and
touch and professional grace she
Muriel Ulmer, at the Tex Mex 5k Race for Open Space.
formed lasting relationships that
ensured
decades of support.
Under her careful planning,
When
Carol became the Director
WVWA’s special events, social gatherings
of
Development
in 2014 she was a perfect
and fundraisers have been among
Laurie Beck-Peterson
or 19 years, every visitor
to the Four Mills Barn could
expect to be greeted warmly
by Carol DeLancey. Carol
joined the WVWA in 1997 as
Director of Special Events. She thought
that it would be a part-time job at a sleepy
office; little did she know that she would
help the WVWA grow into a fast-paced
and multi-faceted organization.
fit for the job with her longstanding
community relationships, leadership
capabilities and tenacity. Her nearly
twenty years of service made her a pillar
in the WVWA community. When Carol
retired on October 30, she closed out
an exceptional career and she is truly
irreplaceable. We wish her and her
husband, Walt, all of the best in many
future years of health, joy and travel.
Congratulations Carol! m
Changing of the Guard in Water Quality
F
Jamie Stewart
rom a chance meeting
organizations of
on Mount Colden in the
the cluster.
Adirondacks in August of 2013,
Our own
Stephanie Figary was hired
citizen
by the WVWA as the new
monitoring
Water Quality Program Manager. Her
initiative, the
goal was to re-launch a more ambitious
Creek Watch
Water Quality Program in 2014. As part
Program,
of the Upstream Philadelphia Suburban
attracted
Cluster, Steph represented the WVWA
dozens of eager
effectively with her quiet leadership. Under
volunteers, who
a Stephanie Figary
her helm, the WVWA spearheaded the
today maintain
development of new standards for training training Creek Watchers.
a strong and
volunteer ‘citizen scientists’ and conducting continuous presence in assessing the
water quality monitoring protocols that
health of the Wissahickon Creek
were adopted by sister conservation
and its tributaries. Steph developed
6
and strengthened strong professional
relationships with academia, public
agencies and other environmental groups.
On September 25, Steph began
the next step in her impressive career path
as an ORISE intern at the United States
Environmental Protection Agency. We wish
her well as she works to protect our waters.
Starting on November 9, Rea
Monaghan brought her enthusiasm,
dedication and planning acumen
as she began her new position as an
Environmental Planner at the WVWA.
Rea will manage the Water Quality
Program and continue the dynamic
role that the WVWA has played in the
VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT:
Gwen Bryant
G
Our Mission
The Wissahickon Valley Watershed
Association’s Mission is to protect
the quality and beauty of the
Wissahickon Creek and to enhance
life in the watershed by:
•Protecting and enhancing open space
• Promoting awareness of environmental
issues through education
• Promoting wise land use
• Preserving historic sites important to
the history of the Wissahickon
Photo by Daniel Burke
wen Bryant has a long
Center for 4 years in fundraising. Gwen
history with the WVWA
then became a certified accountant and
and her involvement
worked for 10 years for Montgomery
continues to grow. She is a Township before retiring.
member of the education
committee, an education volunteer,
a trail steward, an event volunteer
and the volunteer coordinator for the
Evans-Mumbower Mill. “I enjoy my
involvement with the mill because I love
greeting people and educating them. It is
wonderful to bring something historical
back to life,” said Gwen. She also enjoys
walking the trails and Preserves with her
husband, Stephen, and their dog Molly.
Gwen has been involved with
the WVWA since she moved to the area
from Massachusetts in 1985. Her son
participated in the WVWA’s education
program and she was a regular user of
the trails. Gwen recently retired from
Montgomery Township working as an
a Gwen & Steve Bryant
accountant and she has become even
more involved with the Association.
Gwen said, “I made a decision, I
WVWA has a very diverse and
don’t belong to a church, so I’ve made the
educated group of volunteers and Gwen
WVWA my church. I want to give locally
is no exception. She attended Vassar
toward a larger goal of environmental
College and then received her master’s
sustainability, offset global warming and
degree in Business Administration from
make a local impact. WVWA is important
Northeastern University. She worked in
to this area and I want to help ensure that
marketing and fundraising for WHYY
it continues to be a strong and healthy orfor 11 years and worked for the Kimmel
ganization.” m
Board of Directors
Richard Collier, Jr., Chair
Cary B. Fleisher, Vice-Chair
William F. MacDonald, Jr., Treasurer
Cheryl L. Young, Secretary
Scott Bartow
Neil S. Brown
Tai-ming Chang
Mary S. Claghorn
Duane D. Deaner
Ellen T. Duncan
Sue Floyd
James E. Hasson
Daniel F. Hayes
Mark P. Letner
George M. Riter
Loretta Shacklett
Neil Trueblood
Upstream
Suburban
Philadelphia
Cluster. She
will also
represent the
WVWA in
the TMDL
Alternative
Stakeholder
Group
a Rea Monaghan joins
convened
WVWA as an
by the
Environmental Planner.
Montgomery
County Planning Commission and,
as a planner, she will provide a new
dimension of expertise and support for
the Suburban Wilderness Program.
As a Creek Watcher since 2014
and a member of several committees,
including Lower Gwynedd Green
Committee, Lower Gwynedd Township
Park and Recreation Board and
the Schuylkill Watershed Congress
Committee, Rea is a detail-oriented
steward of the environment. She has
previous experience as a planner with
the Bucks County Planning Commission
and she is known as a consummate
professional who takes great pride in her
work. Please join us in welcoming Rea to
the WVWA family! m
Patricia R. West
Advisory Council
Philip R. Albright
George C. Corson, Jr.
Thomas Dolan IV
Saly A. Glassman
Dolores E. Hillas
Timothy P. Hughes
Hugh G. Moulton
Hugh A. A. Sargent
John Shober
Edwin R. Steel
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Non-Profit
U.S. Postage
Paid
12 morris road, ambler, pa 19002
Fort Washington, PA
Permit No.5
215-646-8866 • www.wvwa.org
Printed on Recycled Stock
Thanks to Our
Corporate Sponsors of the Walk on the Wild Side and Green
Ribbon Trail Race
Our Walk on the Wild Side Sponsors
T
he Green Ribbon Trail was
busy with activity this fall during
the Walk on the Wild Side (9/27)
and 5-Mile Trail Race (11/7). Due
to the Papal visit in Philadelphia, the Walk
group was a bit smaller but a hearty crew
of 35 completed the 14 mile challenge hike
to Morris Aboretum. It was a beautiful fall
morning for the 5-mile Green Ribbon Trail
Race. In total, 145 participants (a record high!)
ran the looped course that started and ended
at Upper Gwynedd’s Parkside Place.
Both events highlight the years of
work that have gone into preserving nearly
200 acres of open space immediately adjacent
to the Wissahickon Creek and also raise funds
for WVWA. Thank you to all of the corporate
sponsors for their support in these events. m
Our Trail Race Sponsors