About Us
The Friends of the Wissahickon
(FOW) is a 1,600 member, non-profit organization founded in 1924 with a mission “to preserve the natural beauty and wildness of the Wissahickon Valley and stimulate public interest therein.” Designated a National Natural Landmark in 1964, the Valley is a spectacular 1,800 acre, forested gorge that is part of Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park system.
Click
to read more About the
Park.
FOW Activities
 Friends of the Wissahickon, in partnership with the
Fairmount
Park Commission, (FPC) sponsors programs and projects to restore and maintain trails; regulate trail use; eliminate invasive exotic plants and replace with native plants; control storm water runoff, and restore and build park structures. See
Conservation and
Restoration. Many projects are based on FOW-funded and designed studies. FOW is a leader in urban
deer
management.
As an outcome of a capacity-building grant obtained from the William Penn Foundation in 2002, the FOW has added staff and office space. This has resulted in the undertaking of major initiatives that will vastly contribute to the preservation and improvement of the Wissahickon.
You can view descriptions of these initiatives under
Projects.
Through a lease with Fairmount Park Commission, the FOW is responsible for one of the best-known Wissahickon landmarks,
Valley Green
Inn. FOW has developed a plan for restoration and improvement of the landscaping around the Inn.,
the Valley Green Restoration
Plan.
FOW and the Chestnut Hill Historical Society (CHHS) jointly sponsor an award-winning conservation
easement program that to date has protected more than 50 acres of open space within the Philadelphia portion of the Wissahickon watershed.
FOW Partnerships
Friends of the Wissahickon is one of the largest Friends groups in Philadelphia. In that capacity, FOW has a leadership role among the more than 80 other groups working to protect Philadelphia’s Park System as well as other ecology groups in the region. Staff and Board leaders regularly meet with FPC officials and work closely with the Philadelphia Parks Alliance for the protection and improvement of the Wissahickon and the entire Fairmount Park system.
FOW also partners with the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association, the Schuylkill River Greenway Association and other watershed partners to protect the creek. FOW has stood together with residents of Springfield Township and other neighboring municipalities to fight for open space in the watershed.
FOW Education and Outreach
FOW’s Education Committee co-sponsors a series of Winter Lectures with the
Wissahickon Environmental Education Center and the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education. Both the Education and Wildlife Committees lead guided hikes in the Park. The FOW regularly participates in festivals such as Mt. Airy Day; Chestnut Hill’s Garden Festival and Fall for the Arts Day; and
the Delaware Esturaries'
Southeastern Pennsylvania Coast Day. FOW also has outreach tables at various places in the Park.
Families get involved through FOW’s annual Halloween event, “Whispers Along the Wissahickon,” which takes place at the Wissahickon Environmental Center.
FOW Governance
A passionate, hands-on 28-member Board of Directors, representing communities or areas adjacent to Wissahickon Park, governs the FOW. A system of committees organizes the
volunteer work performed by the FOW. Service on most
committees is open to FOW members.
Since 1993, FOW has shared office space and a business manager with the CHHS in a cost-effective arrangement. In 2003, FOW hired its first full-time Executive Director followed later that year by its Newsletter Editor/Publicist. In 2004, FOW brought its first full-time Development Director on board.
In addition to this web site, Friends of the Wissahickon publishes a quarterly
Newsletter, an
Annual Report and a popular trail
Map.
|
