From the Director’s Notebook: Thanks To You…
Dear Friends,
With Giving Tuesday just a few days away, I am reflecting on all the work Friends of the Wissahickon was able to complete in the Wissahickon Valley Park this year! Together with your support, and the thousands of FOW members, volunteers, donors, & partners we were able to make an enormous, positive impact on the health of the Wissahickon Valley Park and Creek.
- We doubled the size of our seasonal field crew stewarding the park. This team worked in the park for over 6 months in 2021, removing thousands of pounds of trash and engaging countless park visitors in Leave No Trace principles throughout the Wissahickon.
- Working with partners at Philadelphia Parks & Recreation and the Xerces Society, FOW staff and volunteers planted over 1,000 native trees, shrubs, and herbaceous species.
- We improved access throughout the trail system in the park by clearing 40+ trees that were blocking trails and making direct trail improvements to over 10 miles of trail.
But our work to conserve the Wissahickon Valley Park is never done. Much of our time this year was also spent documenting and addressing the damages throughout the park from Hurricane Ida and the stresses of more than 1.5 million annual visits every year. This Giving Tuesday, we need your help to expand FOW’s field operations in the Wissahickon and our capacity to respond to the ongoing challenges of stormwater and user impacts.
Please donate today to support the Wissahickon!
We are focusing on building the resiliency of the park landscape and environment in 2022 through another supersized seasonal field crew, training a new class of skilled volunteer Crew Leaders, and supplying this expanded field team with the improved tools and machinery needed to get the job done quickly and effectively.
We’re so grateful friends like you help us care for the Wissahickon’s 1,800 acres, as we have for nearly a century. And we know, with the right tools and the right team, we can ensure the park continues to be an exceptional natural and recreational asset for generations to come.
Thank you so much for supporting the Wissahickon.
Hope to see you out on the trails!
Ruffian Tittmann
FOW Executive Director