Support the Park for the Next Generation with a Gift to FOW
As a parent with two daughters, I see first-hand the benefits my children receive from exploring the Wissahickon. Their enjoyment of the park is very hands-on. They lift up rocks to discover what lives underneath, create designs with fallen leaves, and build small “houses” for critters.
Children exploring and enjoying the Wissahickon today are likely to grow into adults with a reverence for the natural world and an innate understanding of our place in nature. Those boys and girls running around the park today will be the future stewards of the Wissahickon. There are many reasons to preserve the park, but one of the most important is for children and future generations.
Friends of the Wissahickon is continuing to maintain trails, remove invasive plants and litter, plant native trees and shrubs, and repair fences, benches, and other structures. The Forbidden Drive Trail and Streambank Stabilization Project is on target to begin construction in late 2017. FOW is currently in the permitting and design phase of this extensive project to repair three partial collapses along this popular trail in the Wissahickon. Stabilizing the trail to keep it from eroding further and restoring the riparian stream bank habitat will contribute to the improvement of the water quality of the Wissahickon Creek and help ensure park user safety.
Please consider donating to our Annual Appeal before the end of this year or become an FOW member. Our new children’s book, Good Night Wissahickon Valley Park, is free with a new family membership and a great way to begin exploring the park with young children in your life.
Maura McCarthy, Executive Director
Photo by Rachel Balascak, winner of People’s Choice Award in the Biennial Wissahickon Photo Contest 2016.