Matt Schickling, the Wire
In its first few years, the Friends of Poquessing Creek Watershed had the volunteers and the funding to head advocacy for its expressed mission: to conserve and beautify the creek and its environs.
At that time, the watershed was largely a Philadelphia-based organization, as much of it falls within Northeast Philadelphia territory. The other pieces are in Bensalem, Lower Southampton and small portions of Upper Southampton and Lower Moreland townships.
Now, 25 years later, the support has not dried up completely, but as time went on, many active volunteers have passed away, others moved away and outside funding is not as plentiful.
“It has really dropped,” President Donna Remick said. “Over the years, we just haven’t gotten that many new, involved members. It’s hard to find people who have time these days.”
It’s not that the watershed’s mission has suddenly become less important. Actually, creek sustainability is probably more important now than ever.
“There are so many aspects of your daily life that are rooted in a safe and healthy water supply. The health of a watershed is very indicative of the health of a community,” Outreach Coordinator Betsy Helsel said. “It’s becoming more and more apparent that our water is finite as a resource. We need to make sure we’re recharging it, taking care of its quality.”
The kind of work this entails requires a base of active volunteers. Twenty years ago, watershed meetings drew 15 to 20 members. Now, they’re lucky to get half a dozen, Remick said.
Fortunately, a grant from the William Penn Foundation allowed the watershed to make two new hires: Helsel was brought on to coordinate projects on the suburban end and Nance Kerns organizes cleanups in Philadelphia.
Over the past year, Helsel has been working with Bensalem and Lower Southampton to assist with projects that support watershed goals.
For example, the watershed partnered with those municipalities to compile grant applications to retrofit stormwater basins that would allow for more infiltration. The idea is to create a greener infrastructure that would serve the watershed area.
Helsel also reached out to Bensalem School District, hoping to integrate environmental education in elementary schools centering around the watershed. Though nothing is confirmed yet, those discussions are going to increase in August.
The efforts are there, but the membership has not yet reached a level to make them as effective as possible.
The Friends of Poquessing Creek Watershed held its 25th anniversary celebration at Samuel Faust Elementary in Bensalem in June. The event was well-attended, but resulted in recruiting only one member.
“It was the first large community event we’ve had in years,” Helsel said. “We did that kind of to reintroduce ourselves.”
Members hope upcoming events, like an Aug. 8 cleanup and Aug. 16 birdwalk, both at Benjamin Rush State Park, can attract others to the cause.
“The energy is basically built by the people who created it and carried the membership, but that ebbs and flows,” Helsel said. “We’re going to start growing again.”
For more information or to join the Friends of Poquessing Creek Watershed, visit www.friendsofpoquessing.org or www.facebook.com/PoquessingWatershed?fref=ts.
