Environmental Stewardship Fund (ESF) investments have made the Lititz Run Watershed Alliance (LRWA) a catalyst for change in the community. In 1999 LRWA was awarded its first ESF grant to conduct a riparian buffer establishment project on a tributary stream to Lititz Run. The Wynfield project was situated on the Santo Domingo Creek tributary and […]
Raising Rainbow Trout in Treated Mine Drainage
At one time there were over 100 mine discharges in the Toby Creek watershed. Thanks to the persistent efforts of the Toby Creek Watershed Association, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and the federal Office of Surface Mining, almost all of the discharges are controlled. Members of the Toby Creek Watershed Association began cleaning up […]
Pleasant Hill Park
Pleasant Hill Park is a three-acre park and public boat launch situated on the Delaware River in the East Torresdale neighborhood of Northeast Philadelphia. There were once a variety of problems plaguing the park. Neighbors and city residents had no access to the river for casual walking and viewing. The design was not friendly to […]
Pittsburgh’s North Shore Riverfront Park
The North Shore Riverfront Park project involved the complete redesign and rehabilitation of a 67,00-foot segment of linear park and trail facilities along the north shore of the Allegheny and Ohio rivers in downtown Pittsburgh. The area was initially designed and developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as a passive linear park to […]
Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust Preserves 37 Acres
The Pennypack Preserve encompasses 771 acres and is the second-largest privately-owned natural area open to the public in Montgomery County. In 2010, the Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust (PERT), which manages the preserve, acquired an additional 37 acres in a deal that involved private, state, county, borough, and township resources. This complex acquisition was made possible […]
Protecting Unami Creek
The boulder-strewn Upper Unami Creek area is place of incredible natural beauty. Natural Lands is working to permanently protect more acres of this rugged, unique wilderness. An important victory was the conservation of five contiguous parcels owned by George and Patricia Kaufman, committed partners in the effort to expand the protected area. The agreement between […]
Saving Paradise Farm
An Environmental Stewardship Fund grant from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) enabled Natural Lands, in partnership with East Bradford Township, to purchase a conservation easement on 360 acres of the 580-acre Paradise Farm Property in Chester County. Protection of this property was a win–win for all parties. The parcel ranked highly on […]
Protecting Brandywine Creek
In 2010, the Brandywine Conservancy received an Environmental Stewardship Fund grant for a multi-site restoration effort in the Brandywine Creek watershed. The restoration consisted of three demonstration projects in the watershed’s urban, suburban, and headwater portions. The goal of the demonstrations was to leverage the Conservancy’s existing visibility and inspire similar projects on private and […]
Treating Acid Mine Drainage in the Montour Run Watershed
The Montour Run Watershed Association (MRWA) protects and remediates the 37-square-mile Montour Run watershed in western Allegheny County. In coordination with citizens’ groups, businesses, local governmental agencies, elected officials, and the general public, the group works to improve water quality. Over the course of its existence, MRWA has successfully conducted watershed assessments, public outreach and […]
Cynwyd Heritage Trail
A Growing Greener II grant allowed Lower Merion Township to continue development of the Cynwyd Heritage Trail in Montgomery County. Eventually the trail will link to the increasingly popular Schuylkill River Trail and allow direct access to Valley Forge Park, the Perkiomen Trail, and downtown Philadelphia. The grant was awarded by the Department of Conservation […]
