Celebrating 90 Years—Countless Friends PRESERVING THE NATURAL BEAUTY AND WILDNESS OF THE WISSAHICKON VALLEY FOR NINETY YEARS. WINTER 2014 • VOLUME 23 • NUMBER 4 More photos from FOW’s th 90 Anniversary Gala inside! A MESSAGE from the D IRECTOR 8708 Germantown Avenue his fall, the Friends of the Wissahickon hosted a Gala Philadelphia, PA 19118-2717 Celebration with our friends and supporters at Valley Green Phone: (215) 247-0417 TInn to mark our 90th Anniversary. (See p. 8.) The gala was an E-mail: [email protected] enjoyable way to highlight the many improvements FOW and our Website: www.fow.org partners made to the Inn throughout the year. It was also a fitting end to a year of special events and projects intended to highlight The mission of the Friends of the Wissahickon and celebrate our long-standing relationship with the community as is to preserve the natural beauty and stewards of Wissahickon Valley Park. wildness of the Wissahickon Valley and stimulate public interest therein. In the spring we organized a bird walk and a run on Forbidden Drive that drew 215 park users, and in the OFFICERS summer we hosted a Family Picnic in Roxborough’s Pachella Will Whetzel, President Field. Throughout the year we continued to hold workdays Liz Werthan, Vice President, Advocacy in the park, at which volunteers donated their time and Heidi Grunwald, Vice President, Finance labor to trail maintenance, trash removal, and habitat Robert Harries, Vice President, Governance restoration. Since 2011, over 5,100 volunteer hours have Jeff Harbison, Treasurer been devoted to the Andorra Natural Area alone, where Liz Werthan, Secretary past PRESIDENTS Cindy Affleck Charles Dilks Robert A. Lukens David Pope In the coming year, park visitors will see FOW’s logo in more John Rollins Edward C. Stainton places throughout the park and may notice us talking about Robert Vance our organization in new ways. These actions are part of a Board MEMBERS Christine Bamberger Courtney Kapp new marketing strategy we will begin implementing in 2015. Melen Boothby John Kelly Richard P. Brown, Jr. Martha Kennedy Stephanie Craighead Richard Kremnick Emily Daeschler Charles Lee, Jr. David Dannenberg Jerome Maddox FOW has been working to renovate the Tree House (home of the Wissahickon Environmental Sam Finney Chris McCausland Center), install a composting toilet, and restore the trail system. You can learn more about this Shirley Gracie John Meigs project, which is close to completion, on p. 4. Heidi Grunwald David Pope In the coming year, park visitors will see FOW’s logo in more places throughout the park Jeff Harbison Chris Rabb and may notice us talking about our organization in new ways. These actions are part of a Robert Harries Jean Sachs new marketing strategy we will begin implementing in 2015. The Friends of the Wissahickon is David Hilton Liz Werthan committed to expanding our base of community support so we can meet the future needs of Bettina Hoerlin Patricia R. West Wissahickon Valley Park and its visitors. To accomplish this goal, FOW will need more members to Louise Johnston Will Whetzel help support our advocacy positions and more revenue to fund our project work. STAFF In 2015 we will need both membership and advocate support to move forward on repairing Maura McCarthy, Executive Director several trail collapses along Forbidden Drive. This project crosses the boundaries between park Ruffian Tittmann, Development Director infrastructure and water quality, and is essential to the health of the park as a whole. As a critical Audrey Simpson, Business Manager corridor for the Wissahickon Valley, the Schuylkill River Trail, and other regional trail networks, Denise Larrabee, Publications Editor Forbidden Drive must remain stable and reliable now and into the future. Zane Magnuson, Development/Operations Coordinator The Friends of the Wissahickon looks forward Sarah Marley, Outreach Manager to the coming year and continuing the legacy Henry Stroud, Project Manager we celebrated throughout 2014 by working with Thanks to the Erin Mooney, Publicist you to repair Forbidden Drive and complete John Holback, Volunteer Coordinator other projects necessary to the preservation of Gala Volunteers! Wissahickon Valley Park. As you make your New Newsletter Year’s resolutions, we hope you will consider Denise Larrabee, Editor becoming a member of FOW, volunteering with Dena Sher, Associate Editor us in the park, or joining us at one of our many Sarah West, Listings Editor Moon Design, Layout outreach events—or perhaps doing all three! Published by Princeton Packet, Princeton, NJ Printed on recycled paper. United Way Donations Maura McCarthy The Friends of the Wissahickon can receive membership/donations through the United Way. Executive Director Our United Way number is 9882. If this is the most Trail Ambassadors Cathy Schweiger and Kathy Conklin convenient way for you to give, please do so. Visit our Cover photos by Emily Southerton assemble votive candles for FOW’s 90th Anniversary website (www.fow.org) to learn about the benefits of Gala. See more photos from the event starting on p. 8! membership in the Friends of the Wissahickon. 2 Friends of the Wissahickon • Winter 2014 NEWSBRIEFS Incredible Running Route Become a in the Wissahickon Crew Leader for FOW! Greatest.com chose Forbidden Drive as one Do you want to learn more about FOW’s of “15 Incredible Running Routes That Only a work and what goes on behind the scenes Local Would Know.” The healthy living website when planning projects in the Wissahickon? observed that the trail is more crowded on FOW’s Crew Leader training program will teach weekends and during weekday rush hours you all about the work FOW does as well (no surprise) and noted the tree canopy that as provide you with valuable leadership and protects runners from the sun. The article also technical skills. Volunteer Crew Leaders enable pointed out some safety guidelines very similar FOW to do more skilled work throughout Lesley Seitchik of Valley Green Bank, Frank Niepold, and to FOW’s: stay aware of your surroundings; the Wissahickon, and by joining FOW’s Crew FOW President Will Whetzel run without headphones; and run with a Leader program, you will develop relationships buddy. See p. 14 for more on safety in the with your fellow volunteers as well as FOW Wissahickon. Impact of Climate Change and Philadelphia Parks & Recreation staff. New READ MORE: http://greatist. Crew Leader classes are being planned for Explored at Valley Talks com/move/best-running- 2015 and spaces are limited. Visit www.fow.org/ Frank Niepold presented an overview of The routes-america# volunteering/crew-leaders to learn more about National Climate Assessment at a Valley Talk on the program and what our crew leaders have September 16 at Valley Green Inn. The assessment is accomplished so far! Contact Outreach Manager the most comprehensive report to date; it presents FOW Awarded Grant for Sarah Marley at [email protected] for more extensive evidence and covers climate change impacts information and to apply. on various regions and sectors, as well as adaptation Forbidden Drive Repairs and mitigation. Niepold’s presentation focused on FOW has received a grant of $93,500 from findings related to the Northeast. He is the Climate the PA-Department of Conservation and Natural Education Coordinator at the National Oceanic and Resources to fund the rehabilitation of Forbidden Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Program Office and Drive adjacent to Mount Airy Avenue along the a co-chair of the U.S. Global Change Research Program’s Wissahickon Creek. These funds will be used in Communications and Education Interagency Working tandem with last year’s DCED/Commonwealth Group. Valley Talks are sponsored by Valley Green Bank. Financing Authority to complete the restoration of one of several collapsed sections of streambank along Forbidden Drive. Matching funds are Park Users $upport FOW needed. To make a donation, contact Ruffian Two park user groups held fundraisers this fall, Tittmann, Development Director, at tittmann@fow. raising over $2,700 for FOW’s stewardship of the org or 215-247-0417 ext 102. Wissahickon. On November 15, the Philadelphia Chapter of the Pennsylvania Equine Council held a Happy Trails Ride to benefit FOW and raised $2,248 (as of 11/30/14). Cliff Sharpe from the Old School Trail Run organized Wissahickon Celebrates an awesome race through Wissahickon Valley Park on 50 Years as National Aaron Chute from Tahawus Trails leading a October 5 to raise money for the Challenged Athletes Crew Leader workshop attended by Ron Kanter Foundation, with additional proceeds going to FOW. and FOW Volunteer Coordinator John Holback. Natural Landmark Their donation to FOW totaled $525. This year marks the 50th Anniversary of the Wissahickon Valley’s designation as a National Natural Landmark (formerly known FOW and Woodmere as Registered Natural History Team Up for Landmarks). Wissahickon Art The Valley was given this designation in March Strangely enough, it was a deceased early- 1964 through the efforts of then FOW President twentieth-century artist who brought FOW and Judge Harold D. Saylor. It was made official in the Woodmere Art Museum together for the first May 1966 when a bronze plaque welded into a time with joint programming this fall. The late six-ton slab of stone was placed along the creek artist Walter Schofield (1867-1944) is featured outside Valley Green Inn, where it remains today. in an exhibit at the Woodmere, Schofield: The designation recognizes the unique role the International Impressionist, that runs through Wissahickon plays in the natural history of the January 25, 2015. The artist is best known Unites States. for his English landscapes, but also painted READ MORE: FOW Newsletter, numerous scenes of Wissahickon Valley Park Fall 2004, at http://www.fow.