Protect Our Watershed Program
The Friends of the Wissahickon recognizes that flooding and excessive stormwater runoff are major problems that severely impact the health of the Wissahickon Creek and its tributaries. FOW's Protect Our Watershed (POW) Program is pursuing initiatives aimed at better understanding and resolving these problems.
Many of FOW's projects focus on alleviating the negative effects of stormwater runoff in Wissahickon Valley Park. FOW's Sustainable Trails Initiative (STI) and the installation in of a rain garden in front of Valley Green Inn in 2006 are important examples. These projects are critical, but essentially reactive. In 2005, FOW launched the POW Program as a proactive approach to curb flooding and water runoff problems. The POW Land Conservation and Stewardship Plan was approved by FOW's board.
The Strategy of POW
1) Prioritize parcels in the lower Wissahickon watershed for outreach and protection. Maps and photographs showing the location of these tracts or parcels are available for viewing.
2) Approach targeted landowners with information and technical assistance on how to improve their properties with riparian buffer and a specific emphasis on erosion and stormwater runoff.
3) Encourage conservation easements on high priority properties to protect the area's remaining open space from the impervious surfaces and habitat destruction that comes with developemnt. FOW and the Chestnut Hill Historical Society actively market their joint conservation easement program to landowners with properties located in critical areas. Since its inception in 1994, the program has created 35 easements preserving more than 70 acres of open space.
4) Leverage FOW's actions by partnering with other organizations chosen for their complementary missions, resources, and/or geographic coverage.
If you are interested in participating or learning more about this program, please contact the FOW office at 215-247-0417 or office@fow.org. You can also help by volunteering or making a donation.
