NOVEMBER 2021
STREAMLINES: News and events from BWA
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Nov. 20: Get to know hidden Pocono Creek at Rail Gap |
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Come explore Rail Gap Pocono Creek Preserve near Bartonsville with a Brodhead Watershed Association guided hike on Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021.
This 61-acre preserve is valuable: not just to people — for fishing, gorgeous views, and peace – but especially to the health of this stretch of Pocono Creek and its Class A Wild Trout Waters.
Pocono Heritage Land Trust, which manages this preserve, is planning more trails for the far side of the creek. Get acquainted with this preserve now, on a leisurely exploration of less than a mile, with Darryl Speicher, naturalist and birder extraordinaire — and look forward to more to come!
WHEN: 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, November 20, 2021
COST: Free
WHERE: Directions will be provided to registrants.
REGISTER: Registration is required and limited to 20 participants. To register, click here.
FOR INFORMATION about this and other events in the free Get Outdoors Poconos series, click here. The series is administered by Brodhead Watershed Association and supported by a grant from the William Penn Foundation.
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How to put this amendment to work for water |
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BWA member Mark Lichty, producer of the film “Pennsylvania: A Fractured State,” wants you to know that the Environmental Rights Amendment (ERA) gives Pennsylvanians the constitutional right to pure water and clean air.
“Beginning with the Supreme Court’s landmark Robinson Township decision, the ERA’s power to protect Pennsylvania citizens is bearing fruit,” said Lichty. “Below are some examples, everything from stopping a development to denying power line approval that adversely effects our cherished environment. There are more examples on the website www.forthegenerations.org.
“First, we need all citizens to know of the ERA, and then they need to deploy it. If any of you are interested, I am happy to host a Zoom call about the film and how to use the ERA.” (Contact BWA’s office at info@brodheadwatershed.org if you would like to be put in contact with Lichty.)
ERA cases to note:
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MCCD helping revamp stormwater management plans
Monroe County Conservation District continues working on revisions to the county’s stormwater management plans. Improvements will be even more necessary going forward, given rising adverse impacts from storm events.
Head Resource Conservationist Lori Kerrigan spoke at the district board’s Oct. 21 meeting about staff and community discussions over updates to the Brodhead-McMichael Stormwater Management Plan and the Tobyhanna Creek plan. BWA and Toby-Tunk watershed groups and municipal officials have taken part in the talks.
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Express your environmental consciousness while looking good! BWA has opened an apparel shop online – a special way to support BWA’s clean water mission. Click the button to see our shirts, hoodies and tank tops in a variety of colors and styles, for adults and children. |
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This giving season, leave a legacy of clean, abundant water
Your support during this end-of-year giving season can help ensure that BWA's important work continues now and into the future. We are grateful for your continued support!
Other ways to give: Consider a legacy gift to BWA in your will or living trust. This is a significant way in which you can protect the clean water resources in the Brodhead watershed for future generations. Large or small, these gifts are vital to BWA’s success and will help to preserve clean and abundant water in the watershed through science-based education, outreach, data collection and advocacy. Learn more here!
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Trees can be invasive, too
As you’re raking the last leaves of fall, chances are you are gathering up some of the prolific Norway maple (Acer platantoides).
Not as colorful as our beautiful native sugar maple, Norway maple has escaped from its early use on this continent as an easy-to-grow tree for cities. Like so many plants that have become invasive, the Norway maple was brought here on purpose — John Bartram of Philadelphia imported seedlings from London in 1756.
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Approximately 20 fungus fans accompanied mushroom expert Lee Schuler on BWA’s Mystery Mushroom Tour at Jacobsburg State Park in Nazareth. The Sunday, Nov. 7, event was an enjoyable, educational experience for all, and the weather cooperated, too! BWA is grateful to Lee for her time and expertise while guiding the group.
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BWA welcomes new members this month: Karen Chase of Buck Hill Falls, Wendy & Tom LeDuc of East Stroudsburg
Perennial Club is a time-saving way to keep your membership current through automatic, online donations. For information, click here.
We thank the following members for recently renewing their Environmental Partnerships: Barley Creek Brewing Company, Mark Dodel & Patricia Rylko, John Prevoznik. For information on the Environmental Partnership Program, click here.
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HELP OUT AT FIELDSTONE FARM THIS SATURDAY: Our friends at Pocono Heritage Land Trust could use some help this weekend. Join them at 9 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 13, for a volunteer workday at Fieldstone Farm Nature Preserve, Coolbaugh Township. Volunteers will continue to push back against woody invasive species at this photogenic preserve.
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To register to help on Saturday, click here.
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For more information about Fieldstone Farm Preserve, click here.
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FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR |
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Alex Jackson
BWA executive director
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Wrapping up fall, readying for winter |
Our watershed was visually stunning this fall. The oaks recently turned our hillsides scarlet, tan, brown, and yellow – the last of the fall colors.
For some of our favorite creek critters, such as stoneflys, these fall leaves are an important source of food. When a big wind sweeps leaves into our creeks, it’s their time to eat.
Our local brook trout have successfully reproduced – in a few months, eggs will hatch as "fry."
Hidden away in our fragile, imperiled wetlands, endangered species such as the bog turtle nestle in the sphagnum moss. Porcupine and skunks try to find cavities to protect them from the elements. Our beloved creek trees and shrubs, such as witherod viburnum and tulip poplar, are hurriedly sending food down to their roots.
Want to see and learn more about winter in our watershed? Join us later this month at Rail Gap Pocono Creek Preserve, and then watch for a scenic vista event at Mount Wismer in December – details to come!
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