May 2023 STREAMLINES:
News and Events from BWA
|
|
WATER WARRIORS IN TRAINING |
|
On Saturday, BWA hosted its annual Streamwatch training with keynote speaker, Darryl Speicher. Streamwatch is BWA's first and longest running program, enlisting the help of over 70 volunteers who are dedicated to monitoring the health of our streams. The data collected by volunteers provides a long-term snapshot of the health of our streams.
With almost 100 sites monitored throughout the watershed, Streamwatchers play a vital role in the mission and work of our organization and we're grateful for each and every one of our water warriors.
Check out our newest water warrior recruits below!
|
|
BWA TO EXPLORE SIXTEEN MILE RUN ON JUNE 17 |
|
On Saturday, June 17 at 6:30 PM, the Brodhead Watershed Association will be hiking Sixteen Mile Run with Darryl Speicher. This is an awesome opportunity to explore an area that in its regeneration, has created the perfect warbler nesting habitat which is now a place where birds like the cerulean and golden-winged warbler can thrive. Which in turn, makes for excellent bird watching experiences.
|
|
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT - SAVE THE DATES |
|
|
|
COMING - JUNE 2023
Nancy Hopping - Wildlife Photography
Where: The Gallery at BCHC
If you're taking a walk outside the Forevergreen Nature Preserve, make sure to stop inside the Brodhead Creek Heritage Center to view the photography of Nancy Hopping through the month of June. The Opening Reception will be Sunday, June 4th from 1:00-3:00 PM.
Click HERE to find out more.
|
|
|
|
Saturday, June 3rd, 8-9:30 PM
Full Moon Paddle with Kettle Creek Environmental Education Center
Where: Brady's Lake
Enjoy a unique and leisurely paddle around the remote Brady's Lake under the full moon and listen for animals that become active at night. Pre-registration is required. If equipment is needed, please reserve at time of registration.
Please call 570-629-3061 for more information.
|
|
Saturday, June 24 11:00 - 12:00 PM
Hike the Kurmes Nature Preserve
Where: Cresco, PA
Join the Stroud Region Open Space and Recreation Commission for a hike on Pocono Heritage Land Trust's Kurmes Nature Preserve. This is a refreshing, though slightly challenging, hiking loop of 2 miles. Registration is required.
Click HERE for more info and contact SROSRC at 570-426-1512 to register.
|
|
|
|
BWA Supports Municipal adoption of 150 Foot Buffers |
In accordance with Act 167 (PA Stormwater Management Act), BWA strongly encourages all Monroe County municipalities to adopt the ordinance as written, including the 150-foot buffer provisions for streams, wetlands, ponds/lakes & vernal pools.
The 150 foot buffer width is based upon decades of research. BWA believes that the buffer proposed in the ordinance will protect Monroe County’s pristine and abundant waters while providing the most efficient means for municipalities to meet their stormwater management obligations. Similar stormwater ordinances have protected Monroe County’s watersheds for decades without hindering population growth or economic development.
|
|
A New Name for a Local Creek |
If you drive along its banks, you won't find a sign that displays its name, but it can still be found on maps, including those released by the U.S. Geological Survey.
And so, BWA supports the local effort to change the names of Sambo Creek, Little Sambo Creek, and Sambo Lower Reservoir as community members seek to rename this tributary, doing away with the racially insensitive slur of "Sambo" - the name believed to date back to the early 1800's.
|
|
|
REPORT ON THE COUNTY CONSERVATION DISTRICT |
|
|
|
MCCD ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS PUBLIC WORKSHOP HELD
With Keynote Speaker John K. Jackson, Senior Research Scientist at the Stroud Water Research Center, discussed the science of buffers.
|
|
Stream buffers have become a topic of interest as municipalities reviewed and revised their stormwater ordinances to comply with the newly updated stormwater management plan, under Act 167, for the Brodhead, McMichael and Tobyhanna watersheds. The Act requires counties to develop watershed-based stormwater management plans that reflect the needs of the watershed and protect water quality and quantity.
MCCD staff organized the workshop to help elected officials, engineers and planners understand more about how managing stormwater, including through buffers, especially in headwater areas, can help curb flooding and preserve higher water quality.
|
|
MAY IS AMERICAN WETLANDS MONTH |
|
BWA Communications Specialist, Stephanie Uhranowsky writes:
Did you know that Pennsylvania has over 400,000 acres of wetlands across the state? And what better time than spring to remind ourselves what these amazing habitats have to offer - to wildlife and people alike.
Wetlands are a wonderland of biodiversity - supporting an array of wildlife - fish, amphibians, shellfish, insects, birds, and mammals - all of which rely on this habitat for food, water, and shelter, especially during migration and breeding season.
Some estimates state that over 50% of the wetlands in the United States have already been lost. Likewise, over half of all wetland habitat in Pennsylvania occurring historically has been filled. And the rate at which seasonal pools have been lost is likely even greater considering that these areas are often overlooked. Read more about vernal pool threats HERE.
That is why recognizing the undeniable importance of wetlands is more important than ever. Sadly, they don't often get the recognition they deserve. So let's celebrate these incredible habitats that support so many of our rare and threatened species, not just this month, but all year round.
|
|
|
|
PROTECTING CLEAN WATER TOGETHER |
|
COMMUNITY SOLAR
SAVES WATER
Huh? What does solar-generated electricity have to do with keeping drinking water clean and pure?
|
|
|
Other ways of generating electricity consume water in mind-boggling amounts. Using solar panels consumes no water, emits no pollution, and releases no greenhouse gases. And though solar has a one-time, upfront “pollution expense” when it’s manufactured, thereafter it provides decades of pollution-free, water-friendly electricity.
Like a lot of people in the Brodhead watershed, you may live in the woods with way too much shade to even think about solar, no matter how much it protects water and human life on earth. But what if shade-dwellers, renters, and anyone who can’t afford the upfront cost of installing solar could tap into a community array of solar panels? Community solar may be coming to Pennsylvania.
|
|
NATURE AT RISK: WHY BACKYARD POLLINATORS ARE ALL THE BUZZ |
|
Wild bees. Most are solitary. Females make a single nest in rotting wood, a dead-tree snag, the ground, even leaf litter or another creature’s abandoned nest.
Many solitary bees have very limited foraging range — 300 to 3,000 feet from their nest. That means they need food — flowers — from the earliest warm spring
mornings to the coldest fall afternoons.
Wild pollinators like solitary bees pollinate dozens of fruits and vegetables humans eat. They also pollinate wild plants like milkweed, huckleberries, crabapples, shadbush and redbuds — whose fruit other animals and birds eat.
It’s easy to give wild bees a helping hand. Find out how HERE.
|
|
THERE'S STILL TIME TO BUY! |
|
We talked about supporting local pollinators above.
Here's one way that you can:
PLANT NATIVE!
|
|
The Delaware River Sojourn is a truly unique experience that is JAM-PACKED with adventure on and out of the water! Picture it: paddling, camping, fun, food, friends, history, science, and wildlife. What's not to love?
Participants can sign up for the entire trip or for the day(s) of their choice. For BWA members, the key dates for nearby paddling and festivities are:
Tuesday, June 20 – Dingmans, PA to Bushkill, PA
Wednesday, June 21 – Minisink Park, Brodhead Creek, PA to Driftstone
Thursday, June 22 –Driftstone to Talen's Boat Launch (Martin's Creek)
|
|
Kayakers landing below the Portland Bridge in 2022 |
|
|
|
BWA's Get Outdoors Pocono's Series is supported by a grant from the William Penn Foundation.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
