Please Visit the County’s Web Page :
Delaware County Government Center
*****************************************************************************************
News Release : 3/15/2013: Free Backyard Buffers & Rain Barrel Making Workshop
The Pennsylvania Resources Council and the Darby Creek Valley Association presents ” Backyard Buffers & Rain Barrel making;” a free, interactive presentation to inform residents on water conservation and stormwater management practices to help protect the Darby Creek. You can register online by visiting www.prc.org
Click here to view workshop flyer
New Release 3/30/2011 : A total of 10 workshops have been scheduled across Delaware County with Grant funding provided by PA. DEP’s Environmental Education Grant Program. The workshops are a cooperative effort between Pennsylvania Resources Council, Inc. and the Delaware County Conservation District. For additional information on locations, dates, and content please follow the links provided below.
Bringing Green Energy Home Workshop Announcement Flyer : Workshop Flyer
To register for one of these workshops please click on this link : Registration
We All Live Downstream Workshop Announcement Flyer : Workshop Flyer
To register for one of these workshops please click on this link : Registration
10/25/2010 Smedley Park – Riparian Buffer Planting
Delaware County Completes Streamside Buffer Planting Project along Crum Creek in Smedley Park through “TreeVitalize Watersheds” Partnership
Delaware County’s Conservation District, Parks and Recreation Department and Community Corrections Department joined community volunteers in planting 192 native trees and shrubs as part of a three-day TreeVitalize Watersheds project along the Crum Creek in Smedley Park. The project is designed to improve water quality, restore tree canopy and enhance wildlife habitat along the Crum Creek through the planting and establishment of a one-acre streamside (or “riparian”) buffer throughout various portions of the park. The project was completed on Saturday, October 23rd.
The Delaware County Conservation District, in partnership with the County Department of Parks and Recreation, organized the project. Several community organizations, including the Chester Ridley Crum Watersheds Association, Penn State Master Gardeners, Haverford High School’s “Aware” program and Strath Haven High School’s “Green Haven” program provided needed volunteer assistance with watering and placing protective wire deer fencing around the newly planted and mulched material.
Funding for the project was provided by Aqua Pennsylvania, through the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s TreeVitalize Watersheds program. Aqua Pennsylvania’s Lower Crum Reservoir is located within the Crum Creek watershed, and supplies drinking water for approximately 200,000 Delaware County residents. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection also provides funding toward the TreeVitalize program, in which the program’s goal is restore tree canopy throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Upon completion of the project, signage will be installed on site to explain and illustrate the multiple benefits of riparian buffers. These benefits include but are not limited to reduced erosion, improved water and air quality, enhanced aquatic and wildlife habitat, improved aesthetics and enhanced recreational opportunities. The Department of Parks and Recreation will also implement a “less frequent mowing” strategy within these newly created buffer areas, in order to filter sediment and further protect water quality.
Smedley Park is named after Samuel Smedley, the founder of the County Parks and Recreation Board. Two years ago, the park was expanded to include picnic, sports, playground and hiking areas. The park is comprised of 120 acres in Springfield and Nether Providence Townships.
Trish Cofiell, Del. Co. Communications Officer (610)891-4943
Delaware County Brings Green Energy Practices “Home”
County’s Conservation District Offers Free Energy Conservation Workshops
Delaware County residents can learn how to save energy and conserve water through a series of free workshops being offered through the Delaware County Conservation District.
The Delaware County Conservation District is partnering with the Pennsylvania Resources Council (PRC) to offer a series of free, educational workshops aimed at helping residents establish environmentally friendly practices in the home and work place.
The workshops, titled “Bringing Green Energy Home” and “We All Live Downstream,” are funded through two grants from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s Education Grants Program. The first series of workshops on “Bringing Green Energy Home” will take place this fall, starting on Sept. 16. The second series, titled “We All Live Downstream,” will be scheduled in spring 2011. For information about either program, residents can call the Delaware County Conservation District at (610) 892-9484 or visit www.delcocd.org.
The Conservation District is a service of County government that advocates for natural resource protection and conservation. The Pennsylvania Resource Council’s mission is to promote individual and collection actions to preserve Pennsylvania’s environmental resources.
“These programs provide residents with useful information on alternative energy technologies and water conservation techniques they can do in their homes or offices to save money and energy, and to protect our environment,” said County Council Vice Chairman Christine Fizzano Cannon. “I encourage our residents to take advantage of these free workshops.”
“Bringing Green Energy Home”
The “Bringing Green Energy Home” series aims to educate homeowners and renters on alternative energy technologies, which include compact fluorescent light bulbs, solar-powered water heaters, hybrid vehicles and more. There will be six workshops this September through December and four additional workshops in the spring. All workshops are 7-8:30 p.m.
The fall “Bringing Green Energy Home” workshops are scheduled for: Thursday, Sept. 16 at the 20th Century Club, 84 S. Lansdowne Ave., Lansdowne; Wednesday, Oct. 6, at the Pennsylvania Resources Council, 3606 Providence Road, Newtown Square; Monday, Oct.18 at Watkins Senior Center, 326 Watkins Ave., Upper Darby; Tuesday, Nov. 9, at Chester City Hall, 1 Fourth St., Chester; Thursday, Dec. 2, at Morton Borough Hall, Sycamore and Highland avenues, Morton; and Tuesday, Dec. 14, at the Pennsylvania Resources Council.
During the program, the Pennsylvania Resource Council’s trained environmental educators will present 90-minute multimedia and interactive presentations discussing all aspects of energy use in the home. Both traditional and non-traditional household energy conservation methods will be discussed.
This workshop will benefit homeowners as well as business owners and landlords.
Residents can learn about Energy Star appliances, insulation, low-e windows, and computerized regulation of thermostats and lighting. Environmental educators will be available to answer questions after every workshop.
Up to 80 participants per workshop will return home with a complimentary compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL,) and course materials to help establish energy conservation efforts. One lucky participant per workshop will also win a home energy audit worth $250. To Register for this workshop please click on the following link : (REGISTRATION LINK)
“We All Live Downstream”
The series of five “We All Live Downstream” workshops will be conducted through the spring and summer of 2011. Workshop dates and locations will be announced in the future.
“We All Live Downstream” will combine multimedia, interactive presentations to inform residents on water conservation and storm water management practices for households, businesses and municipalities.
Residents will learn about conserving water in the home, environmentally friendly auto care, sump pump drainage retrofits and proper function of storm water management basins. The series will also discuss the benefits of native landscaping for water conservation, rain gardens and rain barrels.
* Residents can register for the “Bringing Green Energy Home” and “We All Live Downstream” workshops online by visiting www.delcocd.org or www.prc.org. People can also call the Delaware County Conservation District at (610) 892-9484. Online registration is preferred. Registration for “We All Live Downstream” will open in 2011.
*******************************************************************************************************************
“Healing the Watershed” Storm Water Management Workshop for Delaware County Homeowners Successfully Completed
The Delaware County Conservation District recently partnered with the Pennsylvania Resources Council to conduct a series of four “Healing the Watershed” storm water management workshop for Delaware County homeowners. The workshops were designed to educate residents on various storm water management practices (including but not limited to rain barrels and rain gardens) that can be implemented around the home to conserve water, reduce storm water runoff and improve water quality.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s Environmental Education Grants Program provided funding for the project. Established by the Pennsylvania Environmental Education Act of 1993, the program allows school districts, private schools, nonprofit groups and county conservation districts to apply for funding to develop new or expand current environmental education programming.
Workshops were conducted during Spring 2010 at Pennsylvania Resources Council in Newtown Square (March 9th), Brookhaven Borough Municipal Building (April 12th), Watkins Senior Center in Upper Darby (May 3rd) and Springfield Township Municipal Building (June 7th). A total of one hundred twenty one (121) Delaware County residents attended the workshops. The Press Release for this Workshop Series can be viewed at (Link to Press Release).
During each workshop, Delaware County Conservation District and Pennsylvania Resources Council staff provided background information regarding the various water quality issues facing Delaware County’s watersheds. Program presenters explained how current land uses and land management practices directly affect storm water runoff and water quality. Presenters also introduced workshop attendees to various storm water management practices (particularly rain barrels and rain gardens), explaining how to install and maintain these cost effective systems to achieve water conservation and water quality improvement benefits.
As an incentive to promote workshop attendance, the first twenty registrants for each workshop received a free 60-gallon rain barrel. Altogether, a total of 80 rain barrels were distributed to Delaware County residents as part of the workshop series.
In addition to the information provided during each workshop, each attendee went home with several brochures, fact sheets and other printed resources. The additional information will help enable residents to successfully implement the various practices explained during the workshop.
Workshop attendees were asked to complete and submit a Workshop Evaluation Form upon the conclusion of each workshop. Workshop evaluation results are currently being used to design future environmental educational workshops, and can be viewed by clicking (Link to Summary of Evaluations).
The Delaware County Conservation District and Pennsylvania Resources Council have also recently sent out a follow-up survey to the eighty rain barrel recipients, in order to determine the number of rain barrels that have been installed to date as a result of this project. The follow-up survey will also provide a means of receiving additional feedback regarding the program.
The Delaware County Conservation District and Pennsylvania Resources Council would like to thank the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the above-listed municipalities and participating workshop attendees for helping
Brian J. Vadino, Watershed Specialist