Section 5. Looking Out For the Watershed – Who is Involved?
PARTNERSHIPS
Partnerships are the key to restoring and improving the Schuylkill watershed.
Such collaborations are especially important because of the watershed’s
size, its many diverse communities, and a strong Pennsylvania tradition that
favors community decision-making and action rather than top-down government
control. While often very effective, local initiatives do not always have
sufficient resources or scope to make a difference to the larger watershed.
The many collaborative working relationships among government and nonprofits are especially important. Some are informal, intended primarily for information sharing; others are the only means for successfully implementing state and federal programs. Activities such as watershed conservation planning and major greenway projects, require a critical mass of participants who can bring the technical expertise, funding and public support needed to support large-scale endeavors.
How and when are partnerships created? They occur under many different circumstances in which needs or opportunities cannot be addressed by one government agency, municipality or nonprofit organization. Which ones work best and are most important to the Schuylkill? That question is difficult to answer because so many are effectively performing different functions. Therefore, we offer only a sampling of some of the diverse partnerships mentioned in this report.
As this list reveals, many partnerships are operating throughout the watershed with different purposes. However, there is no effort to coordinate activities on a watershed-wide scale. Watershed management could be one way to strengthen and expand conservation activities throughout the watershed.
Smart Conservation
A
program to identify, evaluate and prioritize landscape resources, developed
by Natural Lands Trust in partnership with other conservation leaders in the
region, including the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, The Nature
Conservancy, the University of Pennsylvania, PA DCNR, U.S. EPA and others.
Wissahickon
Partnership
A forum for ongoing dialogue on water quality issues in the Wissahickon watershed,
involving the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association, the Philadelphia Water
Department, a number of municipalities and several corporations.
Upper Schuylkill
Tributaries Assessment
An assessment of major acid mine drainage sources and strategies to improve
water quality, involving the Schuylkill Conservation District, the Eastern
Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation, Schuylkill Headwaters
Association, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network’s Schuylkill office and
others.
Montgomery
County’s Schuylkill Greenway Plan
A plan, proposing a greenway that will connect communities along the Schuylkill
River, developed in 2000 by Montgomery County in association with 16 municipalities
and PA DCNR.
Schuylkill
Heritage Corridor
A program to both protect the Schuylkill’s cultural and natural heritage
and to promote heritage-based economic development, led by the Schuylkill
Greenway Association in collaboration with Pennsylvania Department of Conservation
and Natural Resources, other state agencies and many nonprofit organizations.
GreernSpace
Alliance
A program to create a system of protected open space in the greater Philadelphia
metropolitan region, led by the Pennsylvania Environmental Council in collaboration
with other nonprofit organizations, and state and federal agencies.
Master Plan
for the Tidal Schuylkill
A master planning initiative involving a 26 person task force from government,
nonprofit and corporate sectors, led by the Schuylkill Development Council,
with foundation and state funding from PA DCNR and others.
Schuylkill
Source Water Assessment Partnership
An assessment of sources of contamination to local water supplies within the
Schuylkill, and development of source water protection strategies, led by
the Philadelphia Water Department and other water suppliers, in collaboration
with Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and nonprofit watershed
organizations.
John Potts
County Park
Creation of the new John Potts County Park along the Schuylkill led by a coalition
that includes the Tri County Chamber of Commerce, Pottstown Industrial Development
Corporation, the Pottstown Downtown Improvement District Authority, Preservation
Pottstown and others.
Partners for
Land Preservation
A coalition of nonprofit organizations concerned about the preservation of
open land and natural resources in Montgomery County, established by the Montgomery
County Lands Trust. The partnership seeks to improve communication and coordination
of activities of its members.
Senior Environmental
Corps Water Monitoring
A water monitoring database for collecting and using information from thousands
of citizen volunteer monitors around the Commonwealth, managed by the Environmental
Alliance for Senior Involvement, the PA Department of Aging and the PA Department
of Environmental Protection.
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