WATERSHED PROTECTION

Watershed Protection understands, improves, and maintains water quality in the Ridley, Crum, and Darby Creek headwaters and beyond through: scientific research, science informed restoration, education, and outreach.

Watershed Protection (WP) works with partner organizations, landowners, and the broader community to raise awareness of threats to water quality in the headwaters of the Ridley, Crum, and Darby Creeks, with the long-term goal of improving water quality in our region and for our downstream neighbors.

Goal 1

Continue our long-term, high frequency water quality monitoring, with a goal of improving water conditions for all downstream users, human or otherwise. Continued monitoring will also help measure the impact of restoration and best management practices (BMPs). Data collected by the Watershed Protection team as well as community science volunteers will be used in an effort to inform all other goals.

Goal 2

Pursue restoration projects identified through scientific assessment in an effort to improve water quality of the program area. Restoration priorities will continue to be identified based on water quality data collected, and will be implemented through partnerships with other watershed groups, municipalities, and landowners.

Goal3

Continue to educate with a scientific aim (i.e. training the next generation of watershed scientists through the ANS/Drexel co-op program, training community scientists to collect and share data, etc.). This goal will focus on the training and apprenticeship of college and university students as well as recruiting and engaging community science volunteers through the Darby Creek Community Science Monitoring Program.

Educate and build community (i.e. general education events focused on watershed literacy, youth education, webinars, general stream walks, etc.) to improve scientific and watershed literacy for all ages, and engage with stream-side landowners, municipalities, neighborhoods and youth. In coordination with the Land Protection and Land Stewardship Departments, work to incorporate watershed-specific BMPs into easement relationships and recommendations.

Pursue diverse grant opportunities, including foundation, state, and federal grants, as well as setting fundraising goals to support the ongoing work of the WP. WP staff will work to identify additional resources to support both current operations and future restoration projects. In coordination with the Development Department, WP will investigate the possibility of establishing an endowment fund to support the continued success of the department.