Exploring the Wissahickon’s evergreens!

When you think of a tree in the Wissahickon, you probably picture tall, deciduous trees like oak, tulip, or beech, branching out over a woodland trail. But in winter, you can also see a whole different and equally important group of trees in the park: the evergreens!

Explore the exciting world of evergreens in this week’s blog.

Help out your habitat

Help out the Wissahickon’s habitat by becoming a habitat monitor! You can get started observing on eBird and iNaturalist at our Habitat Monitoring page. Feeling up for a challenge? Try out a seasonal species scavenger hunt at Valley Green (inspired by our friends at TTF Watershed)!

We have a winter winner!

This past weekend, we held the #FOWSnowShow pop-up photo contest on Instagram – and you found a favorite!

This winning photo from Leo Quisumbing (@flowquacious on Instagram) is looking through the snowstorm at the mouth of the Wissahickon Creek as it enters the Schuylkill River. On either side, you can see the abutments of the 18th & 19th century bridge that carried Ridge Avenue over the creek.

Reminder: Don’t forget to follow FOW’s InstagramFacebookTwitter and YouTube channel for more Wissahickon content and information on what’s happening in the park!

Black History Month

February is Black History Month, and we hope you’ll join us this month in learning from and sharing the stories of the many people and organizations making a more equitable outdoors.

This week, we encourage you to check out some of the Black history in Philly’s parks and green spaces! Philadelphia Parks and Recreation has an interactive map of playgrounds and rec centers named after African American achievers, while Smith Memorial Playground in Fairmount Park is hosting an outdoor “Leaders and Legends” Black History Month exhibition on North Philadelphia’s inspirational Black leaders in arts, business, education, public service, and sports.

Pictured: Delores Mitchell Andy – first African American female commissioner of the Philadelphia Recreation Department, community activist, and strong supporter of youth!

Join our team!

We’re hiring! Friends of the Wissahickon (FOW) is seeking six (6) Seasonal Field Crew members to assist us in regular clean-ups and general stewardship of Wissahickon Valley Park during its highest use season. This position is also responsible for providing consistent, effective outreach with park visitors at our highest-use locations by sharing FOW’s mission and responsible park use principles.

The position’s time frame will be from from April to November, with a flexible end date. This job is primarily field-based and applicants should be comfortable with spending long periods of time outdoors in all-weather situations. Ideal candidates will have work & labor experience, are friendly and personable, can clearly communicate with the public, be highly motivated, and be able to successfully work as part of a team. Bilingual (English/Spanish) speakers preferred. The deadline to apply is March 20th.

Let’s be friends.

You love the Wissahickon. We do too! Support from friends and members allows us to advance our conservation mission, including improving trails, keeping the creek clean, and providing free educational programming to our park community.

FOW Events Updates 

See what’s happening in the park at fow.org/events/, including weekly volunteer cleanups and virtual programming!

Stay safe, mask up.

Make sure you wear a mask and follow social distancing to keep others safe. You can find up-to-date information on COVID-19 restrictions and closures here.

Reporting Park Damages

FOW relies on the public to report issues they observe in the park in order to address them in a timely manner. All emergency situations should be reported to 911 first and foremost, but to quickly and efficiently alert our staff to a non-emergency issue, park visitors can use our Report a Problem text system. Read about how to report damages here. 

Welcome to our new Friends of the Wissahickon!

Nancy Bellew
Carly Daniels
Sarah Davidson
Daniel Dolan
Dr. Elizabeth Margolskee
Angelo Soldatos

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40 W. Evergreen Avenue Suite 108, Philadelphia, PA 19118