Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy Honors Local Environmental Efforts

Crystal Gilchrist submitted the following information:

Throughout the Perkiomen Valley, there are regular folks whose impressive accomplishments in support of our local environment are worthy of recognition.  is proud to announce the 2011 Environmental Award winners who will receive their awards October 19, 2011 at the PWC’s 2011 annual banquet at the Indian Valley Country Club in Telford. Premier sponsors for the 2011 Environmental Awards banquet are First Niagara Bank and Exelon Nuclear Limerick Generating Station.

Corporate Award:            The H&K Group

The H&K Group, based in Skippack, has been supporting the PWC in ways that result in great savings to the organization. Support from the H&K print shop has been instrumental in allowing the PWC to continue its important outreach efforts as economic challenges increased over the last few years.  In addition, the H&K Group has provided gravel for our parking area, emergency snow plowing and assistance with our garage reconfiguration. The H&K Group has also been instrumental in helping the PWC achieve its Stream Clean-up goals by recycling many of the tires that are retrieved from the Perkiomen watershed each year and by providing vehicles for waste removal. In addition, the H&K Group has been re-using and recycling construction materials to minimize land fill disposals.

Land Use Award               Phil Smith                          

Phil Smith is a Lower Frederick resident who has been a driving force behind the establishment of the Stone Hill Greenway and has been working in coordination with the Audubon Society and Natural Lands Trust to ensure its preservation forever.  Phil also helps maintain the trails at the Eva Meng Preserve, the premier Audubon property at the center of the Greenway. Phil is involved at the municipal level as a member of the Lower Frederick Township Planning Commission and Open Space Committee. In those roles he brings to bear a firm understanding of the importance of wise land use decisions as they pertain to open space and water resources. Phil’s quiet determination is the secret to his success!

Friend of the Watershed             Tammy Griggs  

Great volunteers are an invaluable resource! Tammy Griggs of Limerick, PA is one of those amazing people. She has been assisting the PWC for nearly a decade as a member of the Environmental Education committee and has recently become the principle administrator of our membership records. Tammy’s attention to detail and dedication have helped us regain control over an unwieldy database! She understands that the day to day administration tasks are just as important as the PWC’s classes and project work and that it can easily get overlooked. We are very grateful to Tammy for sharing her organizational skills and for helping keep the PWC organized and on track.  

Advocate for the Watershed      Boy Scout Troop 119      

The energy and enthusiasm of kids is hard to beat! Boy Scout Troop 119 from Schwenksville, PA has shown that they have lots of both when it comes to helping achieve the PWC’s mission. The Troop is a regular crew for the annual Stream Clean-Up where they are given a tough site because they do such a great job! They have also been a work force of merit on the Unami Creek in the battle against the European water chestnut. Eradication of the water chestnut is not a glamorous Watershed Warrior volunteer project and can be a little bit grueling. Yet they come out in force and never turn back.  Much of the PWC’s mission depends on volunteers and the energy they bring to each task. These scouts will surely be involved citizens and are to be commended for their efforts on behalf of the Perkiomen watershed.

Teaching Excellence                       Link Davis                            Schwenksville, PA

Most of us have experienced one teacher whose enthusiasm and dedication to the art of education carried us into a new world of interesting and often, life changing, knowledge. Link Davis of Schwenksville, PA is one of those educators. His enthusiasm and knowledge of local wildflowers is simply stunning and his engaging nature makes the world of tiny wildflowers big and bold. Link has been leading the PWC’s Wildflower Walks, as part of the “Out & About” Series, and has gained a solid following as he gathers information at numerous regional sites and shares it with a growing contingent of enthusiastic followers. In addition to wildflowers, Link has provided in-depth programs on insects for the PWC, with the same attention to detail and eagerness to share.  Comments from his record breaking number of nominations include “With every walk, Link spreads his knowledge and appreciation of the local environment to new people” and “He always tries to locate the unique meanings of the scientific names of the flowers so we obtain more knowledge of our surroundings and the field of nature.”

Support from the PWC community, members and business partners makes the PWC’s conservation and environmental education efforts possible. Please join us in thanking those who give of their time and energy to help make our communities healthier places to live, work and play. Tickets to the annual Environmental Awards Banquet are still available for those who wish to add their congratulations to the award recipients. The banquet also includes a Silent Auction. The premier auction item this year is a Precision kayak from Eastern Mountain Sports in Collegeville.  For information about attending the banquet contact Susan Splendido at 610.287.9383.

A special thank you to the 2010/11 Protectors of the Perkiomen for their exceptional support throughout the year:  MedComp (Eagle),SEI Investments, PCWIC (River Otters) The H & K Group, American Infrastructure, JBS Souderton, Koaxis, Merck, Exelon Nuclear and the Whitmans (Osprey).

The Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy serves the people and communities of the Perkiomen Creek Watershed by conserving and protecting land and water resources through commitment to and leadership in environmental education, watershed stewardship and conservation programs.