projects and activities along the greenway draft august, 2010

MONTGOMERY COUNTY SCHUYLKILL RIVER GREENWAY

1

Schuylkill River Greenway Projects and Activities along the Greenway

DRAFT August 2010


1

Several organizations and governments have been busy undertaking various activities to enhance the Schuylkill Riverrsquos recreation and usage redevelop river towns and preserve the river corridor Understanding these efforts is important in developing complementary initia tives that would build upon their success and avoid any potential conflicts Hyperlinks have been ins talled in this document to assist in navigating to organization websites where detailed information about each project can be found This listing will be revised as new efforts are discovered and changes take place in listed projects A future Schuylkill River Greenway forum will provide the opportunity to explore these projects in more detail to identify how they fit in with the goals of the Montgomery County Schuylkill River Greenway


2

SCHUYLKILL RIVER GREENWAY PROJECTS Specific Projects or activities are listed by general location along the river begin-ning at Philadelphia and proceding upriver to Berks County

1 Friends of the Manayunk Canal The Friends of the Manayunk Canal organization has been working on the protection res toration and preservation of the na tural and his tori-cal resources of Venice Island the Manayunk Canal and Fairmount Parks Towpath in Philadelphia They have also been working with other organizations on building a trail link from Ivy Ridge to the Manayunk Viaduct

2 Destination Schuylkil l River Destination Schuylkil l River is an initiative of The Schuylkill Project dedicated to connecting the communities of East Falls Manayunk and Lower Mer-ion to the river through planning programming and projects Funded by the William Penn Foundation Schuylkill Project partners include the East Falls Development Corpora-tion Lower Merion Planning Commission and Manayunk Development Corporation

3 ldquoComplete the Schuylkill River Trailrdquo A collaborative initiative of stakeholders including Schuylkil l River Park Alliance Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia and others fo-cused on continuously connecting the Schuylkill River between the tidal Schuylkill and Montgomery County An initial report in 2009 identified nine gaps in the existing trail system The TIGER Discretionary grant announced in February 2010 will fund many of the Philadelphia sections An initial TIGER II Discretionary grant application was submit-ted to complete other sections of the trail including a trail connector across the Manayunk Viaduct to link with Lower Merionrsquos Cynwyd Trail

4 600 Righters Ferry Development Brian OrsquoNeill is proposing nearly 600 units of luxury apartments at the former Georgia Pacific (Connelly Container) property in Lower Merion Township Approval of the property may address potential bike and pedestrian use of the PennCoyd Bridge across the river

5 Cynwyd Trail - Lower Merion The development of a 2-mile trail from the Cynwyd train station to the Manayunk Viaduct and Belmont Hills is expected to be under construction in early 2011 This Lower Merion Township trail project includes the donation of river-front property from Connelly Container Corporation the acquisition of two land parcels


3

with Montgomery County GFGT grants acquisition of a riverfront trail easement on a portion of the connecting Harry Olson Trail and the establishment of a ldquoFriends of the Cynwyd Trailrdquo group The entire trail corridor has been cleaned up through active volun-teer efforts

6 Flat Rock Dam Fish Ladder The Flat Rock Dam is the highest dam on the Schuylkill River south of Reading The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania which owns the dam completely rebuilt it with concrete in 1977 The Manayunk canal begins at the eastern side of the dam Below the dam is a popular whitewater canoeing kayaking area The fish ladder was completed in 2006 on the west side of the dam and is currently providing a migra-tory passageway for American Shad as part of the PA Fish and Boat Commissionrsquos Ameri-can Shad restoration efforts on the Schuylkil l River

7 Flat Rock Park Boat Access and Trail Improvements Lower Merion Township has cre-ated an off-road trail running the length of Flat Rock Park and connecting with the access lane to the fish ladder at Flat Rock Dam This park trail connects Flat Rock Park with the upcoming Cynwyd Trail via the informal Harry Olson Trail along the riverrsquos edge

7 Schuylkil l West Regional Trail Feasibility Study With DCNR funding this 2008 study examined the most feasible alignment of a continuous riverfront trail between City Line Avenue in Lower Merion and Valley Forge National Historical Park in Upper Merion The report identified issues opportunities public private and utility landowners and alignment alternatives in Lower Merion West Conshohocken Upper Merion and Bridge-port Implementation of this trail has been deferred pending further study and the avail-ability of funding

8 Philadelphia Canoe Club The canoe club hosts various training sessions and events in several miles of Class I-II whitewater from the Fla t Rock Dam to the Belmont Avenue Bridge The Canoe Club is located just down river from the Wissahickon Creek off Ridge Avenue before the entrance to the Schuylkill expressway

9 Schuylkil l Center for Environmental Education The Schuylkill Center is a 500 -acre out-door environmental education center well know for its active land management and res-toration mission and for promoting education in the region It serves over 50000 visitors a year many of who are young students from urban neighborhoods in the Philadelphia School system With funding from PA DCNR an easement covering 330 acres of SCEErsquos property will be acquired by Natural Lands Trust and will ensure the permanent


4

preservation of the majority of the Centerrsquos undeveloped acreage The Center has cre-ated a wayside bike stop on the Schuylkil l River Trail tha t marks the beginning of a future improved spur trail between the Schuylkill Centerrsquos headquarters and the riverfront In spring 2010 SCEE embarked upon an intensive strategic planning initiative focused on updating its mission long-term educational objectives and excellence of visitor experi-ence At the same time the Schuylkill Center is working with Natural Lands Trust and Philadelphia Fairmount Park to implement various spur connections to the Schuylkil l River Trail and riverfront through adjoining park land

10 Manatawna Farm East 33 Property In spring 2010 Whitemarsh Township Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education and Fairmount Park engaged Natural Lands Trust to prepare a comprehensive land management plan for these two adjoining properties The planning process has included several stakeholder meetings to discuss land use trail con-nections and stewardship strategies for Manatawna Farm (owned by the City of Philadel-phia but located partially in Montgomery County) and the East 33 property (a recently acquired Whitemarsh Township open space site) The report now in draft form will be completed in Fall 2010 The Natural Lands Trust and Fairmount Park Commission are advocating various property improvements and use changes and have access to grant funding to implement the conversion of both properties Opposition to the proposal has been voiced by area residents who have formed a group called East 33

11 River Park Preferred Real Estate Inc redeveloped the former Simpson Paper plant in Whitemarsh Township into a 228000 square foot office complex As part of the pro-ject 33 acres of land formerly owned by the paper company was permanently preserved as open space and transferred to Whitemarsh Township The development adjoins the Miquon SEPTA sta tion

12 Successful Preservation Initiatives in the Miquon Area The Miquon Area Preservation Society (MAPS) a group of residents in the Miquon section of Whitemarsh Township have worked with various partners to preserve open space near the former Simpson Pa-per Company Plant (now River Park) MAPS currently holds conservation easements on a 26-acre former landfill area and portions of five adjoining residential lots on the north side of Manor Road above Hagys Mill Road Continuing up Manor Road a contiguous 67-acre property owned by the Girl Scouts is under open space deed restriction and sub-ject to reversion to the Nature Conservancy if no longer used for Girl Scout activities On the north side of Manor Road another development project has resulted in 23 acres under conservation easement to Montgomery County Lands Trust and a 55-acre open


5

space parcel owned by Whitemarsh Township MAPS was also involved in facilitating the acquisition by Whitemarsh Township of the East 33 property described above

13 Flat Rock Park Simpson Island- Lower Merion Township Lower Merion Township main-tains a boat launch trail and picnic grove at the 243 acre Flat Rock Park The township also owns a two-acre island up river from the park

14 Whitemarsh Power Line Trail Whitemarsh Township has identified the PECO high volt-age power line corridor east of the Schuylkil l River as a parallel trail to the Schuylkil l River Trail This future trail corridor will link to the Manatawna Farm area and will also extend toward Plymouth Township via a connecting PECO utility corridor

15 Riverbend Nature Center Riverbend is a non-prof it environmental education organization serving the Lower Merion Township area The center includes 31 acres with creeks f ields forests and pond habitats A discovery room classroom library and off ices are housed in a 1923-converted barn at the center Riverbendrsquos 2004 Master Site Development Plan is in the implementation stage with an ongoing initiative to improve land stewardship create enhanced visitor amenities throughout the site and formalize linkages to the future Schuylkil l West Trail

16 Whitemarsh Boat Club The Whitemarsh Boat Club maintains a boat house and access for members along the river in the Conshohocken area Members include individuals and school crew teams

17 Whitemarsh Township Riverfront Open Space Plan This plan currently in draft form and expected to be finalized by Whitemarsh Township in Fall 2010 looks at opportuni-ties for better access to the river between Miquon and Conshohocken Findings and rec-ommendations will focus particularly on the Spring Mill area and on creating a framework for riverfront amenities in the Townshiprsquos Riverfront Redevelopment Zoning District

18 Spring Mill County Park Trailhead and SEPTA train station The County parkland at Spring Mill currently minimally improved provides passive riverfront context for the Schuylkil l River Trail as it emerges from the densely developed Conshohocken area A parking area leased by the County to SEPTA provides spaces for both commuters and trail visitors The trailhead and train station are a hub for workers in nearby office com-plexes such as Lee Park adapted from former industrial sites Developers have proposed residential developments on the adjoining industrial properties


6

19 Millennium Corporate Center OrsquoNeil l Properties has developed portions of the Millen-nium Corporate Center along the riverfront in Conshohocken Borough This develop-ment on older industrial properties contains both offices and rental apartments The apartments are called Riverwalk at Mil lennium Access to the river was established in the approval of this development project though no riverfront amenities have been con-structed

20 Conshohocken Redevelopment Area The designated Conshohocken Redevelopment Area along the riverfront was developed by the Pulver Corporation Since 1985 over 16 million square feet of office development has been completed in this area Unfortu-nately very minimal public access was provided as part of the development

21 West Conshohocken Redevelopment Area Twenty-five years ago West Conshohocken was a small borough with no public sewers no office buildings and several old abandoned mills Since tha t time over 14 million square feet of commercial development including offices and a 200-room hotel has been completed along the riverfront within the redevel-opment area Much of this development was performed with minimal public access to the river and insufficient river buffer area

22 Plymouth Linfield Dams Both the Plymouth and Linfield Dam old rock filled timber crib dams owned by the state have been recently removed Both dams had deteriorated sig-nificantly allowing the wooden members to become exposed to the atmosphere Since both dams served no purpose and blocked the natural flow of the river they were breached by the state to improve the migratory passage of fish particularly American Shad The former Plymouth Dam site is accessible via a privately owned riverfront trail on the West Conshohocken side The former Vincent Dam site is fully accessible to the public via State Game lands in Limerick Township

23 Cross County Trail Connection to Schuylkill River Trail This recent addition to the Countyrsquos trail network intersects with the Schuylkill River Trail near the Plymouth Creek in Conshohocken and continues several miles through Plymouth Meeting to Germantown Pike in Plymouth Township

24 Swedeland Basin The desilting basin in Swedeland is 14 acres in size and is owned by Up-per Merion Township This basin was never used for coal silt dredging and could be used as open space and nature preserve


7

25 Norristown River Front Revitalization Brownfields Redevelopment The Montgomery County Redevelopment Authority is negotiating with OrsquoNeil l Properties to purchase sev-eral properties along the riverfront South of Ford Street These properties would be used as a new wastewater treatment plant site

26 Bridgeport River Front Revitalization Area A 22-acre section of Bridgeportrsquos riverfront currently vacant due to a major fire in May 2001 has been proposed as the future Bridgeview mixed use development tha t would incorporate public riverfront amenities to complement and connect with the Boroughrsquos current downtown streetscape improve-ment initiative The 2009 completion of the Dekalb Street Bridge over the rail l ine pro-vides safe pedestrian connections between the Boroughrsquos downtown and Norristownrsquos business district The proposed Chester Valley Trail will cross the river from Bridgeport at this location to intersect with the Schuylkill River Trail in Norristown

27 Norristown Dam The dam was completely encased in concrete by PECO Energy before being transferred to Montgomery County in the 1990s It impounds the second largest pool on the river after the Fairmont Dam pool in Philadelphia and offers a variety of slack water recreation uses including rowing power boating water skiing and fishing The fish ladder was constructed by PECO in 2008 on the Bridgeport side of the dam to facilitate migration of shad A small county park has been developed to provide public access to the fish ladder area Bridgeport Borough has created a stone canoe launch area just downstream from this park Additional improvements including parking spaces river-front benches and a small gazebo have been added to the riverfront below the canoe launch by the owner of the Frosty Falls deli and ice cream shop located at DeKalb Street and the riverfront

28 Upper Merion Boat House Upper Merion Township owns a crew rowing boat house and dock facility on the southern side of the river across from Barbadoes Island The boat house is used by individuals and high school crew teams About 23 acres of land adjoin-ing it and the Norristown Dam is owned by Bridgeport Borough

29 Barbadoes Island PECO Energy and now Exelon Corp have owned Barbadoes Island located in West Norriton Township since 1922 The island formerly held a large power plant which had not been used in several years PECO also operates a substation and a maintenance facility on the island Prior to PECOrsquos ownership the island was used for recreation including bathhouses and a horse track The power plant was demolished by Exelon in 2009 though they have not expressed plans for other uses on the island The


8

island could provide open space and recreation uses in the future

30 Riverside and Montgomery Cemeteries Both historic cemeteries over look the river near the corporate limits of Norristown Riverside Cemetery is 50 acres and Montgomery Cemetery is approximately 25 acres Montgomery Cemetery is the oldest public ceme-tery in Montgomery County and is owned and managed by Historical Society of Mont-gomery County Ornate monuments of many prominent 19th century families including 5 Civil War Generals have been identified and repaired and the original gatehouse has been fully restored for exhibition use A spur connection between the cemetery and the Schuylkil l River Trail has been proposed

31 Norristown Rail Extension Work is underway as part of the Route 422 study to evaluate the feasibility and funding sources for some form of passenger rail service extension along the Schuylkill River potentially stopping at Phoenixville Royersford Pottstown and other communities

32 Riverview Apartments 698 apartments were constructed in 2004 and 2007 (Riverview Landing at Valley Forge) on the former Alco Standard manufacturing site along the river at Betzwood This 53-acre industrial site near the Betzwood Bridge and Route 422 also contained an historic building which was rehabilitated into an office and vacant land pro-posed for future redevelopment A riverfront trail connecting with the Schuylkill River Trail is located along the river at this property

33 Betzwood Bridge River Crossing Complex Project The former Betzwood Bridge lo-cated within Valley Forge National Historical Park was removed in the early 1990s due to structural deterioration The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is working rebuild and widen the exis ting Route 422 bridge and develop a new bridge at this location for pedestrians and cyclists

34 Valley Forge National Historic Park This 3466-acre Valley Forge National Historical Park is being maintained to commemorate of the Continental Armys difficult 1777-78 winter encampment in the fight for American independence It contains recently rein-terpreted Washingtons Headquarters area and 12 other encampment-era buildings other his toric structures original earthworks his torical monuments replicas of soldier log cabins and cannons and valuable open space Over 16 million people visit the park each year for historic interpretation and education nature appreciation and other recreational


9

activities such as walking hiking biking and fishing The park operates in accordance to a recently prepared General Management Plan

35 Valley Creek Watershed Stormwater Management Plan (Act 167) Valley Creek a popu-lar fly-fishing stream enters the Schuylkill along the boundary with Chester County It is the only Exceptional Value stream (highest water quality ranking) in Montgomery County and flows almost two miles through the Valley Forge National His toric Park Washing-tonrsquos Headquarters is located along the Valley Creek just upstream from its mouth on the Schuylkil l River The Valley Creek Stormwater Management Plan prepared under Act 167 has been recently completed by both the Chester and Montgomery County Planning Commissions and will be considered for adoption soon

36 Acquisition of the Former American Revolution Center Lands by the National Park Ser-vice A 78- acre property formerly the proposed home of the American Revolution Cen-ter will be transferred to the National Park Service to expand the Valley Forge Park This property adjoins the Schuylkill River Trail and the Audubon Loop Trail The land transfer is part of settlement that involves other federal land owned in Philadelphia

38 John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove The Pennsylvania Audubon Society has been managing the Mill Grove site through a lease with Montgomery County Planning and fundraising are underway to develop a $10 million visitor center at the site

39 Port Providence Desilting Basin The Oaks impounding basin which comprises 34 acres is currently used by a private contractor Stoudts Ferry Co to process reclaimed coal sedi-ments from other impounding basins This large parcel along the Schuylkil l River can be-come a significant public riverfront open space property when no longer needed for coal reclamation

40 Schuylkil l River Trail In addition to the trail originally constructed between the Philadel-phia border and the Betzwood section of Valley Forge National Historical Park Mont-gomery County has more recently extended the Schuylkil l River Trail from Betzwood to a regional trailhead at Pawlings Road in Lower Providence From the Pawlings Road Trailhead the Schuylkill River Trail continues across the Perkiomen Creek and along the Schuylkil l Riverfront to another regional trailhead at Longford Road in the Schuylkill Canal area of Upper Providence Township Beyond the Perkiomen Creek crossing the Schuyl-kill River Trail includes an intersection with the Countyrsquos Perkiomen Trail Design is cur-rently in progress for a towpath trail tha t will link the Longford Trailhead with the Route


10

29 trail bridge crossing into Phoenixville Chester County

41 Black Rock Important Birding Area The Valley Forge Audubon Society is in the process of designating the Schuylkill River corridor near Mont Clare and Black Rock as an Impor-tant Birding Area (IBA)

42 Schuylkil l Canal Association The canal association offers various events and education programs within the county Schuylkill Canal Park They also organize a volunteer net-work to maintain the Lock Keepers house and various parts of the canal property

43 Schuy lkil l CanalLock 60 area In 2010 PA DEP conveyed ownership of the canal corri-dor and Lock 60 lands to Montgomery County who will manage the site as a public rec-reationalheritage amenity

43 Black Rock Dam Exelon maintains the Black Rock Dam to ensure cooling water supply for the Cromby power plant located between Phoenixvil le and Spring City in Chester County approximately three miles up river Recently Exelon announced that the Cromby plant will close in May 2011 The Dam originally constructed as part of the Schuylkill navigation canal system has been well maintained and appears to be in good condition A fish ladder was completed by Exelon in 2010 on the Phoenixvil le side of the dam

44 Black Rock Sanctuary Chester County has successfully enhanced the 119-acre former Black Rock desilting basin into a migratory bird sanctuary An interpretative trail system surrounds the basin providing views viewing stations for park visitors

45 River Crest Property The Malickson and the former KenCrest properties in Upper Provi-dence Township have been developed by the LeJuene and Toll Brothers Developers who constructed over 300 housing units and a golf course As part of the both developments undeveloped portions have been set aside for future dedication as public open space and trail corridors

46 Upper Schuylkil l Valley Park Riverfront restoration at the Upper Schuylkill Valley Park several years ago Currently plans are being developed for a boat launch fishing area and new rustic picnic grove With the removal of the cattle herd at the farm adjoining the park new public uses are being considered for the fields and pond area Trail connec-tions with the canal and Black Rock Sanctuary are also proposed at this site


11

47 Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission Black Rock Access A power boat access facility maintained by the PA Fish and Boat Commission is located along the river in Chester County near the Route 113 Bridge This access contains a large parking lot for over 50 vehicles and boat trailers and is the largest boat access facility along the river

48 Mingo Basin This 66-acre riverfront property formerly a silt basin was recently acquired by Montgomery County from PA DEP as a future riverfront natural area Located near the border of Upper Providence Township with Royersford Borough this acquisition nearly completes a continuous swath of protected riverfront open space between Port Providence and Royersford

49 Royersford Borough Brownfields and Main Street Redevelopment Several older indus-trial sites along the river have been recently built as a 366-unit residential development These two projects include the Riverwalk townhouses and Oxford Riverwalk Apartments along First Avenue Other former industrial lands in the borough north of Main Street are proposed for residential development

49 Royersford Borough The borough has recently completed improvements along Main Street leading to the river a riverfront promenade and is working on improvements to the Riverfront Gateway Park

50 Linfield Landing Park This 7-acre park was purchased by Limerick Township in 1984 with the assistance of $30000 grant from Montgomery County It provides a boat launch which was funded by the PA Fish and Boat Commission and a large picnic pavilion

51 Vincent Dam See note about the Plymouth Dam

52 Pennsylvania Game Lands The Pennsylvania Game Commission maintains a 155-acre small game preserve along the river in Linf ield This property has a small parking lot and is open to the public and is generally used in the fall for hunting

53 Linfield Distil lery Brownfields Redevelopment Site The former Continental Distillery lo-cated in Linfield contains approximately 180 acres and 1766000 square feet of vacant warehouses The owners of this vacant property recently entered a consent order with the Department of Environmental Protection to perform selected site clean up work The property has been subject to several development proposals in the past decade but has remained vacant for approximately 30 years


12

54 Schuylkil l River Trail in Chester County The Schuylkill River Trail is under construction in Chester County from Route 724 in Parkerford to west of Phoenixvil le

55 Limerick Nuclear Power Generation Station The large nuclear power plant owned by Exelon produces 2200 megawatts of power The twin nuclear power units and 507-foot cooling towers sit on 587 acres The plant firs t began producing power in 1984 after a long and controversial siting and licens ing process One of the controversial issues was water supply Each day the plant consumes up to 45 million gallons of water drawn from the Schuylkill River The security at the property has been upgraded in September 2001 so that no public use is permitted

56 Linfield Basin (Chester County) is 498 acres and was acquired by Chester County This basin will be restored as a natural habitat area

57 Sanatoga Basin A 67-acre river-impounding basin used during the river desilting project exists along the river on the Chester County side The commonwealth sold this basin and two others with surrounding lands to Chester County The county has plans to restore them as natural areas

58 Occidental Chemical Corporation Plant Site The former OxyChem plant site is being de-molished and cleaned up by Glenn Springs Holdings Inc a subsidiary of OxyChem The property includes about 260 acres within the bend in the river a t the Sanatoga Exit of US Route 422 Portions of the site contain chemical landfills which have been remediated under Superfund The large tire warehouses that was once part of this complex is under separate ownership

59 Montgomery County Community College Pottstown Branch Campus The Montgomery County Community College and the Schuylkill River Heritage Area has established a part-nership to develop a Schuylkill Riverfront Academic and Heritage Center at 140 College Drive in Pottstown with the support of the Borough of Pottstown and the Montgomery County

60 Pottstown Riverfront and Memorial Park Potts town Borough has undertaken several projects to upgrade and improve Memorial Park located along Manatawny Creek near the river These include the redevelopment of the ball fields and the installation of a spray park The borough is currently working with the Carousel at Potts town to locate the Derek Saylor Memorial Carousel at Pottstown Exhibition Center on King Street next to


13

the Manatawny Creek

61 Schuylkil l River Festival The Montgomery County Community College along with other partners has hosted the Schuylkil l River Festival in Potts town during the month of Octo-ber

62 Brownfields Development KOZ Area Keystone Boulevard providing access to the Key-stone Development area along the Schuylkill River in Potts town was developed with fund-ing from Montgomery County

63 Pottsgrove Manor Montgomery County has been operating Pottsgrove Manor in Potts-town under a lease with the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission The county is now seeking to acquire the property

64 Schuylkil l River Trail Berks County Connector Montgomery County recently con-structed a section of the Schuylkill River Trail along the Schuylkill Riverfront through Pottstown and West Pottsgrove Township At the county border this trail connects with the Thun Trail a multi-use trail constructed by Schuylkill National Heritage Area from the Berks County line at Stowe through the Reading area Shortly into Berks County the Thun Trail gives direct access to Morlatton Village an 18th century vil lage settled by Swed-ish immigrants and managed by the Historic Preservation Trust of Berks County

65 Route 422 Redevelopment Project a t Pottstown PennDot is planning to redevelop por-tions of the Route 422 Pottstown Bypass The redevelopment of the Stowe interchange area would create surplus property along the Schuylkill River A pedestrian and bicycle bridge crossing that would be part of the Schuylkill River Trail is also planned as part of this project

General River Projects not focused on one portion of the river

65 Philadelphia Bike Coalition The coalition has been working on the completion of the Schuylkil l River Trail and improved bike opportunities throughout Philadelphia The Bike Coalition has been partnering with other organizations such as the Pennsylvania Environ-mental Council to secure financing for the completion of the trails along and to the Schuylkil l River in the Philadelphia area

66 Trail Town Conference The Schuylkill Heritage Area is sponsoring a trail town confer-


14

ence on September 23 in Pottstown

67 Schuylkil l River Towns Tool-Kit The Schuylkil l Heritage Area has engaged Peter Johnston and Associates to develop a Heritage Town Tool-Kit to assist municipalities in better utiliz-ing their river and trail based assets and resources in future economic redevelopment ef-forts

68 Schuylkil l River Sojourn Each June (PA Rivers Month) the Schuylkil l Heritage Area Spon-sors a 7-day sojourn along the Schuylkill River from Schuylkill County to the Boat House Row in Philadelphia

69 Schuylkil l Action Network (SAN) The Schuylkill Action Network was formed as a part-nership of organizations to address watershed protection issues throughout the Schuylkill River basin SAN works to develop various projects through individual workgroups

70 Schuylkil l Congress The Schuylkill River Keeper (part of the Delaware River Keeper organization) convenes an annual Schuylkill River Congress to discuss various issues vital to the Schuylkill River drainage area The River Keeper also serves as an advocate for the health of the river Currently the Schuylkil l River Keeper has funding to prepare a history of the Schuylkill River Reclamation Project

71 Schuylkil l Highlands Compatible Economic Development Plan for the ldquoMiddle Schuylkill This plan covers the river corridor from the Valley Forge National Historical Park to the City of Reading Teams have been working with the consultant team of CVDA Susah Huffman and Campbell Thomas along with a Task Force to develop the action items for compatible river corridor development The Schuylkill Highlands initiative was started by DCNR

72 Stroud Center Schuylkill Project The Stroud Center Schuylkil l River project is an effort to describe stream water quality throughout the 1900-square mile Schuylkill River basin in southeastern Pennsylvania

73 Philadelphia Water Department Philly RiverCast The office of watersheds at the Philadel-phia Water Department maintains information about the Schuylkill River including maps and water testing information included in the Philly RiverCast

Schuylkill River Greenway Projects 13

Riverbend Nature Center Riverbend is a non-profit environmental education organization serving the Lower Merion Township area The center includes 31 acres with creeks fields forests and pond habitats A discovery room classroom library and offices are housed in a 1923-converted barn at the center Riverbendrsquos 2004 Master Site Development Plan is in the implementation stage with an ongoing initiative to improve land stewardship create enhanced visitor amenities throughout the site and formalize linkages to the future Schuylkill West Trail 13


1

Several organizations and governments have been busy undertaking various activities to enhance the Schuylkill Riverrsquos recreation and usage redevelop river towns and preserve the river corridor Understanding these efforts is important in developing complementary initia tives that would build upon their success and avoid any potential conflicts Hyperlinks have been ins talled in this document to assist in navigating to organization websites where detailed information about each project can be found This listing will be revised as new efforts are discovered and changes take place in listed projects A future Schuylkill River Greenway forum will provide the opportunity to explore these projects in more detail to identify how they fit in with the goals of the Montgomery County Schuylkill River Greenway


2








3








4






5









6








7







8








9








10










11










12









13

the Manatawny Creek










14












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the Manatawny Creek










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11










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the Manatawny Creek










14












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11










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13

the Manatawny Creek










14












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10










11










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the Manatawny Creek










14












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10










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13

the Manatawny Creek










14












7







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9








10










11










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13

the Manatawny Creek










14












8








9








10










11










12









13

the Manatawny Creek










14












9








10










11










12









13

the Manatawny Creek










14












10










11










12









13

the Manatawny Creek










14












11










12









13

the Manatawny Creek










14












12









13

the Manatawny Creek










14












13

the Manatawny Creek










14












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projects and activities along the greenway draft august, 2010

Documents