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Newsletters
Fall 2006
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Fall 2005 | (pdf)
How can you increase your property value, reduce stormwater runoff and
sewage overflows, lower your heating and cooling costs, and clean pollution
out of the air in one afternoon? Easy….just plant a tree..........
As a boy, I spent countless summer afternoons exploring small, crystal-clear
streams tucked away in the southern portion of the Allegheny National Forest.
Salamanders, hell-grammites, crayfish, and small brook trout were both
abundant and fascinating. These streams became the standard by which I
would rate streams that I would encounter later in life...
Additional funding for the Nine Mile Run stream restoration has been secured.
Thanks to the outstanding efforts of Congressman Mike Doyle and his staff,
additional funding has been secured for work to begin again this year.
The contractors, Meadville Land Service, are scheduled to return to work
in mid-October and will use interim funding to proceed with their work
until funding for fiscal year 2005 is distributed.
Summer has arrived and the Nine Mile Run Rain Barrel Initiative is in full
swing. Many of you may have already been visited by one of our dedicated
Student Conservation Association (SCA) volunteers regarding this important
project. We have had a tremendous response in the watershed communities
thus far and we’re grateful for everyone’s interest in this
project. The Rain Barrel Initiative has several important aspects, but
above all is the goal to help watershed residents understand that their
own decisions and actions have a direct impact on the health of Nine Mile
Run. Every home has a connection to the stream and residents have the opportunity
to make a big difference!
Now that Nine Mile Run is blessedly free of slag dumping and direct industrial
discharges, why isn’t our stream its cleanest, healthiest ever? Amazingly,
the answer is rain. Yes, rain. Rain runs off of thousands of roofs and
yards, sidewalks and driveways, roads and parking lots, parks and cemeteries,
down our hills, into many tributary streams like Nine Mile Run, and ultimately
one of our 3 rivers.
I was recently walking through Frick Park on a rainy morning, enjoying
the cat bird’s silly screeching and wondering what type of caterpillar
had curled itself up inside dozens of basswood leaves. When I reached the
sidewalk beyond the trail, I immediately felt warm air close in around
me. It was the urban heat island effect: studies have shown that air temperature
is cooler in areas with more trees and higher in areas with a lot of pavement.
There is also evidence that increasing green space is one effective strategy
for stormwater management. And we all know that trees and plants help reduce
air pollutants. For all these reasons, a community-based urban forestry
program is a logical focus for NMRWA.
Watershed walks, tree plantings, installing rain barrels, citizen training
workshops—these are all part of NMRWA’s 2003 programs. We have
poured through the outstanding planning documents for the Nine Mile Run
watershed and have identified what NMRWA can do this year, and in the future,
to get citizens involved in efforts to improve watershed health. Our 2003
programs are pilots, which will be evaluated, modified, and extended throughout
the watershed communities in the years to come.
