America's Great Outdoors Initiative Coming to Philadelphia

July 26, 2010 | Clean Water, Blue Trails

Where would Philadelphians, and Americans, be without the Schuylkill River?  It was here, along the banks, that the American and Industrial Revolutions began, and a country forged, grew and evolved.  The Schuylkill River National and State Heritage area is a prime example of connecting people with our national and natural heritage, providing recreation, drinking water and quality of life to the watershed’s 3.2 million residents. Rivers are the lifeblood of community and have been for centuries and nowhere is that more apparent than in Philadelphia.

This week, representatives from the Obama administration will be traveling to Philadelphia to discuss the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative. This listening session, open to the public, offers the perfect opportunity to bring attention to one of our nation’s most precious but often overlooked assets; our rivers.

This is a community-driven initiative, not a governmental one, and it is imperative that local residents, business owners, and friends attend and demand the creation of river and blueways protection for their local streams, creeks and rivers.

American Rivers has been involved in many exciting and innovative dam removal projects in the Philadelphia area, including several on Pennypack and Ridley creeks. We are working to ensure this important initiative has a strong focus on water and river issues, but we need your help. Please attend the listening session and speak out for Philadelphia’s, and the nation’s, rivers.

River protection is an important task, but it need not be a daunting one. To Philadelphians interested in taking the next step to restore and protect their local waterways and creating a blue trail system, American Rivers offers the Blue Trails Guide. This guide is an expansive online tool that provides step-by-step instructions for developing a thriving blue trail with a focus on conservation. It includes cutting edge case studies on planning, building, and managing for conservation. It is intended to provide practical and easy to use web-based guidance for local and state government entities, planners, non-governmental organizations, recreational enthusiasts, and others. Training workshops are available.

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