ValleyForge Volunteers
Volunteers for Valley Forge
By Steve Fillmore
Looking for a way to “give something back” and preserve natural, cultural, and historical resources at the same time? Consider volunteering at Valley Forge National Historical Park (VFNHP). Whether you prefer a big event, like National Trails Day or Public Lands Day, or something on a smaller scale, VFNHP has a place for you.
The “Big Events”
Environmental and conservation organizations come together to preserve and celebrate the value of open spaces and historic sites. Contact Volunteers-In-Parks Coordinator Michelle Ortwein at 610-783-1044 or michelle_ortwein@nps.gov for more information.
National Trails Day. Sponsored by the American Hiking Society, National Trails
Day takes place on Saturday, June 4, 2005. The event brings together outdoor
enthusiasts to participate in educational exhibits, gear demonstrations,
instructional workshops, and trail work projects.
National Public Lands Day. On Saturday, September 24, 2005, volunteers will
celebrate the12th annual National Public Lands Day. This is the largest national
event of its kind. It has grown from a small effort involving just three sites and
700 participants to an event involving nine federal agencies backed by a legion of
state and local agencies covering 600 sites and attracting more than 90,000
volunteers across the country. Last year’s event drew over 150 volunteers to
VFNHP. They donated over 700 hours of service to the improvement of park
grounds, particularly the historic Waggonseller Farm site.
Ongoing Volunteer Opportunities
There are many current volunteer opportunities to sustain and preserve one of America’s best-known parks. This includes improving wildlife habitat, maintaining trails, educating the public, or even playing the role of a “living history participant.” The following opportunities are a sample of what’s available. Check the park website at www.nps.gov/vafo or contact Volunteers-In-Parks Coordinator Michelle Ortwein at 610-783-1044 or michelle_ortwein@nps.gov to find out about the latest opportunities.
Field Interpreter
Work closely with the public to provide historical, educational, and informational assistance. Volunteers share the many stories of the encampment of Valley Forge within the American Revolutionary War while wearing representative clothing of the period. Work locations include remote field locations, as well as George Washington’s Headquarters; Varnum’s Headquarters (summer only), and other select locations within VFNHP. There are also opportunities to take part as living history participants during special events, such as the “March-In of the Army” in December. Volunteers can assume the role of soldiers, camp followers, or assist in other aspects of the program.
Education Programs Assistant
Like working with kids and their families? VFNHP recently instituted “Saturday Morning Kids Corner,” a series of Saturday programs that help educate the public about the park’s history and natural resources. Activities range from storytelling to hands-on events. Volunteers are encouraged to provide input in designing the Kids Corner programs.
Museum Management Assistant
Assist the curator and curatorial staff of the new American Revolution Center at Valley Forge. Duties may include cataloging and inventorying museum collections, managing historic objects, as well as digitizing historic photographs.
Library Assistant
Work with the archivist of the VFNHP library (a.k.a. the Horace Willcox Memorial Library) in the cataloging and classification of books, microfilm, and research documents. The park has one of the largest libraries in the National Park Service, numbering approximately 10,000 books.
Natural Resource Management Research Assistant
Assist the park’s Trails Supervisor with trails rehabilitation, maintenance, repair, and protection. Work may include installation of water diversion structures, marking (blazing) trail systems, and installing signs. Volunteers can also assist in the stabilization of stream banks or monitoring of deer population and water quality.
Gardener Assistant
Maintain flowerbeds, plants, and gardens throughout the park using hand and power tools. Volunteers should have a good knowledge of plants and gardening procedures.
Woodcrafter and Preservationist Assistant
Assist the Park Woodcrafter in restoration and preservation of huts, including repair and upkeep of interiors, chimneys, and roofs.
Volunteer Today!
Just a little of your time can a long way. Contact Volunteers-In-Parks Coordinator Michelle Ortwein at 610-783-1044 or michelle_ortwein@nps.gov to get involved.
For information about joining the Sierra Club, visit www.sierraclub.org. You can also get information about your local Sierra Club group and current schedule of outings by navigating the main website. From www.sierraclub.org, go to Chapters (i.e., New Jersey and Pennsylvania) and then to the local groups. Or you can contact Pat Beaudet at 215-985-1536.
Spring Stream Cleanup
No matter where you live in the Delaware Valley, you are near a stream or a creek that could use a little bit of your time! As the snow and ice melt away and we spend more time along the banks of area streams, we see not just the accumulation of the winter’s deadfall of branches and leaf litter, but also the immense amount of trash that ends up in and along our waters. Our synthetics – the plastic bottles and bags, the Styrofoam cups, the cookie and candy wrappers, the tires and hubcaps – don’t lend themselves to Mother Nature’s natural recycling system. We need to get out there and pick them up!!! So we encourage you to find a nearby clean-up effort, or just grab some trash bags and gloves, head to the nearest streambank, and do some untrashing! And bring a friend. You will be helping to make a stream more hospitable and safe for the critters that live there, and have some fun in the process.
The following are some of the scheduled activities.
Crum-Ridley Watershed: (Bill Brainerd has details?)
Darby Creek Valley: The Darby Creek Valley Association will hold its annual clean-up event at a dozen locations within the Watershed on the morning of April 30th. Go to: www.dcva.org for details, or contact John or Jan Haigis at 610-583-0788.
Tacony Creek Watershed: The Friends of Tacony Creek conduct a clean-up every month, on the Saturday after their general meeting. Upcoming dates are: April 2, April 30, May 28. Call Bill Krantz for details, 215-745-8903. A special Earth Day clean-up, sponsored by the Sierra Club and Friends of Tacony Creek, will be held at Juniata Park on April 23 from 1:00 – 4:00pm. We will meet at I & Ramona Streets. Call Robin Mann, 610-527-4598 for details.
Poquessing Creek Watershed: The Friends of the Poquessing will conduct a clean-up on Byberry Creek on April 2, 10am to 1pm. Meet at: Red Lion and Chalfont. Contact Jackie Olson for details, 215-685-0427.
If your inclinations lean more towards trail maintenance and storm damage repairs, or restoration of stream corridor vegetation and invasives removal, there is something going on somewhere in the Fairmount Park system almost all the time, but definitely every weekend, and weekdays, too. Contacts for areas of Fairmount Park are:
Wissahickon area: David Bower, 215-991-3272
East and West Park (along the River Drives): Jason Mifflin, 215-685-0278
Northeast area (Pennypack and Tacony): Jackie Olson, 215-685-0427
Cobbs Creek: Joseph Caesar, 215-685-0277
And Sierra Club’s own Howard Stern is always looking to recruit more hardy souls for maintenance projects at Ridley Creek Park. Contact him at: 610-626-0751.
Get in touch if you don’t find what you are looking for: Water Issues Committee, 610-527-4598.
Wissahickon Park
Last Sat. of the month, 10 am / Trail Work Party in theWissahickon.
Join Sierra Club and Appalachian Mountain Club for a trail work from 10am Ð12:30pm followed by lunch at a local spot. Meet at SidneyÕs. Directions: Take 76 to Lincoln Drive, left onto McCallum, right onto Sedgwick St., 20 yards to Sedgwick Gardens Apts. Call Sidney at 215-438-4459. The Sierra Club sponsors this project.
2nd and 4th Sat. of the month / Wissahickon Service Project.
Contact David Bower at 215-991-3272 for time and meeting place. Various tasks to help restore and maintain the Wissahickon. This project is sponsored by the Environment, Stewardship & Education Division of Fairmount Park.
3rd Sat. of the month / Wissahickon Vine Clearing Project
Contact Jake Michael at 610-918-0775 for meeting place to clear invasive vines in the park from 10 am to 12 noon. This project is sponsored by the Friends of the Wissahickon.
Pennypack Park
2nd Sat. of the month 10 am Ð 1 pm
Pennypack Restoration Volunteers. Contact Jackie Olson at 215-685-0470 for the dayÕs projects. This project is sponsored by Fairmount Park and Pennypack Environmental Center
2nd Sun. of the month, 12 pm Ð 3 pm. Pennypack Volunteer Opportunities. Join the Northeast Cyclists for a variety of project in support of park restoration Contact Jackie Olson 215-685-0470. This project is sponsored by Fairmount Park and Pennypack Environmental Center.
Ridley Creek State Park
First Sat. of the month 9 am Ð 12 pm. Projects involve a variety of activities to help maintain the trails in this beautiful local park. Due to state budget cutbacks, the park is more short-staffed than ever and needs help. Family and friends are welcome also. For details and to register, contact Howard Sherman at 610-626-0751 or howardsherman@att.net. This project is sponsored by the Sierra Club.
Philadelphia Recycling
1st Sat. of the month. Join Sierra Club members and neighbors to recycle plastics, cardboard and other items not part of the cityÕs general recycling program. Contact ajthomson175@hotmail.com
Note: Service projects sponsored by organizations other than the Sierra Club are offered to Sierra Club members as opportunities to participate in worthy projects, which enhance, protect and preserve the environment.
