“1854,” says Jacques-Jean “JJ” Tiziou, with authority, when asked about the origins of Philadelphia’s borders. “That’s when the Consolidation was signed: February 2, 1854.” Good luck finding another Philadelphian who could, on the spot, provide the exact date on which the Consolidation Act transformed the neat rectangle of William Penn’s colonial city — from Vine
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In 2021, Ken Conly, director at large for the Philadelphia Canoe Club, was paddling a stretch of the Schuylkill River near the Flat Rock Dam north of Manayunk when he noticed something afoot. A resident of nearby Andorra, Conly says that section of the river has traditionally been “neglected,” with trash accumulating along the river
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I ventured into the Wissahickon along with Grid photographer Rachael Warriner on an unseasonably warm October afternoon to take a look at some beech trees infected by beech leaf disease (BLD). They were easy to spot. The veins of a beech leaf run out diagonally from a line down the center, dividing the leaf into
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It’s said that Isaac Newton was inspired to develop his theory of gravity when an apple fell on his head. But what happened to the apple after it hit him? Did he leave it there, uninterested in its value, and start working on his theory? Or did he pick it up, gather a few more
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Windows of any size can kill birds, but those at Sister Cities Cafe in Center City were particularly lethal. “It’s essentially a glass cube with three sides that are full windows top to bottom,” says Stephanie Egger, a volunteer with Bird Safe Philly. “The problem here is twofold: its transparency, so the birds can see
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On a sunny afternoon in late spring, 27 sixth graders from Mount Airy’s Henry H. Houston Elementary School skipped and hooted their way to SEPTA’s Carpenter Train Station, as if already savoring the adventure of planting trees there. “We identified flowers and pollinators along the way,” says Christine Bush, a STEM (science, technology, engineering and
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I drive, walk and bike with one eye following the pavement, scanning for dead animals. It comes from my background as a herper, someone who recreationally searches for reptiles and amphibians. A popular way to find the critters I love is “road cruising,” in which you drive around and look for them crossing the pavement.
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By Carolyn Kousky and Noah Raven Busy roads and wildlife are a bad combination. Collisions between vehicles and wildlife not only kill and injure animals — they can also cause substantial property damage and injure or kill drivers and passengers. In 2020, Pennsylvania had the highest total number of animal-vehicle collisions reported through insurance claims
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I have paused my war on grapevines. They just aren’t putting up much of a fight anymore. “War” might be putting it strongly, but for nearly 20 years I have cut them down whenever I have had the opportunity and the tools in hand (loppers, or a pruning saw for the big ones). Lately pretty
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On a damp morning in July, children spill around the corner of the Tree House and flit through the woodland garden exploring the grounds surrounding the Wissahickon Environmental Center (WEC) in the northern end of Wissahickon Valley Park. “Will we find bears?” one young girl asks. Jeneen Helms, an assistant from the West Mill Creek
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The Schuylkill Center announced on Thursday, August 10, that it has protected 24 acres of its property from future development using a conservation easement. In March 2022 leaked memos revealed that the Schuylkill Center was exploring a sale of the land, known as the Boy Scout Tract from its history as a campsite for the
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