A 1970s-era stereo receiver. Red leather boots. Nine fully intact eggplants. These are just a few of the unexpected objects the Cobbs Creek Ambassadors have come across while cleaning up Cobbs Creek Park in West Philadelphia. But most of what they pick up is just typical litter: bottles, cans, food wrappers, old tires. And the
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The City of Philadelphia is not serious about climate change. Yet many people who work for the city are incredibly serious about it. They are dedicated, talented and passionate civil servants. Leadership, on the other hand, is lacking. The result is a mishmash of positive programs trying to methodically tackle the challenges we face colliding
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Over the last decade I have searched abandoned riverfront properties for skinks and black rat snakes, spooking deer and watching warblers, as I climbed over riprap shorelines and picked my way across the rotting timbers of overgrown piers. A city in decay offers the naturalist unlimited opportunities, while a city on the rise takes them
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The sun shone bright on a landscape cross-hatched with felled trees on a walking tour of the Cobbs Creek Golf Course on April 4. The Cobbs Creek Restoration and Community Foundation, the organization overseeing the revamping of the golf course, had the trees cut down, said Dana Henry, the tour guide and a spokesperson with
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Parks advocates led by the Philadelphia Parks Alliance gathered on the afternoon of April 21 for a “Rec It Philly” rally at City Hall. Mayor Jim Kenney’s 2023 budget proposal asks for a $2.5 million increase over 2022 funding for Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, less than the $8 million increase that the Parks Alliance says
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Looking to spruce up your garden while creating habitat for local wildlife? Skip the hostas and begonias and try some native plants instead! Lots of flowers can feed area pollinators, and birds will eat exotic berries, but many of our local bugs are finely adapted to the plants they evolved eating. Choosing native plants benefits
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On April 13, the Philadelphia Art Commission dealt a setback to the Cobbs Creek Foundation in its plans to renovate the Cobbs Creek and Karakung golf courses, voting to deny conceptual approval to two planned buildings. The Cobbs Creek Foundation has cleared about 100 acres of woods in its overhaul of the public golf courses
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By Bernard Brown This story was updated after publication with a quote from the Mayor’s Office. It looks like the already sweet deal that the Cobbs Creek Foundation made with the city could be getting even sweeter. On March 30 Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney released his capital budget proposal for fiscal year 2023, which, on page
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1. ALLschoolers Recycling and Making Paper by Wissahickon Environmental Center (Tree House) When: Tuesaday, April 19th @ 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm Where: Wissahickon Environmental Center, 300 West Northwestern Ave. In preparation of Earth Day celebrations, learn about recycling and how to turn your waste paper into art. Ages 6 & up of all abilities
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The heartache was still fresh when Fred H. Cartwright emailed us. “Our little slice of heaven is going away, tree by tree.” If you wanted to teach a class about environmental racism, and learn about the importance of trees simultaneously, the deforestation of 100-plus acres of city-owned land for a golf course in Cobbs Creek
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The sound of trees being cut down woke Fred H. Cartwright on the morning of February 23. “Saw, crackle, then boom. Then a minute later, saw, crackle, boom. It had us all out of the house looking to see, ‘What is that noise?’” recalls Cartwright. Cartwright lives on Wyndale Avenue, a well-kept one-block street of
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