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"What's Up, Watershed?", a blog started in 2024 by the Pennsylvania Resources Council's Environmental Program Coordinator Chris Bunn, has been uploaded in its entirety to the Growing Greener Communities website! This bi-monthly blog is all about Pennsylvania watersheds, what goes on in them, and how we can protect them--told with anecdotes from its author(s). Previous topics have included easy conservation methods like live-staking and leaving the leaves, the lives of native

As a kid, summer break was always my favorite time of year. Even though I liked school enough, it was such a good feeling to be free to go outside, explore, and learn about the earth in ways only possible away from the classroom. As an adult, my summers are a little less free, but I still try to put as much of my time towards exploring and discovering more about the natural world. The great thing is, I now have ways to share what I discover, thanks to the amazing world of cit

April is a great time to get involved in Earth-Day celebrations, whether that’s planting a tree, cleaning up litter, or reaching out to local leaders and advocating for environmental sustainability. We’ve come a long way in protecting our planet since the first Earth Day in 1970, but it’s good to remember that there’s still more to do, and even one person can make a difference! For this edition of “What’s Up, Watershed?” I’d like to highlight one Pennsylvanian who helped pave

Winter in Pennsylvania can be a beautiful time of year, with thick blankets of snow covering the ground, icicles hanging from the trees, and constellations dancing across the ever-dark sky. Still, the short days and icy temperatures usually make me wish I could curl up and sleep the day away or take a long vacation somewhere warmer. In this edition of “What’s Up, Watershed?” I’d like to celebrate some of the members of our watershed that do winter differently — by skipping it

The GGC Tool Library is stocked with shovels, rakes, levels, and other gardening supplies needed to DIY your home’s green stormwater infrastructure.

Summer is here and it’s time to enjoy the outdoors! As we spend time outside this season, let’s keep our waterways clean so we can continue enjoying activities including fishing, swimming, and boating! Much of the pollution in our waterways comes from what is called non-point source pollution — that is, pollution that comes from all of us, not a single, identifiable source. This pollution often enters our waterways during rainstorms through storm sewer systems, which often

I’m excited that winter is over! Not that winter doesn’t have its own special charm…but I much prefer the sight of spring flowers and the smell of fresh earth. This year, I’ve raised some native plants from seed and I’m getting ready to plant them in my garden. If you don’t know what native plants are, be sure to check out our webpage for a simple definition. I love native plants for their unique beauty and for the way they support our wildlife here in Pennsylvania. In t

Live staking offers a free and easy way to protect our streams from pollution, create wildlife habitat, and ease flooding in our communities. This past February, I followed Stephen Lockard of the Tree Tenders of Upper Darby as he led a live staking workshop in Smedley Park, Delaware County. What is live staking, you may ask? Live staking is a method of repairing streams that involves planting live cuttings of native trees and shrubs into stream banks for the purpose of stabi

My favorite thing about springtime is getting back outside after months of winter cold! Early last month, I had the pleasure of getting out on a crisp morning to host a workshop in a local stream. Over the past year, I’ve been training to be a Master Watershed Steward with the Penn State Extension. As part of our final project, my fellow trainees and I hosted a workshop in Delaware County on something called “live staking.” In this post, I’ll teach you all about live staki

Join us on March 1st in Haverford, PA to learn how to build your own rain garden! Click here to learn more and register!

Winter is a great time of year to hunker down, rest, and chill out (hah, get it?). You may be of the opinion that gardening activities are all but over for the year, but I must say that you are mistaken! Today I’m going to teach you about something called winter sowing. No, it’s not your grandmother’s latest fiber arts project — it’s an easy way to produce strong native perennial and vegetable seedlings for a fraction of the cost of buying starts. Let’s dive in! Chris Bun

Those lovely little beetles that fly around in June and light up at night…do you call them lightning bugs or fireflies? No matter their name, there’s no denying that these magical creatures have filled both children and adults with wonder for generations. I was shocked when I learned recently that at least 18 species of fireflies are threatened with extinction due to factors like habitat loss. You might be wondering…why am I talking about fireflies in the fall? Well, as it

When I lived in Vermont during college, the fall was always full of energy. Hoards of tourists would flood into the state, dubbed “leaf peepers” by the locals, to marvel at the beauty of trees turning golden yellow, scarlet red, fiery orange. Interestingly enough, fall isn’t only a great time to look at trees — it’s also a great time to plant trees! In this edition of “What’s Up, Watershed?” we’ll explain why you should plant a tree this fall and suggest three tree species

Now that summer is coming to an end and autumn is on the horizon, adding new plants to our yards is not on the minds of most people. However, in terms of native perennial plants, fall is actually one of the best times to plant. In this edition of “What’s Up, Watershed?” we’ll highlight three common native plants that can add beautiful flowers to your yard next growing season! Read to dig in? Let’s go! Chris Bunn Environmental Program Coordinator Pennsylvania Resources Counci

One of my favorite things to do in the summer is to swim in streams. For me, the refreshing feeling of jumping into a cool, clear forest stream is far better than the sterility of a chlorine-filled pool. During my stream swimming adventures, I’ve often been amazed at how cold the water can stay even in the middle of summer. Recently, I learned that Pennsylvania’s state fish — the brook trout — actually requires these colder creek temperatures to survive. In this edition of

Ah, summer… It’s a season full of swimming, ice cream, thunderstorms, and everyone’s favorite… BUGS! If I had to pick a favorite insect, it would probably be the dragonfly. Not only do they sport striking colors and eyes with up to 30,000 lenses, they can also help us assess the water quality in creeks, streams, and rivers. How do dragonflies help us assess water quality? Read on to find out! Chris Bunn Environmental Program Coordinator Pennsylvania Resources Council Wha

Welcome back to another edition of “What’s Up, Watershed?” This past Memorial Day we experienced some deeply refreshing spring rains here in Philadelphia. My air conditioning is currently on the brink, so standing under the clouds and letting the cool raindrops hit my face felt rejuvenating to say the least! Speaking of the recent rains, just a couple of weekends ago PRC helped to install several rain gardens on residential properties in Delaware County. To date, we’ve act

Welcome back to “What’s Up Watershed”! Throughout Pennsylvania, spring is in full force! Cherry blossom trees are showing their beautiful flowers, tulips are nodding their colorful heads in the breeze, and lilacs are casting their delightful scents to our noses. What a wonder! While these species are some of the most beautiful reminders of spring, they’re not necessarily the best at supporting Pennsylvania’s wildlife. The reason: none are native to our state! One of the simpl

Welcome to “What’s Up, Watershed?”! In this new educational series, we’ll learn how everyday actions affect the health of our waterways and explore easy ways we can make a positive impact on both water and wildlife. I’m Chris Bunn, Environmental Program Coordinator at PRC. I support programs focused on reducing stormwater volume and pollution in the Philadelphia region. When people ask me what I do for a living, I often lose them as soon as I mention the word “watershed.” Mos