The Friends of West Mill Creek Park has won a Go for the Green Award! Lower Merion Township’s Environmental Advisory Council has given us this award to recognize the ecological and educational benefits of our Wildlife and Respite Garden to the Township and our work in creating and maintaining the garden. If you haven’t seen Appleford, it’s a lovely historic house and garden, well worth a visit in its own right. Anyone who would like to attend is welcome to come and cheer us on.
Garden Award and Volunteer Opportunity
The Ellens accept the Friends of West Mill Creek Park “Go for the Green” award from Brian Hoppy of EAC
The Friends of West Mill Creek Park has won a Go for the Green Award! Lower Merion Township’s Environmental Advisory Council has given us this award to recognize the ecological and educational benefits of our Wildlife and Respite Garden to the Township and our work in creating and maintaining the garden. The Go for the Green Awards program will be held on Thursday, May 12, 2016 at the Appleford Estate, located at 770 Mt. Moro Road in
Villanova, beginning at 6 p.m. If you haven’t seen Appleford, it’s a lovely historic house and garden, well worth a visit in its own right. Anyone who would like to attend is welcome to come and cheer us on.
And that brings to mind that gardening season is here! If you are interested in being on the Wildlife Garden watering team or garden team, please send an email to briggs505@verizon.net and specify watering, gardening, or both. This will not commit you to anything—it will just put you on the list of people who will receive email regarding appeals for watering, weeding or planting help in the garden. This way, we will not be bothering people who don’t want to participate in ongoing maintenance with garden-related email.
Note: When the need arises for a big work day, such as an invasive plant removal project on the stream bank, we will notify the entire membership.
2016 Donations
Thank you for your generous donation to Friends of West Mill Creek Park!
Four Paws ($150 or more)
Ellen Briggs
Fran Bryan
Marsha Perelman
Ellen Reese & Gary Stein
Three Paws ($100-$149)
Judith and Yair Argon
Duncan Busser
Scott & Kristin Edwards
Robert & Randie Harmelin
Nora & Barry Kramer
Susan Lichtman
Selina Luger
Jay & Marya Margolis
Karl & Dori Middleman
Hazel Murphy
Craig Oliner
David Preefer & Karen Zimmerman
Eileen Rosenau
Leslie & Neil Stone
Two Paws ($50-$99)
Judy & Art Axelrod
Jill Cooper
Karen & Joan Garbeil
Jon Goodman
Pinkie & Rick Hamilton
Stacey & Sergio Sauchuk
Kay Sude
Jill Sussman
Rick & Karen Wilson
One Paw (up to $49)
Linda Dorey-Stein
John Newhall
Tessa Lamont Siegel
Cary Sellers
Helene Feinberg Walker & Kent Walker
Volunteer Information
Work days will be announced by email to the membership and listed in the Events section of our website.
Garden Maintenance. If you are interested in joining us in routine garden maintenance, contact us to sign up for an email sub-group so you will be advised of days we will be doing routine weeding and planting.
Watering Volunteers: In summer and fall, sometimes Mother Nature doesn’t take care of our plants the way she should, so annually we recruit a Watering Team. In Spring, we send out an email to get a crew of people interested in volunteering to sign up for the Watering Team email list. And of course, you can contact us any time if you’re interested in helping with the watering effort. You will be added to our watering volunteer list at any time during the season!
Here’s our watering M.O. :: We usually appoint a Watermeister to check the rain gauge, let the township know if our tank needs water, and determine when it is time to water. If there’s a need for watering, we send out an email to everyone in the pool of Watering Team volunteers. The first 4 people to respond each get assigned a quarter section of the garden. Each volunteer commits to water their section of the garden within a few days of their assignment. It takes about half an hour to do the job (i.e. empty one quarter of the tank.)
Click this link for a map to remind you which section is your assigned quarter of the garden: WMC Watering Zone Map
Organizational Supporters 2015
Many thanks to our generous 2015 organizational supporters!
Website Domain, Hosting, and Support for our website was donated by PracticePromoter.com
Montgomery Signs in Conshohocken, donated our beautiful weatherproof Wildlife and Respite Garden sign.
Tired Hands Brewing Company in Ardmore donated some very fine craft beer to our Active Members Thank-You Party.
Beth David Reform Congregation provided meeting space for our Second Annual Meeting and a meeting spot for our Bridlewild Trail tour.
Telegraphics, Inc. donated design services for park signage.
And of course, last but very far from least, thanks to the Lower Merion Township Department of Parks & Recreation, especially Director Donna Heller, Parks Supervisor Dave DeAngeles, and Dave’s crew for major trail improvements, delivering water to our Wildlife and Respite Garden water tank and tree gators throughout a drought-ridden summer, and lots more!
2015 Volunteers
Garden workday volunteers–L to R Wendy White, Martha Lombardo, Linda Pitt, Paula Burns, Karen Hinckley with Rocket and Lizzie
In 2015, we held 8 official work days, plus ongoing watering duty during weeks of insufficient rainfall. Altogether 21 people donated a total of 93 hours of labor in our Wildlife and Respite Garden. Special kudos to our watering team for many hours of watering during a drought-ridden summer!
Garden Workday Volunteers: Paula Burns, Chris Bushnell, Celeste DeBeese, Michelle Detwiler, Mary Field, Joseph Garrity, Gary Stein, Meredith Greenbaum, Karen Hinckley, Martha Lombardo, Hazel Murphy,
L to R, Michelle Detwiler, Ellen Briggs, Ellen Reese and Melissa O’Connor pause for photo op in May 2015 marathon planting of 450 Blue Wood Sedge.
Melissa O’Connor, Linda Pitt, Ellen Reese, Toba Spector, Wendy White, Ellen Briggs, Peter Briggs, Steve Briggs.
Watering Team: Mark Wassmansdorf (Watermeister), Chris Bushnell, Michelle Detwiler, Bobby Harmelin, Karen Hinckley, Toba Spector, Ellen Briggs.
Chris Bushnell with newly installed garden sign
In addition, Chris Bushnell once again donated his woodworking talents to frame and install our beautiful Wildlife and Respite Garden sign, which was designed by Ellen Reese and Gary Stein. Gary also fixed the gate hardware for us so it is now a pleasure to open and shut those gates.
P.S. We were so busy working that we didn’t get stop to make sure and get pictures of each of our volunteers–we’ll try to get photos of everybody in 2016!
January 2016 Member Survey Results
Q#1: Should a gate be installed on the entrance path between the parking lot and the main park?
Strongly agree: 65.71%
Agree: 14.29%
Neutral: 17.14%
Disagree: 2.86%
Strongly Disagree: 0.00%
Q#2: Would you be willing to donate to finance construction of the gate described in Q#1?
77% of respondents (27 people) said Yes.
Q#3: Should fencing be installed on the far side of the creek near East Old Gulph Road to deter dogs from running onto the road?
Strongly agree: 48.57%
Agree: 11.43%
Neutral: 31.43%
Disagree: 2.86%
Strongly Disagree: 5.71%
Q#4: Would you be willing to donate to finance construction of the fence described in Q#3?
53% of respondents (18 people) said Yes.
Q#5 : Are there any other important projects you would like Friends of WMC to pursue?
- maybe another picnic table or several more benches along the walkways
- The recent drainage project is working well. Other areas of the path still flood, so these areas need a fix too. Kudos to Ellen x 2, Jill and all else. There are some brick blocks next to the parking lot trash can that need to be hauled off.
- Drainage continues to be an issue. The large puddle by the creek that is as big as a lake needs to be filled in.
- Drainage issues, hose to wash down dogs prior to getting into car
- Build up the walkway on the lower side of the part where it floods all the time.
- Drainage project expanded to include the two swamp areas and netting along the post and rail fences along the entry path
- Fill in black mud pond by wooden walk by old Gulph. Dogs wade in it and become black-filthy.
- Let’s get rid of the pond.
- more small rock/ sand for dry walking paths
- continue the work of addressing the persistently muddy areas of the paths
Q#6 Do you have any other comments, thoughts, suggestions?
- This is very important; thank you!
- Glad we have you caring and taking action on our park! Many thanks!
- Safety at the intersection next to the park entrance.
- Like the idea that dogs be leashed when in the parking lot. Peer pressure works wonders. A gate is a costly partial solution, but if funds can be raised or the township agrees, go for it.
- Wonderful work so far!!! Thanks to everybody!
- This needs to get done, I would hate to see another dog lose its life because of improper fencing
- Since Eliza is one of the worst offenders of running into the parking lot when other people are leaving, I fully support any solution that will keep her from running at full speed across the park and jumping into everyone’s cars. – Duncan
- I keep tripping over poop. People with loose large dogs need to keep their eyes on them at all times and go to the poop and pick it up.
- I’m glad you mentioned the importance of keeping all dogs on leash in the parking lot . So many near misses observed.
- I think other areas in the park are also concern re: dogs’ safety.
Santa Paws at the Park
Bring your dog to the park to meet Santa Paws! Santa will pose with your pooch and you can take as many photos as you’d like. Each good dog will receive a big dog biscuit, and refreshments for humans will be available too. We will be collecting donations for the Pennsylvania S.P.C.A., a very worthy organization that aids less fortunate dogs in the greater Philly area. See you at the park!
Parking
Parking spaces can be in short supply — so always park reasonably close to cars that are already parked so as to save space for others.
Under existing township ordinances, for public safety reasons, the park is open from sunrise to sunset only, so as soon as it begins to get dark you should finish up your conversations and leave the park. However, the police have assured us that they will use discretion, and give us a little leeway on getting out of the park.
It is illegal to park on the grass. Parking on the grass will eventually degrade and ruin the attractive green space which the park provides. In addition, there are environmental issues relating to toxic fluids that drip out of cars while parked, especially because of our location next to Mill Creek
It is illegal to park on Mill Creek Road. Parking on Mill Creek Road is dangerous, both to the cars and drivers parked there and to people leaving the parking lot. Cars parked there block the view of oncoming traffic.
Return of Santa Paws
On Saturday, December 12, Santa Paws once again visited our park. He posed for pictures with our dogs and gave a biscuit and a tennis ball to each good pup. Hot cocoa, cookies, and doughnuts were available for the humans, and a good time was had by all. Most important of all, the event raised well over $500 for the Pennsylvania S.P.C.A. Thanks to all who participated for your enthusiasm and generosity!
P.S. you will be glad to know that Santa Paws got a well-earned vacation and is now believed to be cruising the Caribbean. THANKS SANTA PAWS for appearing at WMC Park!
