Environmental Education Conservancy programs promote active engagement in the natural world and provide opportunities for children and adults to gain a broader understanding of the interconnected relationships between our quality of life and the quality of our local environment. Classes range from the introduction of basic concepts for the youngest learners to more complex issues and ideas for older kids and adults.

During the 2010/11 school year, the Conservancy provided award winning environmental education services to more than 10,000 applicants at our stone barn headquarters in Schwenksville and at schools throughout the region.

The adult oriented “Out & About” series takes participants to all corners of the watershed to explore and discover the many interesting locales and landscapes that impact our water resources. Excursions could be to local quarries, Green Lane Reservoir, Spring Mountain or other interesting landscapes throughout the watershed. The “Out & About” walks are led be local experts who are excited about sharing their knowledge and enthusiasm for their topics.


Conservation
In addition, the Conservancy conducts streambank stewardship and conservation projects throughout the watershed. These projects result in thousands of new trees and streambank restorations that will help protect regional water quality for years to come. The Conservancy is also helping our member municipalities meet their state mandated stormwater management requirements for public information and participation. This effort includes retrofitting stormwater basins to be a more natural part of the landscape and do a better job removing pollutants from stormwater before it reaches local creeks.

The largest volunteer activity of the year is the Conservancy’s annual Stream Clean-Up. In 2012, more than 650 volunteers pulled tons of trash, tires and large items from the Perkiomen Creek and its tributaries, filling several large dumpsters!

Special Events
The Conservancy promotes active involvement in creek and environmental activities by hosting numerous educational and just plain fun events throughout the year. The Lenape Survival Challenge celebrates Earth Day with a mini duathlon that includes a run through the central Perkiomen countryside, a hill climb to the top of Spring Mountain and back and finally a 2+ mile canoe race down the Perkiomen. More than 100 two-person teams participate in this unique competition.

In the fall, the Conservancy hosts an Environmental Awards Banquet to honor those who have gone beyond the call in helping protect local water resources. The banquet includes an exciting Silent Auction, live music and great food.

Halloween brings the Halloween Night Hike when youngsters and their families explore the night and visit with animal characters who represent those who populate the night sky and forests.

The Perkiomen Creek Watershed
Recent publications by Montgomery County and the Natural Lands Trust illustrate that the Perkiomen Creek watershed is the “natural heartland” of the region. The concentration of unique landforms and natural areas within the watershed provide clean water for communities as small as East Greenville Borough and as large as the City of Philadelphia. But as growth and development push further into the exurban areas of the region, it becomes even more important to emphasize the quality of life benefits that we all accrue from these critical natural areas. The Conservancy’s mission calls us to help all residents of the watershed understand that our quality of life is directly related to our natural environment. Each participant in a Conservancy program gains new insights into how they can help protect the valuable water and related natural resources their communities rely on.

As increasing attention is paid to global environmental issues, our goal remains the same - to instill an understanding that taking actions to protect the “environment” outside your own backdoor is just a critical to our global well being as protecting the rainforest or the icecaps. By reaching out to children, we are creating an insurance policy that will help our communities retain the exceptional environmental quality that draws world-class businesses and families to the region. Our recently expanded adult programming creates a platform for better understand of our place in the natural world and helps citizens make wise decisions regarding how our limited natural resources are used. The Conservancy’s active conservation and stewardship efforts turn our words into actions and provide engaging opportunities for involvement and action.

History of PWC’s Stone Barn Headquarters
The Conservancy’s headquarters are housed in a mid 19th century stone bank barn in Schwenksville, PA. This structure was once part of Governor George Pennypacker’s farm and estate. Only a few of the original buildings exist today. The original estate home and wooden barn are owned and maintained by Montgomery County. Of the collection of buildings associated with the larger mill and agricultural works, only the Conservancy barn remains. The mill finally burned to the ground in the 1980’s and the remaining support buildings were lost when Route 73 was relocated.

The picture dated 1894 illustrates the agricultural buildings and mill associated with Governor George Pennypacker’s estate in Schwenksville. All that remains of the original farm and mill buildings is the stone portion of the Conservancy’s barn (center of picture).

Several wooden additions to the stone barn have been removed, though it is not clear when this happened. The stone barn was converted to a residence in the 1970’s and was purchased by the Perkiomen Valley Watershed Association (now the Conservancy) in 1986.