Newsletter – Paxton Creek Watershed & Education Association

July 16, 2023July 16, 2023

My Keystone Moment

I had the much-appreciated opportunity to represent PCWEA at the Chose Clean Water Conference. The theme for this year’s conference was “A Keystone Moment: Our Collective Future”. My “Keystone Moment” and the most important take away from the conference didn’t come from the panel discussions, presentations, or workshops. It was set into motion even prior to the first presentation when I made the deliberate decision to sit next to someone that I did not know and did not look like me. I introduced myself to the woman sitting beside me and said that I was from Harrisburg. She replied that her name was Rafiyqa Muhammad and immediately questioned me; “Do you live IN the City of Harrisburg or OUTSIDE the City?” I replied “Linglestown area” to which she emphatically replied; “That’s NOT Harrisburg. NOT the same place, NOT the same problems.” I thought to myself – I’ve had a Harrisburg address all my life but she’s right, I’m NOT from Harrisburg, they are NOT the same place, and I don’t have firsthand knowledge of the problems because I live ten miles away in suburbia.

Something stored way back in my conservation landscaping memory says I’ve seen Rafiyqa before. On a whim I Google “Harrisburg Urban Gardening” and there’s the connection. Rafiyqa is the founder of the Harrisburg Urban Agriculture Garden behind the Camp Curtin YMCA, a lifelong resident of the City, an environmental justice advisor to PA DEP and Capital Region Water (CRW), and a booming voice for urban communities.

When the first presentation was over, she continued to tell the group at our table about how the City didn’t always look the way it does now, and that her mission is to stop the illegal dumping of garbage and waste and to teach urban communities how to grow their own food using permaculture and other sustainable, self-sufficient practices. Her message didn’t stop there. She says there’s a severe disconnect between the residents and the elected officials and City department heads. People in urban communities are reluctant and often unable to go to the City offices to talk to these people face to face and that’s how you get their attention, and in turn, hold them accountable. YOU NEED TO GO TO THE NEIGHBORHOODS to see the problems with their roads, their sewer overflows, their sinkholes, their illegal dumping. Rafiyqa says the same can be said for educating urban communities. YOU NEED TO GO TO THE NEIGHBORHOODS with the educational information. If you can do that, you will be surprised at how well the information is received and appreciated.

Ok here’s where everything Rafiyqa said comes full circle and gets hammered home as my “Keystone Moment”.

Two different streams — Partially channelized Paxton Creek

The following day, I participated in the walking tour field trip “Harrisburg: One City, Two Very Different Streams” lead by Brian Gish of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. The Paxton Creek and Spring Creek both flow through the City of Harrisburg. Despite their adjacency and urbanization (73 percent and 86 percent developed land, respectively), these streams tell two very different stories. Paxton Creek has been subjected to extreme hydromodification, minimal buffering, vast impervious landcover, and for all intents and purposes, is dead. Conversely, Spring Creek, flanked by buffers, restoration projects and the regional greenbelt, is thriving, even boasting a vibrant population of wild trout.

Sewage overflow notices — Sewage Overflow Notices

As we began our march from the Harrisburg Hilton down Mulberry Street to the Paxton Creek, I realized that I’ve walked some of the best cities of the world, but I never actually walked the streets of Harrisburg, the place where I inaccurately said I was from. During the walk, Brian stopped to perform some water quality field tests along the Paxton Creek behind an auto repair shop along Cameron Street. The group was gathered around the creek and three of CRW’s combined sewer overflow signs adjacent to the business’s dumpster. As the group watched Brian turn over rocks looking for aquatic life, a worker from the business approached the group with a large box on a dolly. After about 15 minutes of discussing the lack of aquatic insects, evidence of sewage discharge to the creek, and the combined sewer overflow signs, the group apologized to the worker for blocking the dumpster. The worker replied; “You weren’t blocking the dumpster. I was listening to what you were all saying because no one ever explained the creek and those signs to me before. Now I know what they are for. Thank you.” The lightbulb went on and I immediately realized what Rafiyqa said was true. You need to get out of the office and get into the community to speak with and educate the people that live and work there.

As a board member of the Paxton Creek Watershed and Education Association, I felt it important to share this story and remind everyone that Paxton Creek is equally a part of Harrisburg City as it is the surrounding suburban communities. Let’s not forget about trying to include Harrisburg City in our educational and membership outreach efforts and recognize that what works in suburbia may not be effective in the City.

Garden in Harrisburg — Harrisburg Urban Agricultural Garden, Camp Curtin

I encourage you to visit the Camp Curtin YMCA where you can see green infrastructure installed as part of CRW’s “Big Green Block” stormwater improvement project and the Harrisburg Urban Agriculture Garden to the rear of the YMCA.

April 25, 2022April 25, 2022

Introducing Regener8

Regenr8 is a volunteer group of professionals from the sustainable building community working at the intersection of social and ecological health. We are a partner of the 501(c)(3) Sustainability Nexus. Our collective recognizes the importance of inclusivity in mutually evolving the capacity of all stakeholders and the need to shift the way we think and work through hands-on experience in place-sourced, value-adding processes. We seek to work locally with existing teams and to convene new teams to undertake initiatives that enhance vibrancy, expand capacity and connectivity of our communities, guiding them in employing regenerative principles in this work. We advocate for a regenerative approach that aligns public & private investment with both the natural and social systems nested within our communities and the region as a whole.

The vitality and vibrancy of Harrisburg are directly connected to the vitality and vibrancy of the Capital Region. Harrisburg is the heart of the region and the region as a whole cannot be healthy without a healthy heart. As stakeholders, we feel a deep sense of responsibility to contribute to this vitality and vibrancy in a way that best serves the community.

Since first convening in November 2019, we have applied regenerative principles to create alignment around working with the community within our initial focus area of Harrisburg and the Capital Region. This effort proceeded in 2020 to developing a Story of Place^TM for Harrisburg, where we researched the social-ecological patterns that shaped the area, interviewed citizen leaders and held community workshops. Through the Story of Place, we defined our goal:

“We seek to cross divides, both visible and perceived in greater Harrisburg to express the enriching layering flows unique to our region that enables access to greater opportunities.“

In 2021 we began applying regenerative principles and the Harrisburg Story of Place Core Patterns to the Paxton Creek Multiuse Greenway Project, a proposed reparation of the Paxton Creek waterway that will integrate conservation areas with a recreational pathway for walking, jogging, and biking through the municipalities of Lower Paxton Township, Susquehanna Township and the City of Harrisburg. We believe this project is a perfect opportunity to apply regenerative principles to the way we work with each other, across municipal and community boundaries, and in alignment with natural systems. Our methodology was applied at a workshop with the Paxton Crossing HOA toward preparing a grant proposal. Based on the interest in this concept that we’ve garnered from township, county and state agencies, we are anticipating a workshop this spring that will bring together all the stakeholders of the Paxton Creek watershed.

For more information, to sign up for our newsletter and to volunteer in this effort, please go to our website regenr8.dev.

January 22, 2022January 27, 2022

Too Much Salt

Article reprinted from Forest Preserve District 1-17-22

link

Winter’s wacky weather can make snow and ice removal a priority to prevent dangerous conditions.

Road salt is the cheapest and most effective means of clearing snow and ice from the roads, and millions of tons of salt are used in the United States each winter, according to National Geographic.

But before throwing a bunch of salt on your driveway and sidewalks, it’s a good idea to understand how it works and how it may affect the environment. First, the salt we use to treat icy surfaces is similar to the salt we use on our food, although it’s not as pure and contains minerals and other contaminants not safe for consumption.

Basically, salt, or sodium chloride, lowers the freezing point of water. On its own, water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit. When salt is applied, it lowers that freezing point to about 15 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Popular Science. That’s why salt isn’t particularly effective against all snow — sometimes it’s too cold for the salt to work properly.

Placing salt on top of icy surfaces requires either sunlight or some type of friction — cars driving on it, for example — to activate the salt to melt the snow or ice. When you pretreat surfaces — salting roads and driveways before snowy and icy weather — the salt only works when the surfaces are warmer, which allows it to melt the snow or ice as it falls. This principle explains the many “Bridge freezes before road” signs we see all over Will County and beyond. Because of the airflow beneath them, bridges are colder than roads on land, so the salt isn’t as effective, according to Popular Science.

The salt we use to treat our roadways, driveways and sidewalks can be harmful to our waterways, however, so it’s important to be mindful of how we use it. This is why the Forest Preserve District and other agencies are working to encourage the responsible use of salt through the “Salt Smart” educational campaign.

One key of the “Salt Smart” campaign is not using more salt than necessary. And how much salt is needed may surprise you. Twelve ounces of salt — about as much as would fill a coffee mug — is enough to treat a 20-foot-long driveway or about 10 squares of sidewalk, according to the “Salt Smart” initiative.

Using more salt won’t yield better results. If you see salt left on the ground after the snow and ice clears, you are using too much. Sweep up the excess salt and throw it away rather than allowing it to run off.

Cleaning up excess salt is important because what’s left on the ground eventually makes its way into our soil and water supply, including both surface water, such as creeks and streams, and groundwater, the water underground, according to the Smithsonian.

Salt can alter the pH level of soil and water, said Kate Caldwell, an interpretive naturalist for the District. When pH levels are not properly balanced, it can affect living organisms.

“Everything is in balance, and salt is disbalancing that,” Caldwell said.

Caldwell said she once attended a presentation on the effects of road salt given by a suburban public works director, and she was struck by how much salt can alter our world. In particular, she said she was stunned to learn that once salt is soluble in water it is always in the water.

Essentially, too much salt alters soil and water quality, she said. For example, if too much salt leaches into the soil, it can damage or kill nearby plants. She said it’s important to be mindful of these effects when using salt to treat snow and ice.

The Forest Preserve District is mindful of how salt affects our waterways, which is why it uses an organic anti-icing agent derived from fermented and distilled corn. The District uses rock salt only on a very limited basis for roadways and parking lots when ice buildup presents safety concerns.

“We primarily use sand on our roadways and parking lots to keep salt from rivers and their tributaries,” said John Fay, the District’s director of maintenance and operations. “The product we use on sidewalks is less toxic, ounce for ounce, than baking soda and other common ice melters, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. And it is safe to use around people and animals.”

Here are some more “Salt Smart” tips that can help consumers reduce the amount of salt they release into the environment:

Shovel first. Clear all snow from driveways and sidewalks before it turns to ice. Salt should only be used after the snow is removed and only in areas needed for safety.
Distribute salt evenly, not in clumps. Clumped salt is wasted salt.
Untreated salt stops working if the temperature is below 15 degrees. When temperatures drop that low, switch to sand for traction or choose a different deicer formulated for colder temperatures.