What’s On Tap

Want to know what is going on in the watershed world this month?

Upcoming Events and Current Happenings to Share

May 1, 2024

Bushkill Stream Conservancy:

Saturday May 11 BSC Walk and Talk along the Bushkill starting at Mill Race Park to Tatamy and back, 9 a.m. (approx. 90 minutes)
Saturday June 1 Trout Unlimited at Northampton County Youth Day
Sunday June 2 Rain Barrel Workshop at Mill Race Park, 10 a.m. to noon
July 23-27 Plainfield Twp Farmers Day
Saturday August 10 Meadow Walk and Talk, 9 a.m. at Louise Moore Park

Cook’s Creek Watershed Association:

June 15th will be the Mini Monster Mayhem from 9:30 to Noon at Scott Douglas’ home, 3450 Rt 212, in Springtown.
The Creek and River Festival will take place on Saturday, July 13th, 2024, from 10am until 4pm at the silver creek athletic association
05 October 2024 Fall Dinner
09 November 2024 Fall Cleanup

Monocacy Creek Watershed Association:

The annual spring cleanup event at Burnside in Bethlehem on Saturday, April 13, from 9 to 11:30 AM was a big success. Over 50 people attended and picked up about 40 bags of junk plus other large items from Illick’s Mill Road down to Union Blvd in Bethlehem.
The creek cleanup event in Bath Borough on April 20 was also very productive, getting 20 bags of debris and other large stuff collected. The newly installed watershed sign in Clocktower Park was also celebrated on this borough-wide day of getting areas spiffed up for spring.
On April 29 the PADEP held a public hearing at Nitschmann Middle School to accept input regarding the proposed warehouse/distribution center at Route 22 and Center Street in Hanover Twp, NORCO. Many people attended to express their concerns, and many others sent in written documentation, all of which will be reviewed by the DEP as a part of the NPDES permit process.
On May 4 at Gertrude Fox Conservation Area a youth group from an Allentown UCC church will spend time learning about the improvements they have made in this pocket park along the Monocacy near Center Street in Bethlehem. They will also be doing a creek and dry wash cleanup up in the park and near the route 22 boundary that is just north of GFCA.
May 9 at 12:30 pm will be a walking tour with Kristie Fach of Wildlands Conservancy as she shows us the plans for a big project at Archibald Johnston Conservation Area in Bethlehem Township. Others are invited to attend. Contact Jane Cook at casacookj@mac.com or monocacycrkwa@gamil.com for more info.
Monocacy Park Day will be on Saturday, May 11, from 10 AM to 1 PM at Illick’s Mill. They will have kids’ activities, fly-fishing demos, a native plant sale, refreshments, a rain barrel workshop organized through Penn State extension, and other activities centered on the creek. See our Facebook page for additional info.

Fry’s Run Watershed Association:

They just did their spring trash pick up.
Water testing scheduled for May.

Bertsch Hokendauqua Catasauqua Watershed Association:

Two rain barrel workshops are coming up, one on May 11th with Monocacy Park, one on May 25th in Walnutport.
There will be a native plant TapTalk at Portcha Tea in Emmaus on May 19th.
They had a very successful first official day of planting for our Walnutport Educational Buffer project! 65 red-osier dogwoods, sycamores, buttonbushes, arrowwoods, and redbuds were planted, caged, and watered via a fire brigade bucket parade. As well as rogue knotweed plucked and some fallen debris hauled away!
A second planting day for Walnutport is coming up on May 18th from 9 to 12. If you or anyone you know would be interested in lending a hand, meet at the Walnutport Boat Launch (120 Lehigh Street) armed with gloves, shovels, and anything else you might like to use!
A clean-up day is in the offing (date TBD) as one of our beloved trails is covered with trash and we simply can’t abide it. Hopefully with some youth involved!

Saucon Creek Watershed Association:

Cinco De Mayo spring clean up of the LST Native Plant Garden
Spring, Summer, Fall 2024 Coopersburg Meadow Restoration
18 May 24 Hellertown Heritage Day
13 July 24 Cook’s Creek River Festival
17 August 24 Hellertown Community Day

Aquashicola Pohopoco Watershed Conservancy:

No news to report

Tobyhanna Creek Tunkhannock Creek Watershed Association:

TCTCWA has been collaborating with several environmental advocacy organizations (e.g. PennFuture, Delaware Riverkeeper Network) to comment on various warehouse/distribution center development projects throughout the watershed.
Water monitoring continues the Monroe County Planning Commission added an annual water quality monitoring site on the Upper Tunkhannock Creek at TCTC’s request – this portion of the watershed is the most densely developed but not previously covered in County program.

Little Lehigh Watershed Stewards:

LLWS had a good turnout for their microplastics education table with kid activities at the Allentown Earth Day Celebration. Thanks to Jennifer Latzgo and the education committee for preparing a great presentation.
May 9th: Hydromania at Cedar Crest College. LLWS will host two tables in cooperation with Penn State Extension
4th Annual LLWS Knotweed Knockdown planned for June 15th. Still working with Allentown Parks Dept to select a good site.
Planning for a fall stream cleanup is in progress.

Neshaminy Creek Watershed Association:

Little Neshaminy Macroinvertebrate study from March – November 2024. They will be surveying five sites once per month to generate an integrated biotic index score for each month to see if the sites are impaired or attaining environments.Their data will then be compared to existing DEP data and summarized in a report at the end of the year.
Legislative Event – Government and Environmental Community Meetup – 5/16
5 Restoration projects planned for this year in three Townships.

Martins-Jacoby Watershed Association:

Salt pollution testing of streams is ongoing. They are testing each stream about four times a year.
River Pointe Commerce Park development: Stormwater management and drip irrigation system for waste water continues to be reviewed with Upper Mount Bethel Township and DEP public meetings.
Stream crossing sign survey of the watershed is ongoing. So far Lower Mount Bethel Township is complete and Washington Township is partially complete. Out of 31 signs surveyed: 10 are missing, 8 are in poor condition, and 13 are in good shape. So it appears it is a good time to be doing this survey.
Planning has started to conduct plantings along Martins Creek to improve the riparian buffer. The “Meadows” section which is owned by LMBT and is open to the public has been surveyed. The BOD needs to decide at the next meeting how large of a scope we intend to pursue. We may need to wait until 2025 to secure enough funding and to approach private landowners.
Temperature monitoring of Martins Creek continues. Trying to improve the security of the sensor before adding more sensors.

Northampton County Parks:

Installed 19 additional bluebird nestboxes at Bear Swamp & Minsi Lake & one wood duck box at Totts Gap Conservation Area.
Confirmed two families of barred owls nesting in two of our six barred owl nestboxes in the Minsi Lake Greenway; each nest contains three barred owlets.
Friends of Minsi Lake sponsored the purchase of 11 new picnic tables which Parks & Rec staff assembled & then replaced all 11 of the nearly 50-year old tables at the West Shore Picnic Area at Minsi Lake with the new tables.
Cosponsored the highly successful WeConservePA 2024 PA Land Conservation Conference in Bethlehem April 3-4, including the presentation of several conference sessions & mobile workshops.
Assisted Master Watershed Stewards with picking up 62 55-gallon plastic barrels from the Coca Cola Syrup Plant in Breinigsville & then delivering them to several rain barrel workshop and storage locations.
Sponsored four community programs in April.
Scheduled five community programs in May—see attached flyer.
Hosted the 2024 Northampton County Envirothon at Louise Moore Park on April 18.
Coordinated planning for some small naturalization projects around kiosks & parking lot islands at Louise Moore Park with a new class of Master Gardeners.
PFBC confirmed a report of an invasive snakehead fish caught in Fry’s Run at Fry’s Run Park in Williams Township; first confirmed report in a Delaware River tributary in Northampton County (previously confirmed in the river itself in NorCo).
Received many Northampton County Livable Landscapes Grant Applications by the April 18 submission deadline; approved applicants will be announced in the coming weeks.