for the
White Clay Creek
a
National Wild & Scenic River
in
Chester County, Pennsylvania
and
New Castle County, Delaware
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Next Meeting of the Watershed Management Committee:
| The next meeting of the
White Clay Creek Watershed Management Committee is
scheduled for: Tuesday,
September 11, 2007 1:00–3:00 p.m. AGENDA
Directions to New Garden Twp Building If you have any questions please contact Linda Stapleford, White Clay Creek Wild & Scenic Program Administrator at 302-731-1756 or R i v e r A d m i n i s t r a t o r @ W h i t e C l a y . o r g
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| The 2006 Report of the Management Committee's Work is now available. |
Watershed Management Committee Report for 2002-2004 plus 2005 Update
The White Clay Creek Watershed Management Committee's first biennial report presents information intended to provide the watershed partners, legislators and the community with background information on the White Clay Creek National Wild and Scenic River and an update on the current activities of the Watershed Management Committee in the watershed.
photo by Chuck Barscz Contents: |
White Clay Creek Fish Advisory:
The full fish advisory is
available at www.dnrec.state.de.us/fw/advisory.htm.
Changes for the upper portion of White Clay Creek include
recommendations to eat no more than one 8-ounce meal of
resident fish or stocked trout from those waters per
month. The advisories reflect recent data on chemicals of
concern such as PCBs, dioxins, pesticides and mercury in
certain fish species and take into consideration the
general health benefits of eating a variety of fish. Rick
detailed the various contaminants that were tested,
outlined the testing procedures, explained the resulting
data graphs, and the risk assessment procedure. Delaware
spends considerable money on sophisticated testing and
utilizes a conservative risk assessment protocol to
protect the health of its citizens. Contaminant problems with
stocked trout are nationwide in scope and oftentimes
result from low level contamination in fish feeds. (Fish
oils used in the manufacture of trout feed can contain
low levels of PCBs.) Differences in risk assessment
procedures among states may result in less restrictive
fish advisories in other states such as Pennsylvania. Recommendations that were
discussed included: |
Clayton Hall Conference - April 14, 2005:
Water and Our Changing Landscape Perspectives from the Wild and Scenic White Clay Watershed April 14, 2005
Presentations:
Lunch Table Discussions:
The conference was hosted by the White Clay Creek Watershed Management Committee, which oversees the National Wild and Scenic River program for the White Clay, and the National Park Service and White Clay Watershed Association. Co-sponsors included the University of Delaware Institute for Public Administration Water Resources Agency, Delaware Water Resources Center at the University of Delaware, Delaware Division of Water Resources, Delaware Department of Transportation, Chester County Conservation District, Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, and United Water Delaware and Bethel. Other contributors include Artesian Water Company, Chester Water Authority, City of Newark, Delaware Nature Society, Kennett Township, London Grove Township, New Castle County Conservation District, New Garden Township, Penn Township, and Stroud Water Research Center. |
National Wild And Scenic River Outreach - SMARTYARDS Project:
| Do you hike, bike, or fish
along the White Clay Creek and its tributaries? … or
enjoy its scenic vistas as you drive through Chester or
New Castle County? The watershed is one of only a few
relatively unspoiled river systems remaining in our
highly congested region. To promote its long-term
protection the White Clay Wild and Scenic Program is
conducting two outreach projects this spring: homeowner
backyard stewardship and watershed education for schools.
SMARTYARDS, a homeowner backyard stewardship project, is being piloted in the Hills of Sullivan, just outside of Avondale, Pennsylvania and at the Fred S. Engle Middle School in Avon Grove, Pennsylvania, and the Shue-Medill Middle School in Newark, Delaware. SMARTYARDSmotivates homeowners to become better watershed stewards by explaining how landscapes affect watershed health and providing plants, materials, and tools to create a landscape with positive watershed benefits. Tiring of the expense and hassle of mowing, fertilizing, and applying pesticides, more people are eager to convert a part of their lawn to an attractive landscape feature. These native trees, shrubs, wildflowers, and groundcovers help reduce stormwater runoff and water pollution, and require less water, fertilizer, pesticides, and maintenance than lawns or exotic plants. They also attract birds and butterflies. Individually SMARTYARDS are a visible reminder of the landscape’s connection to the watershed; collectively they can make a difference. Funding for this project comes from the National Park Service Partnership Wild and Scenic Rivers Program and the E. Kneale Dockstader Foundation; it is administered by the White Clay Creek Watershed Management Committee in partnership with the Watershed Stewardship program of the Delaware Nature Society. The school outreach project consists of classroom programs and a field trip for selected seventh grade classes from the Engle and Shue Schools. Students will become better acquainted with the watershed’s boundaries, characteristics, and ecology and will investigate the creek’s water quality using water-testing kits. The highlight of the program is a trip to the protected headwaters of the East Branch at Stroud Water Research Center above Avondale. This program is free of charge thanks to support of the National Park Service Partnership Wild and Scenic Rivers Program and the Chichester du Pont Foundation and is being administered by the White Clay Creek Watershed Management Committee in partnership with the Stroud Water Research Center. SMARTYARDS and the school outreach program further the goals of the White Clay Wild and Scenic River’s Watershed Management Plan (and Chester County’s Watersheds) to balance human activities with the preservation of the watershed resources. LOOK for further news about these and other White Clay Creek Wild and Scenic Program projects and plan to visit the public demonstration SMARTYARDS at the Fred S. Engle and Shue-Medill Middle Schools later this spring or summer. Click to view Avon Grove Sun's article about the project at Fred S. Engle Middle School For more information contact Linda Stapleford, River Administrator at 302-731-1756 or R i v e r A d m i n i s t r a t o r @ W h i t e C l a y . o r g
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Proposed London Tract National Historic District:
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Conservation DistrictsWorking with landowners, other organizations and agency partners, districts have helped protect our soil, water, forests, wildlife and other resources for over 60 years. Chester County Conservation District New Castle County Conservation District
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County Water Resources Agency Provides the water resources science, engineering and planning necessary to protect public safety, to preserve the integrity of Chester County's natural water resources and watershed systems, and to balance the needs of all water users in support of Landscapes, Watersheds, and planned growth for Chester County. |
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Linda Stapleford
Linda was involved at the Delaware Nature Society for many years where she was the Associate Director for Natural Resources Conservation and served as the Delaware Stream Watch Coordinator. She served as the Executive Director for the video production Protecting Our Water: Who’s Got the Power?, an educational video that explains basic watershed ecosystem principles and encourages citizens to take an active role in solving the problems causing stream degradation. This video has been shown on WHYY and has been adopted for the Delaware 7th grade watershed curriculum. Linda has also served on the board of the White Clay Watershed Association. Linda received her Bachelor of Arts Degree as a
Biology major with a minor in Education from Denison
University in Granville, Ohio. Her undergraduate work
concentrated on Microbiology. She received her Masters
Degree in Applied Sciences from the University of
Delaware, where she studied Environmental Engineering.
Her thesis work involved an investigation of microbial
water treatment efficiency. |
In Memoriam - Robert Bruce Cheyne:
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Finances for the White Clay Creek Watershed Management Committee are handled by the White Clay Watershed Association. Financial Information can be found at the WCWA's website.
Please report technical problems with this website to
(click to view White
Clay legislation)
The Watershed Management Committee
has appointed of Linda Stapleford as the first White Clay
Creek River Administrator. In this role, Linda acts as
spokesperson for the Committee and oversees
implementation of a variety of special projects. She
works to help educate the general public in understanding
and appreciating the special qualities of the White Clay
Creek, and travels throughout the watershed looking for
opportunities to implement the recommendations of the
White Clay Creek Wild and Scenic River Management Plan. 