Wissahickon Valley Park | July 22-26, 2021

Located in northwest Philadelphia, Wissahickon Park provides a quick escape from the city for visitors.  Dense forest, steep and rocky slopes, and ~50 miles of trails allow visitors from near and far to walk, run, bike, ride horseback, among other activities all within the city limits.  Its wild nature attracts roughly 1 million visitors a year, which has put a lot of strain on it and resulted in considerable impacts.  High concentrations of visitors have led to visitor conflicts, pet waste issues, and excessive litter, among a multitude of other impacts. For the Hot Spot activation, the Subaru/Leave No Trace Team will be at Wissahickon Valley Park leading a variety of workshops, outreach programs and community events, including opportunities for community involvement.

*Wissahickon Valley Park is located on the ancestral lands of the Lənape Haki-nk (Lenni-Lenape) and possibly other tribes*

Solutions

During the Hot Spot activation, the Subaru/Leave No Trace Team led a variety of workshops, outreach programs, and community events at Wissahickon Valley Park. The Friends of Wissahickon (FOW) led a hike through the Cresheim Valley and the Wissahickon’s industrial past. A Quizzo trivia night was held for the FOW Trash Smash World Championship to brush up on knowledge of Leave No Trace principles (and Wissahickon-related trivia). A service day was held to clean up the Valley Green area, including Valley Green Parking Lots, Devil’s Pool, and Magargee Dam. Let’s Go Outdoors led a variety of events for kids and families featuring exciting outdoor activities and the opportunity to explore new places in the park. After-Cleanup Celebrations featured a competition in the weirdest piece of trash stakes, guessing the weight of trash removed in the service day, and playing more traditional outdoor games at the Valley Green Inn. FOW, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, neighborhood partners, and community leaders hosted a workshop on building community around caring for Wissahickon Valley Park. This workshop was open to the public and also covered Leave No Trace practices.