Riverbend Joins Statewide Network for Pennsylvania Watersheds and Rivers

Riverbend Environmental Education Center has joined the Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers (POWR), a statewide network that helps local groups restore, protect, and celebrate the rivers and streams in their communities. Membership connects Riverbend's watershed education on Saw Mill Run with watershed groups, river advocates, and volunteers working across the Commonwealth.

About POWR
POWR is an affiliate of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council and is based in Pittston, PA. It provides tools, training, education, and resources so that leaders and volunteers can protect and restore Pennsylvania's rivers and streams. Its programs include:
• Pennsylvania River of the Year, an annual program that recognizes and celebrates one river, supported by the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
• SWAG Mini Grants for local watershed improvement projects
• Sojourn Mini Grants for educational river trips
• Regional workshops and events where watershed groups train and share ideas
• A GIS map of watershed organizations across the state

Why Watersheds Matter at Riverbend
Watershed education is at the heart of what Riverbend does. Saw Mill Run flows through our preserve in Gladwyne and feeds the Schuylkill River. Each year, thousands of children explore the stream with our educators, learning how what happens on the land shapes the health of the water downstream.

That work has earned statewide recognition. The Pennsylvania Association of Environmental Educators named Riverbend a MWEE Partner of Excellence for our Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs), which guide students through hands-on investigation of a local environmental issue and an action project of their own. Recent examples include:
• The "Where Does My Water Come From?" program with Aqua Pennsylvania and the Upper Darby School District, which brought environmental STEM lessons to nearly 1,000 fifth graders and tracked water from Crum Creek to their homes
• Ecosystem field trips to John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, where students study how water shapes local ecosystems
• New stream signs along Saw Mill Run that invite preserve visitors to explore the stream and see how their homes connect to the Saw Mill Run and Schuylkill River watersheds
• Advocacy with local governments to protect the health of Saw Mill Run

Joining POWR places this work inside a larger statewide effort. It gives our educators access to training and resources, connects us with other groups working on the Schuylkill and its tributaries, and helps us share what we learn about teaching children to care for healthy streams and ecosystems.

"Every child who wades into Saw Mill Run is learning about a much bigger system, one that reaches the Schuylkill and every community downstream," said Erin Reilly, Executive Director of Riverbend. "Joining POWR connects our educators with people across Pennsylvania who are working to keep those waters healthy, and it helps us bring what we learn back to the students and families we serve."

Get Involved
The best way to see our watershed work up close is to visit. The Riverbend preserve is free and open dawn to dusk, 365 days a year, at 1950 Spring Mill Road, Gladwyne, PA 19035. Follow the new stream signs along Saw Mill Run and notice what you find.

Teachers and school leaders interested in bringing a MWEE or an ecosystem field trip to their students can contact our education team. To learn more about POWR and the work of watershed groups across Pennsylvania, visit pawatersheds.org.