By Senator Rob Wonderling

On April 22, 1970, over 20 million people across America celebrated the first Earth Day. In 1970, many of our cities were filled with smog and some of our rivers were so polluted they literally caught on fire.

We've come a long way since then. Today, Earth Day is celebrated around the world and our nation has made significant progress cleaning up our rivers, lakes, and streams. Yet there is still much work to do. I believe that water quality and water supply issues will likely be the greatest environmental challenge we face this century.

Today's threats to our water come from so-called non-point source pollution, such as when we use too much fertilizer on our lawn and it washes into a stream or when the oil residue in a parking lot washes into storm drains during a rainfall. Approximately 40 percent of our surveyed rivers, lakes, and estuaries are not clean enough to meet basic uses such as fishing or swimming due to non-point source pollution.

Through the combined efforts of federal, state, and local governments, grassroots environmental organizations, industry, and citizens, efforts are underway to further improve our waterways.

As your state Senator, I have supported numerous measures to help protect our environment, including supporting Growing Greener II, which provides $625 million over 6 years for a variety of environmental and conservation projects. Specifically, the measure provides $230 million to the state Department of the Environment for watershed protection, mine reclamation, and brownfields cleanup. I also introduced legislation to reform the Commonwealth's 66 conservation districts. The measure proposes to better coordinate efforts between districts and assists environmental organizations with watershed and conservation efforts.

Several open space projects awarded in my district include $270,000 for the Montgomery County Lands Trust to conserve 46 acres adjacent to White's Mill Park in Salford Township, $337,500 for Springfield Township to acquire 108 acres along Haycock Creek, $400,000 for Williams Township to conserve 73 acres off of Hexenhopf Road, and $258,500 for Lehigh County to purchase the Bethlehem Water Authority property in Salisbury Township. I have also provided financial assistance to several local watershed organizations and municipalities for clean water programs, including the Cooks Creek Watershed Association, Unami Watershed Conservancy, and Nockamixon Township for storm water improvement, to name a few. In total, as your public servant, I have facilitated more than $110,000 of your tax dollars for watershed improvement projects since 2003.

In the 24th Senatorial district, which I represent there are numerous environmental organizations working to save our watersheds. Some of these organizations are: the Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy, the Cooks Creek Watershed, The Gallows Run Watershed Association, and the Wildlands Conservancy. Many of these organizations are conducting environmental clean-up activities in April in honor of Earth Day. Below are some of the events taking place in our communities. I encourage you to contact your local watershed association or environmental group to find out about upcoming events and join the fun!

Bushkill Stream Conservancy - encompasses 80 square miles of Northampton County, stretching from Blue Mountain to the Delaware River in Easton. For information about events in your neighborhood, visit www.bushkill.org .

Cooks Creek Watershed Association - is a 30-square-mile limestone valley watershed in northern Bucks County. They are holding a watershed-wide cleanup on April 14th from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. starting at the Springtown Firehouse. Their Annual Meeting is set for April 21, 10:00 a.m. -1:00 p.m., at Laughing Springs Forest Community in Springtown. They will also be doing two Earth Day presentations on water quality / quantity at the Palisades High School on April 25th and Palisades Middle School on April 16th. Check out their website at www.cookscreekpa.org for details.

Gallows Run Watershed Association (GRWA) encompasses most of Nockamixon and some of Durham and Springfield Townships in Bucks County. They will host a Stream Cleanup of the Gallows Run on Saturday, April 28th as part of Nockamixon's Earth Day activities. Volunteers are welcome to meet on the base of Ealer Hill Road and Old Easton Highway at 9:00 a.m. Visit their web site at www.grwabucks.org for additional information.

Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy is a nonprofit organization founded in 1964 by local citizens to combat pollution in the Perkiomen Creek and its tributaries. The watershed encompasses 362 square miles and 57 municipalities in Berks, Bucks, Lehigh and Montgomery counties and includes the major sub-watersheds of the Upper and Lower Perkiomen, East Branch, Skippack, Unami, and Swamp Creeks. Join them on April 21st from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for the Perkiomen Watershed Annual Stream Clean-Up. Or join the Lenape Survival Challenge on April 28 for a mini-triathlon that explores Spring Mountain and includes a canoe trek on the Perkie! For additional information, visit their web site at www.perkiomenwatershed.org .

Wildlands Conservancy: A non-profit member-supported organization dedicated to protect the Lehigh River watershed since 1973. (This includes the Alliance for the Little Lehigh Watershed). On May 4th, 5th, 6th, 12th and 13th they are having a Spring Native Plant Sale and on June 22nd thru the 27th join in on the Lehigh River Sojourn. For more details, visit www.wildlandspa.org .

My family and I live in the Perkiomen watershed. We spend many days and evenings enjoying the trails and fishing in the creeks in our neighborhood. Taking care of our environment is everyone's responsibility. I believe as people learn how even small, individual actions add up to big environmental consequences they will become an active partner in our effort to leave Pennsylvania's waters purer than they were when we arrived.

Sen. Rob Wonderling has served in the Senate since 2002 and represents parts of Bucks, Lehigh, Montgomery and Northampton counties. For more information, visit Sen. Wonderling’s website.

4/6/2007