The Friends of the Wissahickon have been leading a successful volunteer effort to clean up the area surrounding Devil’s Pool this summer, which will continue through August and September.

The group, led by FOW interns Kate Reilley and Kristin Brown, has placed trash cans in the area, collected litter, painted metal railings along both wooden walkways on either side of the pool, and removed graffiti from boulders, a stone bridge, and trees.

“Our volunteers have made substantial progress in keeping the pool area clean,” says Kevin Groves, FOW Volunteer Coordinator.

From August through mid-September, workdays at Devil’s Pool will be held every Tuesday and Thursday evening from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Groves offers these tips for volunteers:

· Drink lots of water! Please bring your own reusable water bottle. This will help us to reduce the waste of disposable bottles and cups. Volunteers are welcome to bring their own snacks.

· Wearing work boots is best. Hiking boots are second best. Sneakers are acceptable. Sandals and flip flops are not allowed.

· Volunteers under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Some of the heavier work we do is not appropriate for children.

· Sunglasses are a good idea on sunny days. Shorts and t-shirts are fine, but light weight long pants/sleeves are great to protect against ticks, and poison ivy, and still stay cool.

Directions: Meet at the trail head by the stone bridge across the creek from Valley Green Inn. Please do not park at the lot next to the Inn. Please park in the lot on the Wise Mill Road side (P-7 on the FOW Map), or the upper lot on the Valley Green Road Side (P-9 on the FOW Map). Volunteers are encouraged to bike or carpool to the work day.

To register, contact Kevin Groves by sending email to: groves@fow.org or call 215-247-0417.

For more information, visit the Devil’s Pool Project webpage.

8/1/2008