Still time to Enter Schuylkill Shots Photo Contest

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary

Nature photographers, there is still you have until Aug. 31 to enter a photo contest with the Schuylkill River as your subject.

Partnership for the Delaware Estuary works to preserve the health and beauty of all water in the Delaware Estuary, including the Schuylkill River.

PDE is proud to announce its second Schuylkill Shots photography contest to anyone who wants to enter. Go wild! Show off your photography skills and capture the beauty of the Schuylkill.

How to Enter:

• Digital photographs should be taken at the highest resolution possible. 
  
• Only entries submitted through the official contest app on Facebook will be considered. 
• Photographs must be in a Facebook-accepted format. Facebook accepts .bmp, .gif, .jpg, .png, and .tif files. 
• High quality scans of non-digital photographs are acceptable.

Multiple entries by a single photographer must be submitted separately (maximum of six photos per person). Each photo may only be submitted once — no repeats. Resubmissions from previous Schuylkill Shots contests will not be accepted.

To be considered, entries must include the town where the photo was taken and by whom**

Entries will be accepted until Aug. 31.

Categories

Photos should be taken in areas where the Schuylkill River or related streams flow — Berks, Chester, Montgomery and Schuylkill counties, and part of Philadelphia.

Photo submissions will be sorted and judged into the following categories:

• Wild & Scenic - Highlight the scenic beauty and wildlife thriving in the Schuylkill
• Splash of Fun – People recreating within, or around, the Schuylkill 
• Urban Waters Environment – Highlight creeks, streams, and rivers in cities and towns that border the Schuylkill 
• People’s Choice – People will vote and choose their favorite photos from each of the above categories. 

Who May Enter

Anyone of any age, from anywhere can submit up to six photos.

Prizes

There will be a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winner for each of the three contest categories, and one “People’s Choice” winner from each category.

1st Place:

• Wild & Scenic — two behind the scenes tours at PDE’s mussel hatchery and exhibit at Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center
• Splash of Fun — two tickets to Schuylkill River Greenways’ 2019 Pedal and Paddle event
• Urban Waters Environment — two tickets to the Franklin Institute
• People’s Choice — two tickets to the Academy of Natural Sciences

2nd Place — all categories

• $50 gift card 
  

3rd Place — all categories

• $25 gift card 

Judging

Photos will be judged on content, clarity, and creativity. A panel of professional photographers and members the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary staff will select the top three photos from each category. After our judges choose the top placing entries, all remaining photos from each category will go to an online voting system for the public to choose a "People’s Choice" winner.

Releases

All entrants are responsible for obtaining any and all releases and consents necessary to permit the exhibition and use of their photograph. This includes any material or elements that are not owned by the entrant, material that is subject to the rights of third parties, and any people who appear in the

photograph. 

By submitting their photo(s), entrants grant the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary and partners a royalty-free right to use the photo for any educational purposes with or without attribution. The Partnership for the Delaware Estuary reserves the right to disqualify inappropriate or incomplete entries and/or contestants who are unable to submit, upon request, a high-resolution photograph.

The Schuylkill River is an important source of fresh water to the Delaware Estuary. The river and its related streams flow through Chester, Montgomery, Berks and Schuylkill counties and part of Philadelphia where it serves as a source of drinking water to more than 1.5 million people.

A River Runs Through It ... Again

The cover of  Chari Towne's new book.

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Schuylkill River National Heritage Area.

In the mid-20th century, the Schuylkill was one of the nation’s dirtiest rivers.

Throughout the Industrial Revolution, its waters served as a dumping site for factory pollutants, raw sewage and, perhaps most damaging of all, coal waste, known as culm. 

 By 1945 an estimated 38 million tons of culm had accumulated in its channel.

The Schuylkill was on the brink of becoming a wasteland until, in 1945, the state of Pennsylvania agreed to undertake the Schuylkill River Project. 

It was the first major government-funded environmental cleanup, and it dredged millions of tons of coal culm from the river. 

That story, the events that led up to it, and the impact that it had, are the subject of a new book, "A River Again," by Chari Towne.

Towne will speak at a book signing on Wednesday, Dec. 19, 6:30- 8:30 p.m. at the Schuylkill River Heritage Area offices, located at 140 College Drive, in Pottstown. 

The Heritage Area’s River of Revolutions Interpretive Center will also be open during the event. Doors open at 6:30, lecture begins at 7 followed by book signing. Light refreshments will be served. 

The Flat Rock Rapids on the Schuylkill River

There is no cost for this event, but please calli484-945-0200, or email ckott@schuylkillriver.org if you're coming.

Towne is a former Olympic rower who trained on the Schuylkill, and today works as the Schuylkill Watershed Specialist for the Delaware Riverkeeper Network. 

She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and a Master of Science degree in Natural Resource Planning. 

The book was funded in part by a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources administered through the Schuylkill River Heritage Area. Other funders include The Jerlyn Foundation and The William Penn Foundation.

Researching and writing "A River Again" took her about four years, but her interest in penning a book about the river’s cleanup goes back much farther.

The Strawberry Mansion Bridge over the Schuylkill

“For more than 10 years I wanted to write this story, because it was something I realized most people didn’t know a lot about, or had misconceptions about,” said Towne.

Nevertheless, researching the book proved difficult. Many of the project records had been destroyed, and first person narratives from project workers were not easy to come by. 

Despite that, Towne managed to unearth enough documentation and former Schuylkill River Project workers to craft her 200-plus page book.

"A River Again" tells the story of how a series of environmentally harmful practices throughout the Industrial Revolution so defiled the river that its value as a source of drinking water was severely threatened. 

It introduces the politicians and environmental leaders who pushed for legislation to eliminate pollution and fought for funding to clean it.

The Schuylkill River in Pottstown, right outside where
Towne will sign copies of her new book.

The book includes photos of the dredging project and the sediment-filled river, further illustrating the enormity of the problem and the vast effort required to remove the coal culm.

Towne hopes readers come away with a greater respect for the Schuylkill and a thirst to learn more about its fascinating environmental history.

“People think the Schuylkill is so polluted today. It’s hard for them to put in context just how far the river has come. I’d like to see them regain that perspective,” Towne said.

The hardcover books will be available for $21.95 at the book signing, and can also be purchased directly from the Delaware Riverkeeper Network at www.delawareriverkeeper.org. 

It is also available as a free publication on that website, and can be downloaded from the “Resources” tab by clicking on “Free publications.”

The Schuylkill River Heritage Area has a limited supply of A River Again. 

 No copies will be available from the Heritage Area prior to the book signing.

Help Find the Hidden River, Win Money While You're At It

The Strawberry Mansion Bridge over the Schuylkill

A river once described as "foul," "chemically poisonous" and, of all things, "unhappy," leads a much happier life today.

Our own Schuylkill River, however, still suffers from a bum rap.

The folks at the Schuylkill Action Network want to change all that. So they've issued a challenge.

In order to showcase the beauty, fun, and purity of the Schuylkill River they have launched the Schuylkill Shots Photography Contest.

To get everyone in the right frame of mind, I have borrowed a few from Google Images to give you a sense of the possibilities.

The Schuylkill outside Schuylkill Haven

Winners will receive a $300 gift provided by one of three sponsors.

These include the Philadelphia Water Department, Calumet Photo, and REI.  

Other prizes include $100 gift cards for second place and $50 gift cards for honorable mention.

Photographers of any age and skill level can submit up to nine pictures, or three per category.


These categories include Wild & Scenic, Fun on the Schuylkill, and Tip Top Tap.

“Many people only see the river from cars while driving over bridges or past refineries,” said Tom Davidock, Schuylkill Action Network coordinator at the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary.  

The river in Berks County.

“What they don’t see are the forests, fun seekers, and wildlife; all of it made possible by water clean enough to quench the thirst of most Philadelphians.”

The deadline for entries is Oct. 30.  This gives photographers four months and two seasons to capture what artists have tried to depict for centuries.  

During this time, those who follow the SAN on Facebook can watch and comment on each entry as it is uploaded to the Internet.

A panel of judges affiliated with the SAN will select 10 finalists per category by Nov. 15. 

Shooting the 'Chute'

The public will then have one month to vote for their favorites. It is those votes that will determine the winner.

The Schuylkill Action Network is a collaboration of agencies, companies, individuals, and nonprofit organizations founded in 2003 to help clean up the Schuylkill River and the many waterways flowing into it.  

The SAN does this by collaborating on projects in Berks, Chester, Montgomery, Philadelphia, and Schuylkill counties, among others.  In this way it helps to protect nearly 2 million Pennsylvanians, all of whom depend on these waterways for safe drinking water. 

Casting a line at Philly's Farmount Dam

 Since 2003, the SAN has grown to include dozens of local, private, and public members, in addition to its five founders: the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 3; Philadelphia Water Department; Delaware River Basin Commission; Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection; and the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary.

The Schuylkill River travels 130 miles through the cities of Pottsville, Reading, Pottstown, Norristown, and Philadelphia.   

The Saturday Evening Post once described it as “foul,” “chemically poisonous,” and “unhappy,” but much has changed since this 1949 article about coal mines.  

The Flat Rock Rapids

So much has changed that, in 1978, it was the first river included in the state’s Scenic Rivers Program.  

Today the Schuylkill is a source of drinking water for millions of people and a critical source of fresh water for the Delaware River and Bay.

A River Runs Through It

The Schuylkill River Heritage Center in Phoenixville

Have you ever wondered if you can name all the towns are located along the Schuylkill River? 

Or what tributaries flow into the Schuylkill River?    

In the Schuylkill River Heritage Center in Phoenixville, these answers are literally built into the floor.  

Tomorrow, students will be challenged to see who can identify them the quickest.

The Schuylkill River Heritage Center in the Phoenixville Foundry building at 2 North Main Street is sponsoring a children’s workshop Saturday morning, May 12, from 10 to 12 p.m.. 

Children ages 6-12 will be able to participate in a wide variety of contests and activities.

 

There will be contests, in different age groups, to see who can build the tallest structure using only mini marshmallows and toothpicks.   

The Phoenix Steel Foundry on hard times

“Now and Then” photos, will challenge children to match photos of old postcards with current photos of the same locations in Phoenixville.   

There will also be a coloring contest. 

 Cards for both the tributaries and the towns will help students match the correct names, and learn about where they live. 

The final contest will be a scavenger hunt of the foundry site.  Clues will guide participants around both the inside and the grounds of the Visitor’s Center.

Demonstrations will be conducted on how to cast a wooden mold into an iron shape.  

Plaster of paris will be substituted for the molten iron/steel used when the steel company operated.  

A miniature drag or Nowell will be used with an original gear or mold and lots of sand will be packed by participants. 

The Phoenix column, invented at Phoenix Steel, revolutionized the steel
industry and revolutionized the urbanization of America

Sketches of how the actual iron pouring takes place will be shown and connections made to the creation of the sand mold.   

Hopefully the plaster will dry enough so that by the end of the event the sand will be removed and an exact duplicate will come out of the sand. 

Many Junior Docents will be on hand with SRHC board members to assist participants with these events. Fun and learning will be mixed with a variety of prizes and rewards will be distributed.

For more information, call 610-935-2181.