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.

Cleaning the Banks of the Schuylkill River

Photos Courtesy of the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary

Bradley Maule, center, in green shirt, with some of the volunteers who helped him clean the banks of the Schuylkill River during last month's Schuylkill river sojourn.

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

The Schuylkill Action Network has partnered with Bradley Maule of Philadelphia to pinpoint the Schuylkill River’s most littered banks.

This comes about three weeks after Maule’s 112-mile journey down the river, from Schuylkill Haven to Philadelphia.

Maule joined more than 200 paddlers for the Schuylkill River Sojourn on June 4-10.

During this time he served as the Schuylkill Action Network’s sojourn steward. This required him to document the river’s trash.

Bradley Maule along the banks of the Schuylkill River.

To do this he used the hashtag #SojournSteward on Facebook and Instagram. He also posted articles on PhillySkyline.com.

“As I expected, the most visible form of litter is always plastic,” said Maule. “Piles of plastic bottles accumulating from urban storm drains, sheets of plastic wrapped in tree branches and roots on banks — discarded plastic always presents a harsh contrast in the natural world.”

The SAN has worked to reduce litter washing into the river since 2011. That is when it expanded the Schuylkill Scrub, an annual campaign to clean up the Schuylkill Valley. This, in turn, keeps the Delaware Estuary clean.

“We’re looking to expand the Schuylkill Scrub, to prevent litter from occurring” said Virginia Vassalotti of the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary. She works to coordinate the SAN on behalf of its member-organizations. According to her, “Brad’s photo map will help us determine where litter is coming from and what types of litter are most prominent. This will help us develop strategies to prevent litter.”

Here's some video on the subject from Comcast Newsmamkers:





Few have studied this litter at its source. That is why the SAN turned to Maule. He spoke out on the issue in 2015 with his “One Man’s Trash” exhibit at the Fairmount Water Works. This consisted of all the trash he encountered during a year of weekly hikes in Wissahickon Valley Park.

“I felt a strong connection as we came to the confluence of the Wissahickon Creek at the Schuylkill River on the final day of the sojourn, and I was happy to find it pretty clean,” said Maule. “I’d actually give the overall course of the river a B+ — pretty clean, but there’s still work to do, especially in places with larger populations like Reading, Philadelphia, and even Pottsville.”

Visit SchuylkillWaters.org for info on the SAN and SchuylkillScrub.org to report litter near you.

Scrubbing the Schuylkill

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Schuylkill Action Network:

An estimated 1,500 people will participate in the two-month Schuylkill Scrub by picking up litter near the Schuylkill River, Pennsylvania’s River of Year.

Anyone hosting a cleanup before May 31 can register their event at SchuylkillScrub.org.

Those who do will be eligible to win a money-saving rain barrel. Events registered with Keep

No one benefits from having this junk in the river.

Pennsylvania Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup of PA will also have access to free gloves, trash bags, and safety vests at participating events. 

And they can benefit from free or reduced disposal fees at participating landfills during Pick It Up PA Days, from April 12 to May 5.

“Many people are aware of the Philly Spring Cleanup on April 5, but what happens if you’re busy during those five hours?” said Tom Davidock, an employee of the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary who coordinates the Schuylkill Action Network. “That’s what’s so great about the Schuylkill Scrub; you’ve got a hundred events from which to choose.”

Eleven members of the Schuylkill Action Network have joined forces to improve on last year’s campaign, which attracted over 1,500 volunteers to almost 100 litter cleanups. 

These spanned almost 100 miles across Southeast Pennsylvania, from downtown Philadelphia to Pottsville in Schuylkill County.

Participating in the Schuylkill Scrub contributes to the success of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup of PA. 

Last year, this organization tracked over 50,000 people volunteering in each of the five counties bordering the Schuylkill River. Together they collected more than 900 tons of trash; enough to fill almost 400 extra-large commercial dumpsters.

The Green Valleys Association and the Hay Creek Watershed Association of greater Pottstown founded the Schuylkill Scrub in 2010. Since then, dozens of organizations have partnered to promote local cleanups as part of the Schuylkill Scrub. 

Perhaps the most active is the Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy located in Schwenksville.

Approximately 2,000 square miles of land drain to the Schuylkill River. This makes it the largest influence on the tidal Delaware River and Bay, otherwise known as the Delaware Estuary. 

Cities along its 130-mile path include West Philadelphia, Norristown, Pottstown, Phoenixville, Royersford, Birdsboro, Reading, and Pottsville. 

 Over 2,400 Pennsylvanians selected the Schuylkill as their River of the Year in January.

Information and online registration is available at SchuylkillScrub.org. Volunteers can also call Tom Davidock of the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary at (800) 445-4935, extension 109.

The Beauty in Our Own Backyard

A finalist in the "Wild and Scenic" category, Boyertown photographer "Martha," titled this shot "The Circle of Life..."

Paul from Phoenixville took this shot of Black Rock Sanctuary.
It is a finalist in the "Wild and Scenic" category.

So one thing I like about blogging is that it does allow me to be completely partisan at times.

This is one of those times.

This is the second year that the Schuylkill Action Network has conducted its "Schuylkill Shots" photo contest.

I'm afraid the notice of the contest slipped through the cracks here in the Digital Notebook's vast command center complex and its inherent bureaucracy, so I did not let our amateur (or professional) photographers out there know in time that they could submit entries.

Another entry from Paul, also in the
"Wild and Scenic" category is from the quarry
at St. Peter's Village.

Our apologies. Rest assured those responsible have been flogged and sacked.

But I can let you know, thank's to kind e-mail nudge from Shaun Bailey at the Delaware River Estuary group, about voting, particularly when so many of the top entries are from our own area.

"I just wanted to let you know that, so far, four of the top-10 pictures in this year’s Schuylkill Shots Photo Contest are from Pottstown. Online voting ends just three weeks from Sunday, or Dec. 15," he wrote.

To see the photos, simply visit Facebook.com/SchuylkillWaters, click on the “Fan Faves” box, which also says “Photo Contest,” and then click “Vote.”


Fully four of entries are from a Pottstown photographer who goes by "Carol."

(THIS JUST IN!: Our vast network of confidential sources informs us that "Carol" is actually Pottstown High School graduate Carol Brightbill. Good show!)

There are also entries from photographers from Phoenixville, Boyertown and Douglassville.

Carol from Pottstown, took this shot of French Creek. It too
is in the "Wild and Scenic" category.

Other finalists are from Philadelphia and New Ringgold, but they can get their own blogger to promote their photos.

Last year over 6,000 people from Philadelphia to Pottsville voted on the final selection of winning photos from over 150 submitted. Winning photographers will receive prizes of gift cards ranging from $100 to $250 to REI, Amazon.com, or Calumet Photographic.

The deadline for entries was Oct. 30. A panel of judges affiliated with the SAN selected 10 finalists per category by Nov. 15.

Titled "The Fisherman," this shot by Carol is a finalist in
the "Fun on the Schuylkill" category

The public now has until Dec. 15 to vote for their favorites to determine the winners. The judges will also vote for their favorite photos in each category to determine the “Judges’ Choice” Awards. Followers of the SAN on Facebook can also watch and comment on each entry as it is uploaded to the internet.

The Schuylkill River travels 130 miles through the cities of Pottsville, Reading, Pottstown, Norristown, and Philadelphia. 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 Estuary, where salt water from the ocean mixes with fresh water from the Delaware River.

This shot by Karen, from Douglassville, is also in
French Creek in St. Peter's Village. It is a finalist
in the "Fun on the Schuylkill" category.

The Schuylkill Action Network is a collaboration of agencies, companies, individuals, and nonprofit organizations founded 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. 

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.

Another offering by Pottstown's Carol in the "Wild and Scenic" category is titled "Valley Forge Park in summer time."

Carol, from Pottstown, named this finalist in the "Wild and Scenic" category "Mr. Blue Eyes."

Spring Cleaning ... A River

Show the Schuylkill a little love this month and sign up to help clean her banks.

Blogger's Note: The following was provided to us by Shaun Bailey, marketing and communications Coordinator for the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary. 

Last year, participants in the Schuylkill Scrub organized over 2,000 volunteers at more than 90 sites across the Schuylkill Valley — a six-fold increase over 2011. This spring, leaders at the Schuylkill Action Network hope to increase participation even more.

Anyone hosting a riverside cleanup between April 1 and May 31 is invited to register their event at SchuylkillScrub.org. Those who do will be eligible to win a free rain barrel or $100 toward the purchase of plants that are native to the region. 

Reporter Frank Otto and I, left, watch in amazement as
irrepressible former Mercury reporter Brandie Kessler
tries to dig a buried tire out of the ground. Talk about
an immovable object meeting an irresistable force...

They can also receive free gloves, trash bags, and safety vests. And they can benefit from free disposal at participating landfills during Pick It Up PA Days on April 20 to May 6.

Individuals can also log on to SchuylkillScrub.org to find volunteer opportunities. These will take place in Berks, Chester, Montgomery, Philadelphia and Schuylkill counties, among others. 

(Last year, the editorial staff at The Mercury teamed up and helped to clean up Mother Earth on Mother's Day; more specifically, Ganshahawny Park -- that's Lenape for Tumbling Waters -- Park along Old Reading Pike in Douglass (Berks) Township.

You can read all about that adventure in Mercury Editor Nancy March's blog post on the subject.)

(Now that I've plugged her blog, I feel no guilt in pilfering some of her photos from last year!)

This is some of the stuff we pulled out of the park.

“What sets the Schuylkill Scrub apart is how it fits into anyone’s schedule,” said Tom Davidock, coordinator of the Schuylkill Action Network. “Instead of a single, one-day event, we have dozens spread across two months and more than five counties.”

Participating in the Schuylkill Scrub will help to provide clean drinking water for almost 2 million people, beautify local communities, and sustain healthy fish and wildlife. It will also help environmental leaders track the progress of anti-litter campaigns at the local, regional, and national levels. This is because all cleanups will automatically be registered with both Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful and Keep America Beautiful.

Boss lady Nancy March at work.

“Volunteers cleaned up over 600 miles of Pennsylvania’s shoreline and waterways last year — roughly a three-fold increase over 2011,” said Michelle Dunn, program coordinator for the Great American Cleanup of PA. “This would not be possible without campaigns like the Schuylkill Scrub and the volunteers they rally to our cause.”

The Schuylkill Scrub was founded in 2010 by the Green Valleys Association and the Hay Creek Watershed Association, both of greater Pottstown, Pennsylvania.

The Schuylkill River travels 130 miles through southeastern Pennsylvania. 

The land draining to this river spans approximately 2,000 square miles surrounding the riverside cities of Philadelphia, Norristown, Pottstown, Reading, Pottsville and more.

Information and online registration is available at SchuylkillScrub.org, or by calling Tom Davidock of the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary at (800) 445-4935, extension 109.