Greetings @PhillyH2O Blog readers! We wanted to share a great photo from Roxborough that captures the contributions community members make in protecting our watersheds and greening our neighborhoods:

The members of The Friends of Upper Roxborough Reservoir Preserve seen here held a cleanup and planted wildflower meadow seed mix at a green stormwater swale located along Summit Avenue in Roxborough.

Credit: Tom Landsman, FURRP.

The members of the Friends of Upper Roxborough Reservoir Preserve seen here held a cleanup and planted wildflower meadow seed mix at a green stormwater swale located along Summit Avenue in Roxborough. The group maintains the site with support from a mini-grant provided through our Soak It Up Adoption program.

They’re one of 17 community organizations that help maintain 137 green stormwater tools in neighborhoods all over Philadelphia, from Northern Liberties to East Falls to the lower Southwest. Pictured (from left to right) are Steven Rawls, Rich Gordano, Pete and Jessica D’Amico, Kohl the dog, and Nicholas and Luciana D’Amico.

The group is also looking forward to spring after planting 125 native trees on the steep hill behind the group in this photo. The work was done with the help of Philadelphia Parks and Recreation’s Tree Philly program and PowerCorpsPHL.

These native trees will provide what’s called a “late successional,” upland forest canopy as they matur—soaking up even more stormwater and cleaning our air.

Tom Landsmann, a member of the Friends group who helped with the plantings, says the work done during the cold season will have a number of benefits for the watershed and environment.

“This diversified mix of trees and meadow plantings are of high value to local wildlife and will provide food for a wide verity of pollinators, threatened species like the monarch butterfly, birds and mammals,” Landsmann says.

Want to see if your community group can participate in the mini-grant adoption program for community groups? Check out our Soak It Up Adoption page!