Photo: (L-R) Mark McCouch, Council; Andrew Santacroce, Council; Vice-President William Whiteside, Council; President Joanna Furia, Council; Chairperson Tina Fedorak, Environmental Board; Robert Koroncai, Environmental Board; Gregory Nesbitt, Council.

At the Pennsylvania Environmental Council's 2008 Conference held at Villanova University on March 8, the Horsham Township Environmental Advisory Board was presented with the award for Partnership in Environmental Education. Accepting the award on behalf of the Township were three members of the Township's Environmental Advisory Board: Tina Fedorak, Chairperson; Marc Newell and Daniel Quinn.

A unique and highly successful partnership was formed in Horsham Township to assure that the next generation of Horsham residents has a keen understanding, appreciation, and respect for the environment. The partnership consists of Horsham Township, the Hatboro-Horsham School District, and the Horsham Water and Sewer Authority. Employees, volunteers and Environmental Advisory Board members work together to coordinate a full day outdoor experience for school students from the Keith Valley Middle School packed with fun and learning about the water environment.

The day begins with an orientation on the problems and solutions of the Neshaminy Creek watershed. The students then board buses to the Park Creek (a tributary of the Neshaminy Creek) at Carpenter Park, where they participate in hands-on activity stations. These stations include:

• Stream restoration station - Students learn of the successful township efforts to stabilize the Park Creek stream bank of Park Creek and the value of riparian vegetation in protecting the stream from damage caused by upstream impervious cover of upstream land development.
• Chemistry station - Students conduct actual field chemistry analyses for temperature, nutrients, dissolved oxygen, pH, and alkalinity and discuss the results along with general issues of how land use activities in a watershed can affect water quality.
• Biology station - Students get a chance to get their feet wet, learning to turn over rocks and use a kick net to find and discuss the resident life in Park Creek, including crayfish, minnows, a variety of insect larvae and other bottom creatures and the relationship between the resident biota, the chemistry, and riparian habitat.

After lunch, the adventure continues with a thorough tour of the Park Creek Sewage Treatment Plant. During the tour, students gain a good understanding of the chemical, biological, and physical processes in the plant and the importance of sewage based pollution control that even few adults understand. Students gain an understanding that what they put down their sink and toilet ends up in the local stream, fortunately with the benefit of well operated pollution control. The day ends with a question and answer session back at the school. Hundreds of students have benefited from this collaborative effort, which has established this environmental education day as a yearly event in the Township.