IMBA Trail Solutions is in town working on the first official phase of the Sustainable Trails Initiative, a huge project managed by the Friends of the Wissahickon.

Below are the group volunteer dates where there will be a small force of people working on specific projects and we will have additional provisions available, like food and drinks. However, please don’t hesitate to stop by the job site anytime while riding or walking or finishing work or whatever and talk to and possibly work with the IMBA guys. Offer to help them and if there are some things that need to be done, they will accept your offer. Either way you will meet and chat with some very well rounded individuals who have built and rode on trails all over this country. You’ll also show these guys how supportive we are here in the city of brotherly love. Come help out anytime on the following dates, but we’ll be there from 9 am to 2 pm: 

July 20 (Sunday)

July 26 (PMBA Trail Day!)

August 2

August 17 (Sunday)

August 23 (PMBA Trail Day!)

In addition to these days, each WEDNESDAY evening in August there will be a crew from 5-8pm.

On Saturday, June 28th, PMBA with the tenacious support from FOW and the FPC had an extremely successful Trail Maintenance Day, on the Chestnut Hill side of the Wissahickon creek. For those who are curious of the location of the TMD, just trek a bit North of the Valley Green, in the direction of the ever-watchful Indian, not too far after the gazebo, on the ridge overlooking the creek.

The heat and humidity felt overwhelming but didn’t hamper the work as much as one may think, in fact at times, I believe, it helped our stride, increasing our determination to accomplish our goal, wheelbarrows in tow, wrenching dense rocks as wide as a car door, strategically placing them with tons of dirt, combining nature and craftsmanship, increasing the sustainability of the trail and the overall watershed in that section of the Park. 

The SK-500 was rumbling and churning up dirt under the expert skill of Dave Dannenberg, combined with the work horse Canycom, operated by a couple different volunteers, which can easily carry the volume of dirt of 5 overfilled wheelbarrows at a time, helped increase our production throughout the day. 

Thanks to all who showed up, including the two, one-armed men with slings, the Treasurer and President of PMBA, generously presenting a check of $1,600.00 to the Friends Of the Wissahickon on behalf of all PMBA members. We raised these funds at the Rally in the Valley and they will be used directly for the Sustainable Trails Initiative!!!!!!

PMBA is honored to have partners of such outstanding organizations. You can see our gratitude by our obsession to Protect the Park that offers such a vital spirit to our lives it can never fully be describe only experienced.

We are very pleased to annouce that 64 people showed up at our March Trail Maintenance Day in the Wissahickon Valley Park, sponsored by FOW. We completed numerous projects along the Yellow Trail between Wises Mill Rd and Janette St on the Roxborough side of the park. 

We logged a massive 291.5 volunteer hours, which is the most since we stared these volunteer days!!! We had 17 Temple students show up and contribute a huge amount of work. We want to offer our special thanks! 29 PMBA members joined forces with volunteers from other organizations like FOW and Wissahickon Wonderers as well as many concerned and dedicated neighborhood volunteers.

Special thanks and props need to go out to the crew leaders: Tom Coyle, Paul Harris, Lou Harris, Dave Dannenberg, Heidi Grunwald, Dmitri Zorine, Dan Mercer, Kevin Groves and Jan Deruiter. These people handled the huge crowd with professionalism and made sure everyone was productive and got involved.

There are so many more people to thank that it is difficult, from Jesse Kelly for making the sign-up tent look professional and handling the crowd, to Nick Fortune for picking up the pizzas, to High Point Coffee in Mt Airy for donating coffee once again, to the FOW for loaning their tools, Kevin and equipment, including the brand new Canycom tracked/motorized dumper.

On Feb 9th, about 15 PMBA members volunteered their Saturday morning to join forces with FOW and FPC staff to make improvements in the Wissahickon Park, near Daisy Field.  Volunteers worked for about four hours picking up trash, removing invasive bamboo, and restoring eroded areas of trail--taking a break for lunch to enjoy tomato pie from T&F Market and High Point Cafe coffee!  

Here's what was accomplished: 

1. PMBA led a crew for a trail project at a section with poor grade and slope that held water and was always muddy. To make a drainage "knick" we excavated the low spot and made a french drain with lots of rocks, covered it back up with dirt and installed some large rocks as anchors to narrow the trail a bit. This section should prove to be sustainable and not be muddy any longer. 
2. Removal of at least 3000 lbs of trash including:  13 tires, a sofa, shopping carts, a 1920's era furnace, and concrete slabs!
3. About 1/4 of a huge patch of invasive bamboo was removed (FOW will return to the site for further clearing)
4. 16 crates of recyclable bottles and cans collected and removed! 
   

PMBA Members help out FOW

Thanks to those who helped out! Please check out these pictures:

Photos

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