Monocacy Creek Watershed Association

10/21/2026

Shown here are before and after shots of when MCWA cut a large invasive bittersweet vine on an Eastern White Pine near the Monocacy Creek.

Invasive woody vines like oriental bittersweet pose a threat to many native species and even to large established trees. The invasive vines change the ways forests regenerate and block sunlight from the ground all the way up to the canopy of trees. If a vine reaches the top of a tree, that tree’s growth will slow. Vines can also constrict the Phloem of a tree which is the inner part of the bark and is essential for tree survival. If the vine girdles the tree all the way around the perimeter of the trunk, the tree will likely die.

There are native woody vines that can damage trees through similar means, but the numbers of invasive vines have increased, creating an imbalance. Additionally, due to human influence, more trees now grow in a “forest edge” type of environment than did historically. In this environment, they are much more susceptible to invasive vines than they would be in a densely wooded area.

Sources and further reading:

https://auf.isa-arbor.com/content/42/4/253

https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/vines-on-trees-at-forest-edges.htm

10/14/2026

Each fall, MCWA looks forward to leading a group of college student volunteers for the Moravian University Heritage Day Event. This year, 4 members of our board worked with 14 college students and one professor to plant live stakes, water/mulch native plantings from previous years, and remove invasive Japanese Knotweed along Monocacy Way in Bethlehem. Along the way, the volunteers learned some native and invasive plant identification as well.

Thank you to the volunteers for a fun and productive day!

10/07/2026

MCWA had the opportunity to attend and say a few words at PennEnvironment’s press release for their recent report “Microplastics in the Delaware River Watershed”. The study found microplastics at all of the 22 locations tested from the headwaters to the mouth of the Delaware, calling attention to the issue of plastic pollution in our waterways. Microplastic pollution is one of the many reasons we regularly organize creek cleanups like the one this Sunday!

09/30/2026

We are looking for volunteers to help us from 9:00am to around noon on Saturday, October 17, at Illick’s Mill in Bethlehem.

Did you know that Monocacy Creek supports trout because of the cold springs that flow into it? You can join MCWA volunteers as we restore one of those springs at Illick’s Mill! We will be planting native shrubs and will also be cleaning up the native gardens around the Mill.

You can head to our website below or at the link on our page to see the full event details and RSVP for the event.

https://www.monocacycreek.org/events/fall-cleanup-2026

09/26/2026

Update: unfortunately the Monocacy Farm Festival this Sunday has been canceled.

Hi everyone! We made the decision to unfortunately CANCEL Sunday's 11th Annual Monocacy Farm Fall Festival fundraising event, due to the weather. ☂️ 😕

BUT... We have so much great produce at the Monocacy Farm Project right now, that we're going to still have fresh produce from the Farm, pre-harvested and ready to go on Sunday (September 27th), from 11am-4pm. So, stop on by!

We will have Pre-Harvested: TOMATOES (Slicing, Sauce, and Cherry), SWEET & HOT PEPPERS, ONIONS & GARLIC, WINTER SQUASH, CARROTS, CABBAGE, OKRA, and ZUCCHINI - ALL from the Farm! 😀 🍅 🌶️ 🧅 🧄 🥕

AND, we'll have some FOOD ITEMS available from a local vendor, while you grab some farm produce - including a soup made with produce from the Monocacy Farm Project! 🙂

The Farmers will be around to answer your produce and farming questions too. 😀

If stop by, please use the gravel road entrance that runs parallel to the Monocacy Farm Project fence (just up the road a bit from the main entrance), at the intersection of Cross Creek Rd. and Bridle Path Rd. in Bethlehem, PA.

Thank you all for your continued support of the Monocacy Farm Project!

09/24/2026

Welcome back to our Nature Neighbors series where we highlight plants, animals, insects, etc. who live alongside us in our watershed.

Next up we have a bird, the Tufted Titmouse. A small grey bird with large black eyes and a grey crest atop their head, Tufted Titmice are active acrobatic birds with a distinctive song. They are common in Pennsylvania year-round and you can learn to identify them by listening for their “peter-peter” song this fall and winter. Their diet consists of mostly insects and seeds, and they often line their nests with hair, sometimes plucked directly from animals.

Titmice have a unique talent in that they have an alarm call that fades, giving the illusion that the bird is fleeing, when it in fact doesn’t move at all.

Bonus neighbor: Can you identify what kind of tree this Titmouse is on? It is a large Northern Catalpa growing on a bank of the Monocacy Creek.

01/24/2026

Mark your calendar for February 18th at noon! Here’s a free webinar on a very appropriate subject, given the snow we’ve been getting. Learn what effects the use of all the road salt is having on our watersheds, courtesy of the Penn State Extension. The webinar is free, but please register beforehand.