Penn State Extension Master Watershed Stewards, Chester & Delaware Counties

10/13/2026

🧂 Road salt pollution doesn't end when winter does.

Salt used on roads, sidewalks, and parking lots can linger in our waterways year-round. But how much is in your local stream? You can find out!

Join Stroud Water Research Center and our community partners for the Fall Salt-Pollution Stream Snapshot, October 15–18.

Collect a water sample from a local stream and bring it to a participating drop-off location, where our partners will test it for salt pollution. Your sample will help build a clearer picture of water quality across our region.

📍Check out the map and our event page linked below to find participating locations near you!

Learn how to collect a sample, find drop-off dates and times, and get involved: stroudcenter.org/event/fall-salt-pollution-stream-snapshot

You can also drop off a sample and join the Stroud Center and our friends at Chesapeake Bay Foundation for our road salt pollution-awareness event at the PA State Capitol on the 19th: stroudcenter.org/event/salt-pollution-water-testing-event-in-harrisburg

Brandywine Red Clay Alliance
Master Watershed Stewards of Bucks County
Foodshed Alliance
Penn State Master Watershed Stewards of Montgomery County
Penn State Extension Master Watershed Stewards, Chester & Delaware Counties
Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust
Penn State Extension



📸 PA State Capitol: Warren LeMay CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Flickr
📸 Volunteer collecting water sample: TTF Watershed CC BY-NC-SA , via Flickr

08/25/2026

Tick tock tick tock...
For even more fun, play some time-related music as you pick out your next favorite tree and/or shrub. (Potential suggestions: Pink Floyd, Madonna, Steve Miller Band, or something from this decade; forgive my Gen X skewed music knowledge)

https://extension.psu.edu/watershed-friendly-tree-and-shrub-fundraiser-sale

🌿 One day left!🌿 Today is the final day of our native tree fundraiser. Help your landscape thrive while supporting a healthier, more watershed-friendly community for years to come.

https://extension.psu.edu/watershed-friendly-tree-and-shrub-fundraiser-sale

08/25/2026

There are just a few hours left....
https://extension.psu.edu/watershed-friendly-tree-and-shrub-fundraiser-sale

08/14/2026

All the plants! We want all the plants! .. And subsequent caterpillars, butterflies, other pollinators, hummingbirds, other birds...!

08/11/2026

Quick reminder to be aware of wildlife that may be in the road. A heron incurred a broken leg, and maybe other injuries, in West Chester. Fortunately a volunteer from Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research, Inc. was able to get him. Unsure if he will recover but at least he is in the best hands now.
If you see injured wildlife, please safely stop, block traffic so they can get off the road if you can, and contact a rescue. Some options include Tri-State Bird Rescue, Schuylkill Center, Diamond Rock (for bats), and Philadelphia Metro Wildlife.
So thankful for this volunteer and Tri-State!

08/05/2026

What would you like to add to your landscape?
Pre-order through August 25 or as species sell out, pick up in September, and enjoy for many years to come!
https://extension.psu.edu/mws-tree-sale

08/05/2026

Which would you like for your landscape? https://extension.psu.edu/mws-tree-sale

08/03/2026

Carolina allspice is a tough shrub with gorgeous deep ruby hued flowers. Tolerant of many locations, you are sure to find a good location for this plant.

𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝? 💕 Of course it is! Carolina allspice is named for our southern states, yet it's native to Pennsylvania, too. Pollinators love it, and this plant is also a problem solver: it loves moist and dappled shady areas, and slopes! You'll 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐰𝐨𝐨𝐧 when the maroon flowers give off their sweet banana-strawberry fragrance ...😍🍓🍌

Check out our 7th annual online native tree & plant sale! Order online, pick up at the Bucks Extension office on 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝟐𝟔𝐭𝐡 - just in time for fall planting. Great prices, no shipping charges, and the absolute best quality available from a preeminent PA native plant nursery.

And 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 is here to help you with placement, planting, and maintenance questions for the life of your plants! ☎️ (We've been around for over 100 years!)

Full catalog here: https://web.cvent.com/event/3c0b0581-20ae-402b-b263-157dc55eee8f/websitePage:8ac81c70-278f-4770-ab33-e26a32e51e07

08/02/2026

Not only do paw paw trees produce delicious custard-like fruit but they are the only native-to-PA host plant for the zebra swallowtail butterfly, Protographium marcellus. So with this tree, you might provide food for you and butterfly friends!
Note: More than one paw paw is needed to produce fruit. Good thing that you can order a bundle and save money!
https://extension.psu.edu/mws-tree-sale

08/01/2026

What do leaves say in autumn? I’m falling for you.
The spectacular bald cypress is a needle and cone-bearing tree, but unlike many needle-leaved trees, it loses it's needles in the fall after beautiful flushes of color.
https://extension.psu.edu/mws-tree-sale

(This poster planted a bald cypress in her front yard a few years ago and is a big fan!)