A small but dedicated group of volunteers from The Friends of Poquessing Watershed made a major contribution to the natural environment on Dec. 12 as they teamed with a crew from the Philadelphia Water Department to remove 40 trash bags of litter and numerous large pieces of trash from the city’s potter’s field.
For those who are unfamiliar with the field, it’s an unmarked tract of city-owned ground along Dunks Ferry Road, near Mechanicsville Road and the Parkwood Youth Organization fields. Decades ago, the city used it as a burial ground for the indigent deceased. The graves are not marked.
Eight volunteers including Christopher Simpson, Matt Darragh, Rich Glaser, Marge Philippi, Tony Gordon, Jeanne Kane, Patty McCarthy and Hans Brolinson, along with event coordinator Nance Kerns, contributed to the effort, joining Denis Mora, Mary Stevenson, Charles Shaw, Barry Pilosky, Keith Hackney, Jay Goode and Hosea Rodriguez from the water department.
The workers fought through overgrown shrubs and vines to reach much of the random debris.
In addition to the 40 trash bags of litter, workers collected one bag of recyclable cans, six car tires, one truck tire with a rim, three shopping carts, a computer battery, part of an air conditioner, a propane tank, a broken safe, wire fencing, two tarps, a Lincoln grill, five golf balls, two softballs, a Boy Scout cooking pot, a sliding board and a ceramic doll head.
There will be no cleanups scheduled in January or February.
The Friends of Poquessing will next gather on Knights Road adjacent to the Poquessing Creek on Saturday, March 12, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The location is adjacent to Bethel Philadelphia Mills church at 903 Franklin Mills Circle.
For information, visit friendsofpoquessing.org. ••
