Environmental Partnership Awards
Environmental Partnership Dinner
Celebrating Excellence in Southeast PA
Each year, PEC convenes our partners and fellow leaders in conservation and outdoor recreation in Philadelphia to honor those who have shown a dedication to stewarding southeastern Pennsylvania’s environment.
54th Environmental Partnership Awardees
Abington Township, along with partners including Wissahickon Trails, the Tookany-Tacony/Frankford Watershed Partnership, and Cerulean, LLC, were recognized with the Government Sustainability Award for multiple stormwater management projects sited at municipal parks.
“Many of the projects […] have been in our park system because, one, it’s our land and we have the ability to do it,” said Abington Assistant Township Manager Ashley McIlvaine. “But it also provides us opportunities to enhance the recreational experience [and] educational experience.”
Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership (TTF) received the Uplifting Communities Award for its efforts to engage community members through events held in Tacony Creek Park, volunteer activities throughout the watershed, and educational programs offered in multiple languages.
“With PEC’s assistance back around 2000, TTF was established as a scrappy, under-funded newcomer,” said PEC Executive Vice President Patrick Starr. “Today, TTF is a model for watershed community outreach, education, and stewardship.”
This year’s dinner celebrated the successful conclusion of the Upstream Suburban Philadelphia (USP) watershed collaboration, a component of the Delaware River Watershed Initiative. The Cobbs Partners — comprised of Lower Merion Conservancy, Pennsylvania Resources Council, Darby Creek Valley Association, and Eastern Delaware Stormwater Collaborative — received the Excellence in Community Education Award for their “Stream Smart” program, which works with homeowners to capture stormwater on their properties using green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) features such as rain barrels, downspout planters, and rain gardens.
The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) was honored with the Trailblazer Award for its leadership in securing more than $215 million in federal funding for critical Circuit Trails projects through the region’s 2025 Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) — a historic investment accomplished, in part, by leveraging newly available funding opportunities for transportation projects that reduce carbon emissions. DVRPC pursued an innovative funding strategy with the overwhelming support of its five Pennsylvania counties, local groups advocating for trails and active transportation, and the general public.