A couple of months ago, Melissa Shiner completed the entire Schuylkill River Sojourn, a 150-mile paddle and camping trip between Schuylkill Haven and Philadelphia’s Boathouse Row.
Shiner of Maidencreek Township said being on the water for seven straight days was a nice diversion from the stresses of everyday life. Along the way, she and her companions saw an array of wildlife, including great blue herons.
They also see things that don’t belong in the river.
One time, she said, they found a lawn chair in the middle of the channel. Shiner said she fished it out and property disposed of it when they got to the next access ramp.
Another time, the kayakers went by something you’d need a large crane to remove– an overturned dump truck.
On Saturday, Shiner returned to the riverbank where she and the sojourners stopped for lunch on the leg of the journey that took them through Reading. Known as Penske Beach in Reading’s Riverfront Park, it happened to be across from where the truck flipped into the river just before their flotilla reached south Reading.
Shiner didn’t need a kayak for her task Saturday morning, just sturdy shoes. She was one of about 20 volunteers who took part in a riverbank litter cleanup organized by the city.
“This is the beach where we took out and had lunch, and I wanted to come back and clean up the beach,” she said. “It’s an excellent resource, great cause. So it’s full-circle.”
The cleanup took place from 9 to 11 a.m. and was followed by Riverzilla, a family-friendly event that is a collaboration between the Reading Public Works Department, Schuylkill River Greenways, Berks Nature, Widoktadwen Center for Native Knowledge and Pottsville-based Take It Outdoors Adventures, Canoe and Kayak Rentals.
Working in a section of narrow flat beneath a steep embankment, she filled a trash bag with enough beer bottles to fill an entire case. Her haul also included three diapers, debris from fireworks and too many beer bottle caps to count.
Take it Outdoors, which is the outfitter for Schuylkill River Greenways’ annual sojourn, brought a trailer full of kayaks, paddles and flotation devices for those who wanted to paddle for free, said Bethany Ayers-Fisher, sustainability manager with Reading Public Works.
The long-term goal, she said, is for Riverfront Park to become a hub for the outfitters.
Riverzilla was launched three years ago to increase awareness of the river and Riverfront Park as a recreation resource, Ayers-Fisher said.
This year’s attendance lagged due to morning showers, she said.
City workers set up portable canopies over tables with representatives of several community organizations, mostly focused on sustainable and urban agriculture, environmental education and hiking.
Under one of those shelters, Pennsylvania Sustainable Agriculture, or PASA, hosted a seed-saving class conducted by Amirah Mitchell of Sistah Seeds, Emmaus, Lehigh County.
Mitchell demonstrated how to safely and effectively garner seeds from vegetables that have reached “botanical maturity,” meaning they’re overripe, for the purpose of planting them. It’s best to soften in the refrigerator as opposed to rotting in the field to ensure control in the fermentation process.
Fermentation, which involves placing the seeds along with mushy surroundings into a sealed glass container and adding a little water, essentially sterilizes the seeds, killing bacteria that can damage them. For more information, visit sistahseeds.com.
A table away, Courtney Shober, project coordinator with Berks Agricultural Resource Network, was collecting BARNopoly board games from those who completed the game. The board is designed like the Monopoly board, only instead of Park Place, Boardwalk, Reading Railroad, etc., the spaces are occupied by agriculture-related names such as Valley Milkhouse, Bake Shop at Skyline Drive and Bog Turtle Creek Farm.
Shober, who is manager of the Penn Street Market held weekly in downtown Reading, said about 700 people signed up for BARNopoly in 2021 when it was launched. What’s emerged is a core group of BARNopoly enthusiasts.
Shober said BARN has reorganized with a smaller board. One of its focuses going forward is urban agriculture, partnering with PASA and other groups such as the 18th Wonder Improvement Association.
That group, which is based in southwest Reading, has a thriving community garden.
Tanya Melendez, who worked at a table next to BARN’s, said the garden is named Cultivating Community Garden because that’s what it does — it cultivates community connections.
What started with a dozen gardeners, she said, has blossomed to a group of more than 30 people who grow food for themselves and to share and trade with others.
Source: Berkshire mont
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