Union Township—On Sunday, December 10, Executive Director of the Green Valleys Watershed Association Victoria Laubach will present an overview of historic Welkinweir and the work of the Green Valleys Watershed Association. Sponsored by the Friends of Hopewell Furnace, the free program will begin at 2 p.m. in the Hopewell Furnace Conference Room.
Green Valleys Watershed Association (GVWA) has been protecting, preserving, and restoring the watersheds of northern Chester County for 53 years. The organization formed from a group of local residents who opposed the flooding of historic Welkinweir. In addition to an award winning environmental education program, their work has protected watersheds that feature a unique assemblage of Exceptional Value and High Quality streams including French Creek which runs through Hopewell Furnace.
For 26 years before becoming Executive Director of GVA in 2009, Laubach practiced sustainable land management, with an emphasis on habitat conservation. She is utilizing this knowledge to support environmental education and to protect natural resources for present and future generations by advocating for the wise use of land, air, and water, and by encouraging the protection of wildlife. Through her efforts, Welkinweir, which is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, serves as a demonstration site of conservation-based landscaping, energy efficiency, and biodiversity. She has overseen the development and funding of the organization’s Watershed Restoration program, working with municipalities and land conservation organizations to restore forested stream buffers. For more than a decade she has chaired the West Vincent Township Environmental Advisory Council and implemented a number of award winning projects in land stewardship and green energy.
Established in 1994, the Friends of Hopewell Furnace is the official non-profit fundraising arm of Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site. A 501(c)3 citizen organization, its mission is to support the preservation, maintenance and programs of Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site. Donations to the Friends may be tax deductible according to the rules set by the Internal Revenue Service.
While at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site visitors are encouraged to go into the village, tour the buildings, see Hopewell’s water wheel and learn about iron making and why Hopewell Furnace is important to our nation’s history. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Wednesday thru Sunday, the park is located five miles south of Birdsboro, PA, off Route 345. For more information visit www.friendsofhopewellfurn.org.
