Lancaster Water Week Returns with Over 60 Events – Technologist

Press release shared by Lancaster Conservancy, June 6, 2024. Photos Courtesy of Lancaster Conservancy.

The eighth annual Lancaster Water Week will include over 60 events hosted by a variety of partners from June 7-15, 2024, providing opportunities to learn, explore, and act to protect Lancaster County’s waterways. These events include a First Friday celebration and public art installation in downtown Lancaster, wetland tours at Long’s Park, paddles on the Conestoga and Susquehanna rivers, workshops at the Lancaster Science Factory, trivia, creek stomps, tours of restoration and rewilding efforts, volunteer cleanups, and more.

Lancaster Water Week celebrates the 1,400 miles of streams and rivers in Lancaster County. These waterways are the source of our drinking water, drive economic and agricultural growth, and allow us to escape into nature to fish, paddle, and swim. Unfortunately, more than half of these important streams and rivers are polluted, but we are taking action as a community to restore our waterways to full health.

“Clean streams and rivers in our lifetime is a dream of many, and it is happening, thanks to leaders who care about our community; elected officials, community groups, farmers, businesses, and property owners are all taking steps to ensure this progress. Water Week is a celebration of these efforts with a healthy dose of simple action steps combined with experiences and tours that show how comprehensive this movement is,” said Fritz Schroeder, President and CEO of Lancaster Conservancy.

The theme of this year’s Water Week is Rewilding for Clean Water. Rewilding is all about conserving, restoring, expanding, and connecting natural spaces to help protect our waterways, wildlife, and community. Replacing lawn with native trees, shrubs, and flowers and replanting forested buffers along streams at farms or corporate campuses are examples of rewilding that will be celebrated during Lancaster Water Week.

Water Week participants can enjoy a bike tour of the City of Lancaster’s rain gardens, bike lanes, and tree canopy – demonstrations of rewilding in urban areas. The City of Lancaster will also be hosting tours of the wetland restoration project at Long’s Park.

“Our waterways are essential to life in Lancaster. What we do at home and on our streets impacts our rivers and streams. The Conestoga and Susquehanna rivers supply our drinking water – it doesn’t get more essential than that,” said Lancaster Mayor Danene Sorace. “The City of Lancaster is leading the way in managing stormwater, building green infrastructure, and embracing our connection to the Conestoga. We are thrilled to take part in Water Week once again.”

Native trees and plants soak up and filter stormwater runoff – protecting the quality of our streams and rivers while providing food and shelter for wildlife. That is why throughout Water Week, the Lancaster Conservancy, along with the Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership, will be giving away free native trees, shrubs, and wildflower seeds to help everyone in our community get involved in Rewilding for Clean Water! Trees, shrubs, and wildflower seeds will be available throughout the week at Penn Square in Lancaster city as well as at events such as the Long’s Park Summer Music Series while supplies last.

The Lancaster Conservancy is grateful for its Water Week sponsors, including the presenting sponsor High Foundation, for supporting Lancaster Water Week and efforts to care for our waterways and our community.

“Lancaster Conservancy’s Water Week is our collective call to action, highlighting the vital role water plays in our lives and ecosystems,” said High Foundation Executive Director Robin Stauffer. “I encourage you to attend an event during Water Week to learn more about what it means to care for our waterways, wildlife, and community. Rewilding efforts, such as planting native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers, play a significant role in maintaining clean water by enhancing natural filtration processes and promoting biodiversity. Together, we can make a lasting impact on the sustainability of our water resources for future generations.”

Lancaster Water Week 2024 sponsors include: High Foundation, The Campbell Foundation, City of Lancaster, Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership, Nimblist, Brookfield Renewable, Lancaster County Community Foundatoon, Eurofins, Flyway Excavating, Fulton Bank, Commonwealth Financial Associates, LCSWMA, Stroud Water Research Center, Sickman’s Mill, Landis Homes, Jacobs, Octoraro Native Plant Nursery, LandStudies, Inframark, and Lancaster County Conservation District.

Learn more about Lancaster Water Week and register for over 60 events at lancasterwaterweek.org.

To learn more or schedule an interview about Water Week, please contact:
Avery Van Eten
Lancaster Conservancy Marketing & Communications Manager
[email protected]
717-392-7891 x232