Trail Stewards

WVWA introduced the Trail Stewards Program in the spring of 2014. So far, 25 new trail stewards have been trained to help maintain the Green Ribbon Trail.  Working closely with Friends of the Wissahickon’s (FOW) Trail Ambassadors, WVWA’s training program taught the stewards everything from the history of the Wissahickon Creek and the Montgomery County trail network to plant identification and proper pruning techniques.  The WVWA is glad to have the help of FOW and all of the trainers to provide the stewards with a well-rounded training program.

Thanks to a grant from REI, the Trail Stewards will improve the trail in a variety of ways, including adding signage and trail information along the path.  

The WVWA segmented the trail and assigned small groups to steward designated sections, which will allow them to gain an understanding of the plants, animals and users on the trail.  The first year will involve basic trail maintenance, a boardwalk project and the development of master trail plan.  If you see stewards out on the trail, please thank them for their hard work.

The next phase of the Green Ribbon Trail is to connect from Stenton Avenue down to Northwestern Avenue.  This will connect to Forbidden Drive in Fairmount Park.  When this is complete, the trail will be approximately 21 miles and connect over 15 municipalities.

WVWA is developed another class of Trail Stewards to maintain our seven Preserve trails.  Our Preserve trails total nearly 12 miles of natural trails through a variety of habitats. 

If you are interested in more information about the Trail Stewards program, contact John Ferro at john@wvwa.org or 215-646-8866.

Beginning at Parkside in Upper Gwynedd Township and ending at Stenton Avenue in Whitemarsh, the Green Ribbon Trail is a passive recreational trail that follows the Wissahickon Creek. This 12.6 mile trail is well marked and connects a variety of parks such as Parkside Place, Penllyn Woods, Four Mills Nature Reserve and Fort Washington State Park.  For over 50 years, WVWA has either acquired or received permissions to allow trail access to more than 40 properties to complete the Green Ribbon Trail.  In the last few years, WVWA worked with Cedarbrook Country Club to obtain a nearly half-mile trail easement through the club.  With this easement, seven stepping stone crossings and the Rotary bridge, the Green Ribbon Trail is now complete.  You can now walk the entire trail without getting your feet wet!