[Watershed Congress '26] KEYNOTE: Resilience Rooted in Place

Featured Speakers: Christiana Pollack, Lamar Gore, Kim Hachadoorian. Introduction by Fred Stine. Resilience Rooted in Place: Partnering with Communities to Address Flooding Through Nature-Based Solutions, and Why “With Community” Needs to be Foundational Eastwick and Tinicum residents in southeast Pennsylvania have experienced increasing catastrophic and chronic flooding in the last decade. Additionally, climate change impacts will exacerbate future flooding and residents are disproportionately experiencing these climate change impacts in real time. As climate change exacerbates the effects of storms, flooding and erosion, the lives and livelihoods of these residents in the Lower Darby Creek Watershed will be at even greater risk. The goal of our project is to identify and evaluate nature-based strategies for flood risk reduction and ecological restoration that could complement ongoing project designs. Building on the previous planning efforts and in coordination with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, local government, community leadership, and property owners, the team is meaningfully engaging with stakeholders to identify, evaluate, and select habitat restoration strategies. Strategies focus on both short- and long-term actions that promote ecological and community resilience. Based on strategies identified and feedback, the team performed an Alternatives Analysis for the nature-based strategies. The analysis considered performance (flood risk reduction – both storm and sea level rise related – and ecological restoration potential), cost, constructability, public access and recreation opportunities, and operation and maintenance. Recorded on March 28, 2026. ------- With a focus on networking across disciplines and a goal of presenting new information about watershed restoration, the annual Watershed Congress has become a highly anticipated event for anyone interested in understanding, protecting, and restoring their local streams. The 2026 Watershed Congress is presented by the Delaware Riverkeeper Network and its partner organizations, as well as private individuals. Current organization partners represent: Alvernia University ⠂Berks County Conservation District ⠂Berks Nature ⠂Center in the Park/Senior Environment Corps ⠂City of Reading, Public Works ⠂Delaware Valley University ⠂Great Marsh Institute ⠂Green Amendments for the Generations ⠂Green Valleys Watershed Association ⠂Lundale Farm ⠂Meliora Designs ⠂Montgomery County Conservation District ⠂Montgomery County Community College ⠂Octoraro Native Plant Nursery ⠂Partnership for the Delaware Estuary ⠂Pennsylvania Department of Conservation & Natural Resources ⠂Pennsylvania Department of Education ⠂Princeton Hydro, LLC ⠂Schuylkill Action Network ⠂Schuylkill River Greenways NHA ⠂Stroud Water Research Center • Temple University • Valley Forge Trout Unlimited Learn more about Delaware Riverkeeper Network at www.delawareriverkeeper.org.