Ecotourists of all ages will flock to the Delaware Riverfront this weekend to enjoy outdoor events highlighting the region’s best natural asset, the tidal Delaware River. These events include Southeastern Pennsylvania Coast Day and the “Cradle of Birding” Wildlife and Conservation Festival in Philadelphia, A Celebration of Jersey Fresh in Camden, and the Delaware Coastal Cleanup along 97 miles of coastline in Del.
Others still will immerse themselves in the Delaware County Riverfront Ramble in Pa. and Wilmington Riverfest in Northern Del. All told, more than 31,000 people will likely visit riverside events September 15 and 16, many of which will walk away with a better appreciation of their surrounding natural environment.
“Riverfront festivals can be a great way for people to reconnect with their local waterways and build upon their sense of stewardship,” said Lisa Wool, program director for the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary. “Studies have shown that people who actively use rivers for recreation are far less likely to knowingly pollute them.”
Riverfront events frequently address pollution problems by recruiting environmental organizations from throughout the region to host booths offering free games, prizes and food that make for a fun afternoon with a green theme. This is the case at Southeastern Pennsylvania Coast Day, for example, where some 20 or more organizations and six sponsors are pooling their resources to create one festival at Penn’s Landing on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Visitors will have an opportunity to take a boat ride on the Delaware River, participate in games like a “Wonders of Water” treasure hunt, and sample freshly roasted Delaware Bay oysters, all of which are free to enjoy. And once festival goers have fully experienced Southeastern Pa.’s coast on the Delaware River, a free shuttle will be waiting to transport them to the Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center on the banks of the Schuylkill River.
Those who are interested in these and other nature-related events and destinations can find more information by logging on to one of several ecotourism websites catering to the Delaware Estuary region. These include the Boundless Philadelphia section of www.GoPhila.com, the Greater Philadelphia Environmental Network’s website located at www.GPEN.org, and www.SchuylkillRiver.org, the online home of the Schuylkill River National and State Heritage Area.
Additional ecotourism websites are currently being developed by the Bayshore Discovery Project of Port Norris, N.J., the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary of Wilmington, Del., and the South Jersey Tourism Corporation of Camden.
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