Spring 2021 Edition

My Post (36)

Disc Golf Course Opens at Shamona Main Park

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A 9-hole disc golf course now joins the many recreational options available at Shamona Main Park. Uwchlan Township resident Brian Brower, who took the lead on the donation effort, worked with the Uwchlan Township Parks Department on the location of the course, as well as signage and installation of the baskets. Uwchlan Township thanks all the donors who helped make this possible. 

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COVID-19 Update

The Pennsylvania Department of Health has rolled out a new timeline for COVID-19 vaccine distribution, with all Pennsylvanians being eligible by April 19th. For more information visit pa.gov/get-vaccinated or visit the Chester County Health Department's website.

Environmental Advisory Council

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Heart of Uwchlan

Bored with being inside? Tired of shoveling snow? How about getting involved in some outdoor fun? Come garden with Heart of Uwchlan Project!

The Heart of Uwchlan Project is establishing a new native plant pollinator garden at the township park, and we could use your help planting it! We have lots of native plant seeds undergoing winter stratification and we hope to have an abundance of seedlings in the spring! You could help in several ways, such as transplanting baby seedlings into larger pots for more growth and planting them in the new garden itself. Interested? Contact the project through the “Contact the EAC” link on the Uwchlan Township website’s EAC page.

This new garden is off the parking lot, in an area that is hard to mow because it is very wet. We will be planting native plant species that can tolerate their feet being wet. Have you got a spot in your garden that’s like that? This garden should be a good example for you. Also check out the article we’ve posted to the Heart of Uwchlan page for information about specifically what to plant there! And we’ve posted links for two additional lists from Penn State Extension.

Your garden isn’t soggy? But you want to invite those butterflies and bees and birds into it? Check out the several other articles and plant lists linked from the Heart of Uwchlan page. And watch for announcements of several Zoom webinars the EAC is planning that will give you insight into why to plant native plants, what to plant, and how you can contribute to ecological sustainability for all of us human beings through your gardening activities.

And by the way, we will also be replanting the Milkweed Garden and Streamside Garden we planted last year; you are welcome to help with those, too!

NOTE: We will observe COVID safety precautions in all our activities, so bring your mask and expect to work socially distanced!


Lawn Care Tips

Spring is here, and many homeowners are starting to take a hard look at their lawns and gardens. In a lot of cases, the impulse is to reach for the chemicals, especially pesticides (i.e., weed killers and insecticides). But those chemicals have potentially harmful impacts -- to children and pets, to the wildlife (especially the important pollinators), and to the quality of our streams, ponds, and ultimately the entire watershed. Of the 30 commonly used lawn pesticides, many are probable or possible carcinogens, are linked with birth and reproductive defects, are toxic in many other ways, and cause sensitivity or irritation. Many are toxic to birds, mammals, fish and aquatic organisms, and most are deadly to bees. An organic lawn free of pesticides can be a healthier lawn and healthier for you, while using less water and fertilizers, less mowing and maintenance, and safer for children, pets, and your local drinking water supply. And there are less toxic ways to deal with mosquitoes and other garden pests. 

Want more information? Click Here. This site explains the harm caused by pesticides to the environmental health that impacts the land, water, plants, animals and people. The fact sheets give practical information with alternatives to pesticide use and best practices. They are cost effective and easy to do at home and in our community for health and safety. Please let the Uwchlan Township EAC know how we may be of help to you with this important issue.

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EAC Announces Spring and Summer Education Series 

 The Uwchlan Township Environmental Advisory Council is pleased to announce a series of education virtual events on environmentally sustainable practices. Webinars will be held virtually on the Zoom platform, with no registration required. Login information will be available on the Township website www.Uwchlan.com and on the Uwchlan Township EAC page.  All sessions will be recorded for later replay. 

Session 1: Tuesday April 13th, 2021 at 7PM 

Sharon Richardson: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? How and why to create a year-round buffet and habitat for our pollinators. 

Learn what we can each do to invite pollinators to a full buffet of meals year-round and provide a healthy habitat for our pollinators.  It’s not just about pretty anymore; it’s about using productive plants to save our pollinators.  In creating your own homegrown national park, you will quickly notice how many more species of birds, butterflies and bees visit your garden.

Session 2: Tuesday May 11th, 2021 at 7PM

Natures Best Hope: Douglas Tallamy 

Learn about the important relationship of native plants to the insects in nature’s food webs, and about how the insects are essential to a healthy ecosystem that provides us people with environmental services like clean air and water and pollinator supported food.  And learn how you can make an essential contribution to environmental sustainability right in your own back yard.

Session 3: Tuesday June 22, 2021 at 7 PM

Suburban Yard to Native Landscape: Connie Schmotzer 

Penn State Extension educator Connie Schmotzer discusses how to create a pollinator-friendly environment in your own garden.

The John Cadwalader House: The Earliest documented House in the Village of Lionville

Submitted by the Uwchlan Township Historical Commission

The John Cadwalader House, circa 1711, is located at 21 North Village Avenue in the Historic Village of Lionville. This dwelling is noted for being the site of an early Friends Meeting formation in the area. John Cadwalader was a Quaker Minister who came to Uwchlan to help other Welsh Quaker settlers establish the Uwchlan Friends Meeting. The Cadwalader House has been added onto over the years. The original dwelling contains a large fireplace on the North side which was used for both cooking and heating with the other three walls being constructed of logs. When looking at the fireplace you will see a cinder block chimney that was installed in the 1940s when a furnace was added. If you look carefully you will see the opening to the bake oven which is behind the chimney. The original room has a unique cash drawer that during the 19th and early 20th centuries was used to pay the farm hands. This was also accessed from the outside to enable the workers to receive their pay without going into the house with their muddy boots. A modern kitchen now occupies the space where the farm hands once stood to collect their hard-earned pay.