Fall 2023 Newsletter

The first annual Happy Hour at The Tower event to kickoff Rockford Tower Winter Lights for the 2024 winter season will be held on Saturday, Nov. 4 from 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm!

Your $10 ticket will help raise funds to support restoration of the Brandywine River, local park projects, and beautify the area through us (BRRT), and Friends of Wilmington Parks.

We would like to recognize and thank City Councilman Nathan Field, B. Lawrence Homes, and Joe’s Barber Shop for promoting and supporting this event and non-profit organizations like ours, and for their care and passion for the community!

To purchase tickets and for more information click the green button below or visit: www.happyhouratthetower.com

Questions may be emailed to Jenn@BRRT.org.

It’s not too late to be a sponsor! Find out more: Become a Sponsor – Happy Hour At The Tower

11th Annual Delaware River Watershed Forum

During the 11th Annual Delaware River Watershed Forum our Executive Director, and Program and Communications Manager, offered presentations on BRRT, the history of the Brandywine River, and on building community programming with a special focus on underserved communities. Click below to check out the presentations on YouTube!

The Brandywine River Restoration Trust and Brandywine River History – Jim Shanahan

Building Community Programming with a Special Focus on Underserved Communities – Jenn Parrish

Citizen Water Quality Program

With the support of Delaware DNREC and the City of Wilmington, we launched our Citizen Water Quality Program over the summer! Four days a week our team of interns took water samples from six sites along the Brandywine River. The samples will soon be analyzed by a team of experts at the University of Delaware Water Resources Center. We hope to use the data and analysis to develop a comprehensive system that will let visitors and residents know when enterococcus levels may be too high for recreational use.

Clean water is everyone’s responsibility. Here are a few ways you can help improve your city’s water quality:

• Organize stream cleanups
• Plant trees to prevent erosion
• Adopt a beach through DNREC’s Adopt-a-Beach Program
• Reduce/eliminate the use of fertilizers & pesticides
• Pick up pet waste
• Landscape with native plant species
• Remove invasive plants

University of Delaware Career Fair

Our Executive Director, Jim Shanahan, spent time at the University of Delaware Fall Career and Internship Fair. He inspired dozens of student!

National Eat Outside Day

Environmental health and human health are intertwined. Both are important to a flourishing community and city. To celebrate our beautiful park, spread awareness, and serve our community, we hosted a mobile food pantry with the Food Bank of Delaware, Sen. Sarah McBride, Rep. Nnamdi Chukwuocha, and City Councilwoman Zanthia Oliver on National Eat Outside Day. Thank you to everyone who volunteered time and support, including the Wilmington Police Department, our wonderful BRRT interns, community members, family, and our event coordinators Jenn and Michael. Together we served 118 families!

After the well-attended food pantry, we treated all volunteers and staff to a picnic in the park- we could not think of a better way to spend the beautiful afternoon and give back to the community and to our team on #NationalEatOutsideDay!

The Comeback Fish
This article, wonderfully written by Bob Yearick, includes our efforts “to preserve and nurture the Shad”. Check it out!
The Comeback Fish – Delaware Nature Society

Here’s How Delaware Students Are Taking Part in a Solution for Brandywine Clean Water
Local students participated in our Citizen Water Quality Program as paid interns. Read all about it in the News Journal!
Delaware students become junior scientists in improving the Brandywine

#PeopleOfWilmDE: Jenn Parrish
Her family has had ties to Wilmington for generations. Get to know our Program and Communications Manager, Jenn, and her love for the city!
Jenn Parrish – #WilmToday | Wilmington, DE

#PeopleofWilmDE: Jim Shanahan
After the bustling streets of New York City, our Executive Director, Jim, decided to plant roots in Delaware. He has now called the area home for 35 years! Get to know Jim and his love for Wilmington.
Jim Shanahan – #WilmToday | Wilmington, DE

Did you know that without the Delaware River Basin, more than $20 billion in economic activity would be lost?

On October 18 we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act and a Day Without the Delaware. On this day we highlighted the importance that water plays in our economy and beyond. From physical to economic and environmental health, we rely on water from the basin immensely. Here are more ways that we depend on the Delaware every day:

• Over 13 million people in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and Delaware receive drinking water from the Delaware River Basin.
• Healthy waterways prevent flooding, increase property values, and improve the health of people who live near them.
• The Delaware River Basin supports about 600,000 jobs across various industries.
• The Delaware River supports year-round fish populations, as well as those returning to spawn, such as the American shad.
• The Delaware Bay is the number one breeding location for American horseshoe crabs, which endangered red knots rely on for food.
• Farmers rely on the Delaware to produce crops.

For these reasons and more, caring for the Delaware is critical to our future!

Explore the history of the #DelRiver and the Clean Water Act

Calling all with a heart for community service, those in need of volunteer hours, and those who just want to hang out with our team for the day!

There are 10 volunteer spots available for the Happy Hour at the Tower event.

Connect with Jenn at Jenn@BRRT.org to sign up!