July-August 2009

NNF Secures National Science Foundation Grant

We are delighted to announce that NNF has secured a $75,000 planning grant from the National Science Foundation that will be used to host forums focused on the science of flooding and mitigation strategies for people living the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania. These forums will provide an opportunity for discussion about community-specific issues related to flooding, and will include young people, first responders to flood events, as well as residents at the greatest risk for flood loss. The forums will be held in the cities of Allentown, Easton, and Lower Mount Bethel Township, three communities at high risk for flooding. The project will build on NNF’s developing efforts to educate the public about living near the water’s edge and to strengthen dialogue between public audiences, scientists, and community decision makers to inform public policy. We thank all the institutions and individuals who agreed to work with us in securing this important federal grant. Click here for details on the proposal.

May-June 2009

Conferences and Planning Activities

In June, NNF staff attended the annual Association of State Floodplain Managers Conference in Orlando.  This year’s conference focused on state-of-the-art techniques, programs, and resources to accomplish flood mitigation, watershed management, and other community goals. NNF will also attend and set up displays at both the New Jersey and New York ASFPM conferences that will be held this fall. 

NNF is working on plans for the 2009 Lehigh Valley Watershed Conference that will take place on October 9, 2009.  Other planning committee members include the Lehigh and Northampton County Conservation Districts, the Saucon Creek Watershed Association, Lehigh University, and Wildlands Conservancy. NNF, in partnership with Lafayette College, has also begun planning a five-part series of seminars and programs on issues related to water, which will begin in the fall and continue through summer 2010.

Planning is also underway for effective use of the $250,000 Congressional appropriation  that NNF was awarded in March. NNF submitted details on the project  to NOAA, the agency charged with disbursing the funds and overseeing the project. Funds are expected to be made available in September, and must be used within a year.

May 2009
                                                           
Local Colleges and Schools Present Results of  Work on Flood Programming

In May, the Lafayette Tech Clinic finalized the two-semester project that a class of students at that college had been working on since September 2008, designed to provide ideas on flood programming, education, and exhibits for the Nurture Nature Center. The students developed the following, which will be presented on NNC’s website over the coming months: a computer game called Dam Manager, a video lesson on the water cycle and floods; a variety of creative ideas for exhibits, displays and outreach for a flood education center; a documentary on Easton residents experiences with flooding; and an Easton flood information website. For additional details, click here.

April, 2009

Presentation to the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors (PSATS)

NNF staff led a session at the annual PSATS conference on April 20, in Hershey, PA. The conference drew municipal supervisors and staff from communities across the state, and had an estimated 1,500 or 2,000 attendees. The NNF session was titled "Practical Stormwater and Floodplain Management: How to Improve Outcomes and Reduce Losses."

NNF staff spoke about general flooding issues, and highlighted ways that communities could improve their floodplain management, including modifying floodplain regulations and implementing FEMA's community rating system (CRS). They also reviewed the historic preservation exemption for flood insurance rates under the National Flood Insurance Program. The presentation drew on the example from Easton to talk about how, with careful planning, floodplains could be protected while simultaneously drawn on as valuable recreation resources.

March 2009

NNF Secures Federal Appropriation to Support Flood Awareness Campaign

NNF has secured $250,000 in federal funding to support a flood awareness and emergency preparedness education campaign in the recently flooded regions along the Delaware River, in the four Basin states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and New York. The program will seek to increase public awareness and use of the flood forecast and flood warning system resources of the National Weather Service, a branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Click here for details.

February-March 2009

High School, College Students Help Develop Programming for NNC

The Lafayette Technology Clinic, an interdisciplinary group of students working together to propose and develop exhibits and programming for Nurture Nature Center, is continuing its work. The clinic will present its final recommendations to Nurture Nature Foundation and invited guests on Friday, May 15, 2009.

Nurture Nature Center’s partnership with Easton Area High School and Northampton Community College also continues this semester, as part of a student leadership program funded by the State Farm Youth Advisory Board. This semester’s focus is on the creation of flood education curricula for elementary, middle school and high school students, and will include workshops for teachers. The college students are also producing a workshop and materials for floodplain property owners, highlighting techniques to protect property and reduce flood losses.

Facility Improvements Underway

Continued construction on the Nurture Nature Center is scheduled to resume in March. The first phase of construction will make improvements to the exterior front and rear entries, and will finalize all the common areas of the building. The second phase of construction will complete the first floor conference and banquet facility. Upper suites on the second and third floor will be available for rent for professional office space, and NNF will negotiate fit-out of those spaces on an individual basis. For more information about the building, please contact Rachel Hogan at 610-253-4432.

NNF is also pursuing an opportunity to create an urban garden in the rear of the building, which would be outfitted with stormwater retention features that would minimize run-off to the Delaware River while also providing teaching opportunities for visitors.

To showcase the building, Nurture Nature Foundation hosted a brokers’ and developers’ meeting of the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation on February 26 in the facility, with the Mayor or Easton and leaders from across the Lehigh Valley in attendance.

February 2009

NNF Welcomes the Lehigh Valley Food Co-Op to the Nurture Nature Center!

Nurture Nature Foundation has agreed to allow the Lehigh Valley Food Coop use its retail storefront at 522 Northampton Street as a drop-off facility for the Co-op’s new virtual Farmers’ Market. Members of the program can order locally grown produce, as well as organic body care and bulk items, online, and visit the Nurture Nature Center for weekly pick-ups. For more information, see: http://lehighvalleyfoodco-op.com.

Nurture Nature Center Offices Open

The new office of the Nurture Nature Center is officially open at 518 Northampton Street. Director of Environmental Outreach Rachel Hogan, and Staff Scientist Kate Brandes, have moved into the new office, which includes a small conference area and window display area, and will feature additional rotating displays about issues of environmental importance. The office will also serve as home to the Easton Environmental Advisory Council, as a repository for literature and resources.

January, 2009

Grant Received for Seminar Series on Water Issues

A grant that NNC submitted in partnership with Lafayette College was approved this month. The grant will fund a five-part series of seminars and programs designed to engage Lafayette College and Easton communities in an examination of a diversity of issues related to water.

December - January, 2009

Nurture Nature Center’s New Offices

NNC offices will be relocating into the storefront of the facility in late December or early January. NNC has arranged with the Easton Environmental Advisory Council to have this office space serve as the public “home” of the council, and to that end, will include a resource section for materials related to a variety environmental issues.

December, 2008

NNC Fundraising Efforts Continue

NNC and partners continue to seek grant funding. Among other proposals, two media projects have been proposed that will outline core concepts about flooding, including (a) a kit developed for on-line and news print agencies; and (b) an informational brochure that will include core flood-related vocabulary and concepts for an urban audience. NNC also is pursuing funding from the National Science Foundation and as part of that effort has engaged as project advisors, Museum of Science in Boston, North Carolina Museum of Life and Science, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Delaware River Basin Commission, and several colleges and universities.

November, 2008

School and University Collaboration

In November, flood exhibits developed by Easton Area High School and Northampton Community College students for the Nurture Nature Center earlier in the year were the centerpiece of a Flood Safety Fair in a Monroe County school, as part of a student leadership program at the college funded by the State Farm Youth Advisory Board.

In December, students in Lafayette College’s Technology Clinic made an initial presentation to reviewers regarding the flood education exhibits and outreach efforts they are planning for the Nurture Nature Center’s flood project. Lafayette’s Tech Clinic is a year long, multidisciplinary, hands-on course that brings together students from different majors to help solve real-world problems.

October - November, 2008

Community Outreach Programming and Partnerships

Also in October, NNC staff made presentation on flooding and related issues at a continuing education workshop for Pennsylvania teachers on topography, watersheds, and flooding. The workshop was put on by the Northampton County Conservation District and included additional presentations by PA Department of Environmental Protection, Delaware River Basin Commission, a local watershed organization, and the Conservation District. That month, NNC also exhibited at a Sustainable Parks Conference held at DeSales University.

The following month, NNC hosted in Easton a Municipal Open Space Workshop led by Mike Frank, Director of Community Planning at Heritage Conservancy. Mike Frank spoke about success stories in the Municipal Open Space referendums in the region, and provided information on how communities can better protect open space, farmland and natural resource areas. NNC provided information to attendees on its flood education efforts, in recognition of the fact that sustainable land use is a key ingredient of any flood mitigation effort.

October, 2008

Executive Director of ASFPM Visits Flood Project of Nurture Nature Center


In October, Larry Larson, founding member and Executive Director of Association of State Floodplain Managers, Inc. toured the building that will house NNC’s flood project and exhibits, and stayed overnight in Easton at the Grand Eastonian Hotel that is owned by NNC, and offered many provided NNC staff guidance on future programming and exhibits for our Flood Project. Film producer and flood educator Marshall Frech, who is continuing to work with NNC, joined the visit and shot additional footage of the Delaware River and surrounds for that work.

September, 2008

Nurture Nature Center Hosts Green Jobs Event

NNC supports the growing efforts nationwide to provide more training and jobs in areas that could foster sustainability, and alleviate a variety of environmental problems, including flooding. In keeping with this, the Nurture Nature Center hosted a Green Jobs Planning Event in late September ’08 to promote Green Jobs in the emerging global “green economy.” This event was held to coincide with a nation-wide “Green Jobs Now” initiative, in which similar events promoting the green economy were held all over the country.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Strategic Planning and Fundraising Activities

NNF and the Nurture Nature Center have retained Carol Inman, to work with us on strategic planning and fundraising activities. Carol has many years of experience working with science centers and fledgling nonprofits, and has special expertise in federal and major foundation grants for science education. With Carol's help, during September, NNF submitted a letter of intent to the National Science Foundation to request planning funds to develop exhibit space and educational programs that will serve citizens of the Delaware River Watershed.

Additional good news is that Peter Ahnert, the hydrologist in charge at the NWS Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center, and Mary Shafer, author of "Devastation on the Delaware," have both agreed to serve on a board of advisors for the flood project.

Friday, August 22, 2008

Student Flood Projects Presented to Public

On June 9, 2008, environmental science students from Easton Area High School unveiled a series of flood-related videos and exhibits, which were developed for the Nurture Nature Center Flood Project as the result of a service-learning collaboration with Northampton Community College's Student Leadership Program. Funding for the project was provided by the State Farm Youth Advisory Board.

Students from both schools created pilot exhibits to educate the public about the issues of flood prevention, flood safety, disaster preparedness and emergency response. The documentary-style videos included a history of Easton, a photojournal of the floods of 2004, 2005 and 2006, and a video about development and land use and its effect on flooding locally. Other exhibits included: two flood safety board games for young and older children; a demonstration of permeable concrete; wall boards with interesting facts about the Delaware; a panel exhibit on storm water management techniques for homeowners; and a video entitled "Floodman and the Floodkateers."

For more information on flooding outreach at Northampton Community College, visit the Flood Resource Center Web site at www3.northampton.edu/floodresources.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Joining Us Soon

Nurture Nature Foundation is proud to announce the newest member of our Easton staff.

Kate Brandes, who has worked over the years for both the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and for the Wildlands Conservancy, and more recently served as a Watershed Specialist for the Northampton County Conservation District while playing a leading role for the Bushkill Stream Conservancy, will be joining NNF as our Outreach Coordinator and Water Resources Scientist starting this September.

Kate will be in charge of developing and overseeing educational programming and will assist with the development of the Nurture Nature Center and its Flood Project. Kate is a licensed professional geologist with particular expertise in watershed issues, and is a member of Easton's newly formed Environmental Advisory Council. We are delighted to welcome her on board.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Northampton Community College Collaboration, Fund-Raising Efforts and Building Progress

February was a busy month for Nurture Nature's Flood Project team. During February, we launched our project with Northampton Community College's Student Leadership Program, in which college students will be working with Easton Area High School to support our flood education effort.

On the fundraising front, we worked hard on a pre-proposal for a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for funding to develop middle school education modules about flooding and climate change, that would also include the installation of NOAA's spectacular Science on a Sphere Exhibit in the Nurture Nature Center. Faculty members Dork Sahagian and Al Bodzin from Lehigh University partnered with us on the application, and the National Weather Service Mid-Atlantic River Forecasting Center, the Mt. Holly, NJ Forecast Office, and the Delaware River Basin Commission all wrote letters of support. We also worked with Congressman Charles Dent's office to formulate funding proposals at the federal level, and submitted appropriation requests to the him, as well as Senators Bob Casey, Jr. and Arlen Specter, and that would support exhibit development and educational programming.

Last, but not least, we made substantial progress in February on installing an elevator in the building-- which has now been officially certified by the National Park Service as a historic structure !

January, 2008

Easton Meeting of Federal, State and Local Agencies, and Nonprofits

On January 22, 2008, in follow-up to our presentation in November to the Delaware River Basin Commission (Flood Advisory Committee, more than 25 representatives from federal, state, county and national and local community organizations gathered together in Easton to discuss how to work with the Flood Project to organize a flood education effort. Attendees shared a wealth of ideas and resources, including suggestions for partnering on exhibits and educational programming. As a result of the connections made that day, we are already pursuing a collaborative grant relating to flooding. NNF has also begun follow-up with attendees to talk further about opportunities for partnership.

For more information about attendees and what was presented at the meeting, see:

* Map of the Delaware River Basin, highlighting Easton
* List of participants

* Slideshow from Meeting

November, 2007

Progress Report

How much progress we’ve made in eight weeks!

Since our last update, we have met widely with the community, adopted a new name, and introduced ourselves and our project to virtually all the government agencies involved in this area, ranging from the United States Geological Society, the National Weather Service, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, the Office of Emergency Management, the Department of Environmental Protection, the Natural Resources Conservation Services, and the Army Corps of Engineers.

On November 7, Jane Stanley of Nurture Nature Foundation testified about our planned center to the Flood Advisory Committee. Her testimony can be viewed here. As a result of that testimony, several agencies have reached out to us to find ways that they can help.

The other big news is that the facility where our flood education effort will take place is to be named the Nurture Nature Center, in honor of its benefactor, the Nurture Nature Foundation. The Nurture Nature Center will encompass activities related to a wide range of sustainable development issues. The programs and displays devoted to flooding and associated subjects, a principle focus of the Center, will be called the Nurture Nature Center Flood Project.

The change in name was the upshot of a truly informative community brainstorming process undertaken with Project for Public Spaces (www.pps.org), the New York-based non-profit organization working with us.

August, 2007

Congressman Dent and Area Schools

Following a meeting with him earlier in the week, Congressman Charles Dent and his staff joined a crowd of about 30 people on Friday, August 17, to tour the Flood Museum and Resource Center building. Deputy Executive Director of the Delaware River Basin Commission Bob Tudor, and DRBC’s Communications Director Clarke Rupert, were also present to share an announcement by the Congressman of his support for a $250,000 federal appropriation to the DRBC to improve its flood warning system for the region. Media stories about the visit can be found here and here.

We also met recently with faculty from Lafayette College, Lehigh University and Moravian Academy to discuss ways students, teachers and professors might work with the Flood Museum and Resource Center. Proposed activities include student research projects, the creation of a technical advisory committee to help oversee content development for the museum, and scheduling symposia for faculty and students to present relevant research. We will be meeting with faculty at other schools in the area as well in the coming months.

An intern from Lafayette College, Steve Frank, begins work with the Flood Museum and Resource Center this week. Steve is a senior Government and Law major interested in urban development and how a non-profit organization establishes itself in a community. Welcome aboard, Steve!

August, 2007

Flood Museum and Resource Center Update

We had an extremely successful meeting with Congressman Charlie Dent this week, who wants to visit the Flood Museum and Resource Center on August 17, at 11:00 a.m. Also attending will be the Deputy Executive Director of the Delaware River Basin Commission, the DRBC's Communication Manager, the Mayor of Easton and the County Executive.

Others who wish to tour the facility or ask questions about the project are welcome to come. Construction of the elevators is scheduled to begin in September and will last for several months, so this may be the last opportunity for a visit for some time.

For further information, contact info@floodmuseum.org or call (610) 253-4432.

July, 2007

Since the Press Conference

Additional press coverage this week included an editorial in the Express-Times, and a story in Lehigh Valley Live. In addition, an article in the Lafayette College news interviews Professor Dru Germanoski, one of the Lafayette professors who has provided inspiration and guidance for the Flood Museum, describing his views about what the museum can accomplish, and his hopes to involve Lafayette students in developing concepts and displays for the museum, as well as contributing and assembling data.

July, 2007

Following Announcement of the Project

The announcement of this project generated an enthusiastic response in the community. Among those that responded was Congressman Charles Dent, who has now asked to meet with us. We will be talking to him about the project on Aug. 14 in Bethlehem, and are working on arrangements for him to visit the building when he comes to Easton on Aug. 17. Other news is that Nurture Nature's President, Mr. Kheel, has now approved a contract for construction of the elevator in the building, which will cost close to $300,000. In addition, Marshall Frech, who was retained by Nurture Nature Foundation on July 18 to work on this project, met with a Lafayette history professor D.C. Jackson, who is a national authority on the history of dams and water-resource development.

July, 2007

Pilot Project Already Underway

To get a head start on developing content for the Flood Museum and Resource Center, and to introduce potential funders to the exciting possibilities for the facility, NNF has now made an additional financial commitment: it has has retained for an award-winning environmental filmmaker and flood educator, Marshall Frech, to assist with the development of the multimedia portion of the Center, provide guidance on flood education generally, and create a pilot exhibit.

Mr. Frech is a Lehigh Valley native who has focused the last decade of his professional career on flood awareness and flood safety education, and has produced multiple flood-related films and documentaries, including films for PBS. You can learn more about his work at the website he developed, www.floodsafety.org.

In addition to providing general guidance on flood education and multimedia possibilities for our Center, Mr. Frech will develop a pilot exhibit with an interactive program similar to the one he produced for Boulder, Colorado (see www.boulderfloods.org), which will focus on Pennsylvania instead. Please send photos and home videos you have on flooding to his attention at info@floodmuseum.org.

July, 2007

Our Meeting with the Press

Easton, We felt we had made enough progress to announce our project to the press on July 19, and are pleased with the response. Stories followed in the Morning Call and the Express Times, on Channel 69 News, and in Pennlive. Among those who attended the press conference were the Secretary of Pennsylvania's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Michael DiBerardinis, Rob Rudd, Director of the Canal Museum in Easton, and Ed Grusheski, the founder of the Fairmount Waterworks Interpretive Center in Philadelphia. We are planning to start an electronic newsletter soon to update our supporters about our progress. We will circulate the newsletter to everyone on our mailing list, and will post the issues online when they appear. If you want to have your name added to our mailing list, please let us know. You may contact us at info@floodmuseum.org.

July, 2007

Tell Us What You Think

We welcome feedback on any aspect of this project. Do you like the idea of a Flood Museum and Resource Center ? What types of exhibits and activities would you want to see in it? What are some other uses that could be made of parts of the building, that might complement the Flood Museum and Resource Center and help provide income to support it? Please share your ideas with us, either by posting a comment here, or by emailing us at info@floodmuseum.org