Hey, Delco. Vote YES on November 3rd

The water of Rocky Run Creek flowing around rocks at Wawa Preserve.

by Oliver Bass, president of Natural Lands

On November 3rd, Delaware County voters will have an unprecedented opportunity to protect our water, wildlife, and open space. As a longtime resident of Delco and the president of Natural Lands—a nonprofit conservation organization active and headquartered in the county—I urge everyone to vote YES on this ballot initiative.

The Delaware County Water Quality, Natural Areas, and Wildlife Habitat Protection bond will enable Delaware County to borrow up to $120 million to protect drinking water sources, water quality, and wildlife habitat; conserve trees to protect air quality and wetlands to prevent flooding; and protect natural areas from development.

When passed, the ballot measure will provide funding for the Green Ways Grant Program, which awarded grants to municipalities and nonprofit organizations in every part of Delaware County between 2019 and 2023, until it ran out of funding. A YES vote on November 3rd would reinstate the program and allow Delco residents to protect their drinking water and natural areas for future generations.

Just two years ago, with assistance from Natural Lands, Aston Township utilized a Green Ways grant—leveraged by substantial funding from state, township, private sources—to protect nearly 46 acres of land owned by The Sisters of St. Francis. The once vulnerable land is now a township-owned, passive-use park that protects water quality.

Without the Green Ways Grant Program providing key financial support for the purchase, this land would almost surely be a housing development or the site of new warehouses. Instead, today, this natural area filters the water we drink, soaks up floodwaters, cools and cleans the air we breathe, provides recreational opportunities for residents, and gives wildlife a home.

Around the same time as the Aston Township project was underway, Natural Lands began working with the Darby Creek Valley Association to develop a Resilience, Conservation, and Management Plan for the Darby Creek Watershed.

About half a million people live in the 78-square-mile area that feeds Darby Creek. This includes 31 municipalities, most in Delaware County. The watershed has suffered from pollution and flooding for decades; more intense storms and severe heat waves only compound these stressors. Thanks in part to support from the Delaware County Green Ways Grant Program, these communities now have a plan that can guide changes that will make communities healthier and safer. Voting in favor of this ballot measure will enable communities to implement plan recommendations.

These are just two examples of the many ways in which all of us who call Delaware County home can benefit from passing the Water Quality, Natural Areas, and Wildlife Habitat Protection bond. The ballot language guarantees that the use of the funds will be transparent with public disclosures and independent audits.

The time is now. Our waterways are under threat from runoff and toxic chemicals. Massive warehouses and data centers are destroying our communities’ remaining natural areas.

Failure to vote YES now will have consequences that last for decades.

I have lived in Delaware County for more than 30 years and raised my family here. I believe we owe it to our children and grandchildren to protect our clean water, wildlife, and remaining natural areas so future generations can enjoy them the way we do. A yes vote will provide necessary resources—like funding the Green Ways Grant Program—so we can preserve Delco’s beauty and resources for generations to come.

Residents can learn more and sign up for updates at www.voteyesdelcowater.org.