Each year, the Berks County Conservation District (BCCD) holds an Annual Awards and Scholarship Dinner to celebrate the people, students, and organizations working to protect Berks County’s vivd and diverse environments. On a bright and balmy July evening at the Oley Fairgrounds, this year’s celebration recognized the Tulpehocken Creek Watershed Association (TCWA), a volunteer-based program managed by Berks Nature, who received the coveted Conservation Organization of the Year Award.
Given its name by the Indigenous peoples of southeastern Pennsylvania, the watershed’s original stewards, “Tulpehocken,” translates to “Land of Turtles”; today, friends of the watershed refer to it affectionately as “the Tully”.
The Tully’s 230 miles of streams wind through a varied geography of towns, farmland, and green spaces, feeding the Blue Marsh Lake reservoir, a valuable source of recreation and drinking water for the watershed’s community. Altogether, the Tulpehocken Creek watershed spans more than 220 square miles – from the foothills of Myerstown to the City of Reading.
Caring for a watershed of this scale is no small feat, but the members of the TCWA have risen to the challenge.
Volunteers conduct physical, biological, and chemical testing of the Tully’s waters at various locations across the watershed. These data are shared with not just the BCCD but also the Reading Area Water Authority, the Schuylkill Action Network, Lehigh County Conservation District, and the Delaware Riverkeeper Network.
View of the Tulpehocken Creek Watershed Association’s Conservation Organization of the Year Award, presented by the Berks County Conservation District at the Oley Fairgrounds in July 2026.
In addition to this monitoring, the TCWA has also taken a more targeted approach to understanding and safeguarding the Tully. Since 2023, the TCWA has collaborated with the Army Corps of Engineers at Blue Marsh Lake to both investigate the source of the reservoir’s harmful algal blooms and to explore possible solutions.
The TCWA is also a highly responsive group, capable of reacting to emergent problems and opportunities. Just last year after a great horned owl tragically died from entanglement in a web of discarded fishing line, TCWA volunteers helped coordinate a streamside cleanup to remove this dangerous form of litter. By coordinating with the Berks County Parks and Recreation Department and with extra support from local kayak and boating groups, volunteers were able to clean six miles of heavily fished stream banks – from the Tully’s outflow at the Blue Marsh Lake Stilling Basin to its confluence with the Schuylkill River.
From restoring streamside habitats with native tree plantings and designing a native flower garden for the Blue Marsh Lake Visitor’s Center, to attending municipal meetings and sharing their love for the Tully at community events; the breadth and success of TCWA’s work is as vibrant and vast as the watershed they protect.
For their commitment, passion, and resourcefulness, the TCWA is a worthy recipient of the BCCD’s Conservation Organization of the Year Award, and Berks Nature is proud to count them as members of our family.
In the words of English Dawson, Berks Nature’s Volunteer Engagement Manager & Educator, “It’s volunteers like [the members of TCWA] that keep conservation work going!”
Written by: Regan Moll-Dohm, Director of Communications
Become A Member!
The Tulpehocken Creek Watershed Association typically meets on the 1st Thursday of each month at 6:00 pm at The Nature Place in Reading, PA. TCWA members often enjoy education outings outside of these monthly gatherings.
For more information on becoming a member or getting involved, join us at an up-coming meeting or contact:
English Dawson
Volunteer Engagement Manager & Educator
english.dawson@berksnature.org
610-372-4992 x118
Images of the Tulpehocken Creek watershed and the members of the Tulpehocken Creek Watershed Association in action!