Why we are having
a fundraiser for the Wissahickon Valley Park
The Wissahickon Valley Park, part of Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park,
is a 1,426 acre urban oasis that is home to hundreds of species of plants,
animals and insects. Many thousands of people visit the Wissahickon each
year for nature walks, bird watching, hiking, biking, horseback riding,
picnics and other recreational activities. The Wissahickon is a precious
and priceless treasure and is among the few places in the country designated
by the U.S. Department of the Interior as a National Natural Landmark.
It is a haven for people and wildlife, and one of the best places in the
tri-state area to mountain bike due to it’s variety of terrain.
On August 1, 2004 an intense 100-year thunderstorm deposited 8 inches of
rain inside of an hour on the Wissahickon and wreaked havoc on the bridges,
streams, buildings and trails there. Three bridges had to be closed due
to structural damage, several thousand tons of stone and debris had to
be removed from tributaries, and miles of trails were severely eroded.
An estimated 3 million in damage occurred. A second, more destructive storm
ravaged the park on September 28, 2004; the remnants of hurricane Jeanne.
This time, with 10 inches of rain in three hours, there were even more
mud and rockslides, and three bridges that were weakened during the first
storm completely collapsed. Because many of the trails in the Wissahickon
are poorly designed, the erosion was particularly damaging. Fairmount Park
applied for FEMA money but their application was denied.
Mountain bikers have long enjoyed the rugged terrain and the remarkable scenery of this convenient urban park, and biking is one of the best ways to enjoy the Wissahickon’s magnitude as you can cover a great deal of trail in a few hours. The Delaware Valley Mountain Bike Patrol (DVMBP), Jersey Action Riders (JAR), and others in the mountain biking community were acutely aware of the damage to the park and have been involved in the volunteer trail repair effort along with the Friends of the Wissahickon and the Wissahickon Restoration Volunteers. The DVMBP and JAR decided to become more directly involved in the fundraising for this effort by hosting the First Annual Wissahickon Mountain Bike Poker Run.
A Poker Run is a not a race, but rather a fun self-paced ride on marked trails through the park. Five checkpoints along the trail allow riders to draw and build a poker hand, and the best poker hands win prizes.
