Cast Your Vote Now for the Brandywine as 2017 Pennsylvania River of the Year

Vote now for the Brandywine as the 2017 Pennsylvania River of the Year. Votes may be cast online from Monday, November 14 through 5p.m., Monday, December 19.

Here are a few reasons to vote for the Brandywine:

• It’s one of the East Coast’s most beautiful and accessible watersheds.
• It’s the main drinking water source for over 500,000 people, including West Chester, Downingtown, Wilmington, and surrounding areas.
• It’s a destination for recreation, loved by hikers, paddlers, anglers and anyone who has every spent a lazy day floating down the river or walking along its banks.
• The beauty of the Brandywine Valley has inspired artists of centuries, including Thomas Doughty, William Trost Richards, N.C. Wyeth, Andrew Wyeth, and Jamie Wyeth.

“The River of the Year distinction would bring a well-deserved spotlight on this waterway that is beloved for its artistic legacy, agricultural productivity, scenic open vistas, and industrial heritage,” said Virginia A. Logan, executive director of the Brandywine Conservancy & Museum or Art. “This honor would be a resounding acknowledgement of decades of great work, investment and dedication to watershed conservation by the citizens, governments and organizations in this part of the Commonwealth.”Votes may be cast via an online widget, and popular opinion will determine the recipient of the 2017 River of the Year designation. Should the Brandywine achieve this distinction, year-long celebratory programming will be offered by the Brandywine Conservancy, Brandywine Creek Greenway, and municipal, non-profit, government, and private partners throughout the Brandywine Valley.

2017 marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of art. Since its founding, the organization has helped to permanently protect more than 62,000 acres in the Brandywine Watershed. The Conservancy works with individuals, government agencies, and private organizations to permanently protect and conserve land, water, and natural, historic, and scenic resources.

The Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers (POWR) administers the River of the Year program with funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Pennsylvania’s River of the Year is an honor designed to elevate public awareness of specific rivers and recognize important conservation needs and achievements. River of the Year designations have been presented annually since 1983.

Voting will be managed through Woobox, an online contest application that restricts voting to one vote per email address. 

The Brandywine Conservancy protects water, preserves land, and engages communities, using a multi-faceted approach to conservation. The conservancy works with private landowners who wish to see their lands protected forever, and provides innovative community planning services to municipalities and other governmental agencies. The conservancy currently holds 469 conservation and agricultural easements and has facilitated the permanent preservation of more than 62,000 acres of land.

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