Wetlands are coming? The so-called ‘FDR wetlands’ project is about money and corruption - it’s not about environmental protection. This is blatant greenwashing.
Where you find many “wetlands” signs, Parks and Rec in fact is clearcutting the existing tree canopy and habitat to create pay-to-pay facilities for out-of-towners and FIFA. A few people in power want to make private money off your public land. STOP selling our precious green space for private use!
Meanwhile, Parks and Rec is in cahoots with PHL Airport — they’re destroying hundreds of acres in their unchecked expansion and are federally mandated to “create” wetlands, choosing a section of FDR in an area that has historically BEEN wetlands. There is no creation - just a huge net loss.
Nature and climate resiliency for all? Or locked artificial turf fields for the few?
The Meadows in FDR Park, South Philadelphia's only unmanicured green space, has been a refuge for many since the COVID-19 pandemic. The Meadows should be valued for the benefits it provides all year-round:
A space to walk, hike, jog, play, and get lost
Mental health benefits of wild spaces (to a society struggling with gun violence)
Our best defense against rising temperatures and pollution
Critical habitat for hundreds of species and a important bird migratory stop in Philadelphia.
Parks and Rec says the development is for the kids - so why aren’t they repairing the neglected sports fields in YOUR neighborhood?
The community doesn’t want a pay-to-play sports complex: they want equitable investment. Philly’s existing fields are sitting unmaintained, pools are closed, and rec centers are unstaffed.
Other cities are banning artificial turf
They aren’t telling you how bad artificial turf is for human health or the environment. Or groundwater retention. Or the heat island effect as we experience our hottest November on record. Or the growing scientific discovery linking artificial turf's "forever chemicals" (PFAS) to increased cancer rates - especially in children. They don't talk about the stadium lights that will be installed, causing light pollution for our neighbors and further degrading the adjacent habitat. We wonder why.
Could it be because that would put a spotlight on why sports fields — the least important priority from community surveys — represent a vastly outsized portion of the controversial Master Plan? Would it be because renting out YOUR PARK to the highest bidder is something literally no one supports?
Philadelphia said they want to protect and grow the tree canopy…this master plan clearcuts 150 acres.
Do they even have a clue how many trees they’ve destroyed? The claim of "7000 saplings" to be planted is equivalent to only 25 mature trees when it comes to stormwater capture, air pollution, and carbon sequestration.
We're here for the full story - not just the greenwashing.
What’s next?
We demand the removal of Parks and Rec commissioner Katherine Ott Lovell. Philly’s public lands should be protected, not developed for private interests. Our tree canopy is being destroyed by the agency tasked to protect it. It’s time to acknowledge the climate crisis we’re facing and the role that natural lands play in protecting us.
STOP: The project is devastating natural space, habitat, foraging lands, and tree canopy. This green space protects our neighborhood from stormwater flooding, heat island effect, and pollutants. Natural/wild spaces in South Philadelphia are rare and should be protected.
RE-ENGAGE: People value their connection to nature; now more than ever since COVID. Why is Parks and Rec ignoring the community’s call to protect the meadows?
RE-EVALUATE: The community did not prioritize sports facilities; why are they the focus of the development? Astroturf is toxic for people and the environment.
RE-INVEST: We want investment in our own neighborhoods, our own rec centers and playgrounds, and our own parks, fields, pools, and public spaces: not in a pay-to-play tournament zone for out of towners that will be kept under lock and key. Invest in the community!