Press Release:
After a multi-year, community-driven effort, 15 previously unnamed creeks in Cheltenham Township have officially received names and are now recorded in the United States Geological Survey (USGS) mapping system. Cheltenham Township issued an official press release on October 17th 2025. The press release and creek names can be found here.
The naming process, which took more than three years, brought together local organizations, municipal partners, and community members. Through public surveys, school engagement, and coordination with state and federal partners, residents helped shape the names that now formally recognize these waterways for the first time.
This milestone represents an important step in strengthening the community’s connection to local natural resources. By naming these creeks, Cheltenham Township and its partners aim to increase public awareness, encourage stewardship, and support future environmental planning and research.
Official naming also ensures that these waterways are recognized in mapping systems used for environmental studies, infrastructure planning, and conservation efforts, helping elevate their importance as ecological and community assets.
New signage has been installed throughout the township to mark the creeks and make them more visible and accessible to residents.
This initiative reflects a broader commitment to place-based engagement and environmental stewardship across the Tookany/Tacony-Frankford watershed. As awareness grows, partners hope these newly named creeks will become focal points for education, restoration, and community use.
List of the Project team:
- Tim Esposito
- Ryan Neuman
- Thomas Wieckowski
- Ann Rappoport
- Lauren Walter
- Kurt Ahrens
More information can be found here.
About the Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership (TTF):
From the headwaters in Montgomery County to neighborhoods in North and Northeast Philadelphia, the Tookany/Tacony-Frankford (TTF) Watershed Partnership empowers community members to take care of and improve impaired waterways through revitalizing critical urban greenspace, community engagement, land care, workforce development, education, and programming.
Learn more and get involved: www.ttfwatershed.org
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Images: TTF