RENEWING
GREEN SPACES
Our Commitment to Our Land
We approached our work—revitalizing Cobbs Creek Golf Course and establishing a true campus of education and community engagement—knowing that, first and foremost, we must embrace our responsibilities as stewards of these 350 acres. Years of neglect had only exacerbated historical environmental challenges centered around Cobbs Creek, the body of water. The surrounding communities have been suffering from flooding, poor water quality, and related public health concerns. We are determined to take action and forge partnerships that will restore the Creek, add important wetlands, and create one of our region’s preeminent green spaces.
200,000+
cubic yards of legacy, pollutant-contaminated sediment removed
25+ acres
of new wetlands created and protected
4.5 acres
of degraded streambank stabilized
Who Benefits from Environmental Remediation?
A head-turning graphic we created applying data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency begins to show us how many disadvantaged communities will eventually benefit from our green work.
“A major component of this project is to address the flooding that continually hindered the property’s landscape…[and] to provide long-term sustainability and flood-risk mitigation…as well as the addition of new green infrastructure and wetlands.”
HUNTER PATES, Life Scientist
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 3
Community First
OUR IMPACT
We approach environmental remediation and stewardship with our community’s welfare and health in mind—and whenever possible, we engage neighbors in this work through Community Clean-up Days. The primary goal always is to mitigate environmental threats that have placed the course and neighborhood in harm’s way. It is a great advantage that our tactics and vision reflect years of research and insight from partners agencies like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
Tomorrow’s Stewards
OUR IMPACT
With an educational mission at the heart of the new Cobbs Creek Campus, we have the opportunity to shape future generations of students who can now become better stewards of this land and their communities. Beyond lessons in sustainability and the environment, we improve the social determinants of health for all young people who come here—simply by enabling them to experience green space and recreation on a regular basis.
Our work to revitalize all three miles of the creek weaving through campus is the largest-ever urban creek restoration project. The results—especially when combined with the ecosystems we will safeguard with the addition of more than 25 acres of wetlands—have the potential of spurring similar efforts in other major cities. For peer golf courses, we are showing how collaboration with experts in sustainable practices can guide key decisions about course maintenance. For example, we built a reservoir to maximize the reuse of water, which opened in 2024.
A National Model
OUR IMPACT
