Master Watershed Steward Rose Johnson brings a green thumb to Philadelphia

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Rose Johnson has always loved gardening. As part of the Penn State Extension Master Watershed Steward volunteer program in Philadelphia County, Johnson has been able to take her gardening out into the community.

“I’ve become more interested in native plants and ecosystem protection,” Johnson said. “The aspect of the Master Watershed Steward program that focuses on ecological restoration projects was compelling.”

Johnson, who retired from a career in marketing analytics, joined the Master Watershed Steward program in 2020.

“Rose is a great volunteer because she has excellent leadership skills in addition to being a great project manager and communicator,” said Beth Yount, extension educator and Master Watershed Steward coordinator in Philadelphia County. “She has an extraordinary green thumb for propagating and coaxing native plants to grow and thrive. Rose is also able to speak about watershed health topics easily.”

The main project Johnson has been engaged with during the last two years is restoring the gardens at Lovett Memorial Library in Mt. Airy, a neighborhood in northwest Philadelphia. Johnson became involved as part of the Friends of Lovett Memorial Library, a support organization that aids all aspects of the library’s functions.

When Lovett Library was renovated in 2017-18, a rain basin was created, which collects water that drains off the library’s roof. The rain basin was planted with native and non-native plants but was not cared for.

“By the time I got involved with the Friends gardening group, the rain basin was full of weeds,” Johnson said. “It was being weed-whacked when the grass was cut. I decided we should install a native rain garden.”

Johnson applied for and received a Plant Grant from Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve. With encouragement from Yount, Johnson set regular workdays in the garden and involved other local Master Watershed Stewards.

In year two of the rain garden, the volunteers still are filling in the rain basin with plants, removing weeds and performing regular maintenance. Johnson also has started on the second phase of the Lovett project, which involves digging out orange daylilies and other invasive species along the sidewalk and replacing them with native plants. She uses plants that she started from seed or transplanted from her yard. The Master Watershed Steward program also has provided several trays of plants for both the rain basin and the sidewalk.

“The rain garden project at Lovett Memorial Library was introduced, implemented and maintained through Rose’s initiative,” Yount said. “She conceived the project, wrote the grant application and created the garden, which is thriving. She continues to lead and coordinate the volunteer efforts that contribute to the garden’s maintenance.”

Johnson noted that aside from the ecological benefits of the garden at Lovett, an important part of this project has been the neighborhood interactions. The rain basin is close enough to the street for passersby to see.

“People stop to ask questions, even more so when we’re working along the sidewalk,” Johnson said. “I’ve been able to explain to several people what a rain garden is, the importance of native plants and that orange daylilies are on the Pennsylvania list of invasive species!”

Johnson said it took her a while to find her niche, and some challenges come from the program being largely self-directed. Her favorite part of being a steward has been learning more about plants from discussions with other stewards, as well as doing research to find plants that would be appropriate for Lovett’s grounds. She also has enjoyed plant walks with students.

“A good thing about the Master Watershed Steward program is that it accommodates a wide range of interests,” Johnson said. “My thing is plants, much more so than water, but watersheds encompass all the land that drains into a river, and plants are an important part of that. If you want to start or lead a project, the program can provide support. If you want to provide support on someone else’s project, you’ll be welcomed. If you want to do water, native plants, restorations or education, it all fits!”

The Penn State Extension Master Watershed Steward program provides extensive training in watershed management to volunteers who, in return, educate the community about watershed stewardship based on university research and recommendations. The program was established to strengthen local capacity for management and protection of watersheds, streams and rivers by educating and empowering volunteers across the commonwealth.

Anyone interested in becoming a Master Watershed Steward can learn more at the program’s website.