The Wissahickon is heading into winter, after a lovely fall with rich colors and warm days. At Friends of the Wissahickon, we’re ready for winter, too, a time to reflect on our accomplishments of the last year and to make plans for 2017.

It was a big year for the Wissahickon Valley Park. For many, 2016 will go down as the “year of the bear.” You may remember that in May, a young black bear was seen wading across the Wissahickon Creek. Wildlife officials tried to locate the bear, but it was never again seen in the Wissahickon. Days later, there were reports of a bear in Chester County, but it was not determined if it was the same animal.

We were busy that week — our Facebook page became a clearinghouse for bear-related news and FOW was quoted in all sorts of press. Our primary concern was safety — we were grateful park users were safe — but at the same time, we were able to raise awareness and educate people about bear behavior.

We launched the highly successful “All Trails Challenge,” asking park users to raise money for the park by exploring all 50 miles of park trails. Over 200 people have risen to the All Trails Challenge and we’ve been amazed at the level of support! We’ll bring it back in 2017, so plan to make the All Trails Challenge one of your New Year’s resolutions!

The restored Wissahickon Environmental Center is looking fabulous. FOW received a Grand Jury Award at the annual Preservation Alliance Achievement Awards in June for the work on the WEC. The restoration included repairs to the main building and construction of a new porch, which provides a visual reference to the famous tree that once grew through its roof. The new porch also offers handicapped-accessible outdoor classroom space that greatly expands WEC’s capacity for programming.

Next year, we’ll tackle some long-needed repairs resulting from erosion around the Forbidden Drive Trail. We’ve selected Riverlogic Solutions/AKRF to conduct the construction work and begun the permitting and design phase of this extensive project to repair three partial collapses along this popular trail in the park — near Valley Green Inn, Mt. Airy Avenue and Kitchens Lane. Stabilizing the trail to keep it from eroding further and restoring the streambank habitat will help improve the water quality of the Wissahickon Creek.

We also got into the book business with the publication of “Good Night Wissahickon,” a children’s book about a family exploring the wonders of the park. If you’re looking for a holiday gift for pre-schoolers or their parents, it’s a great gift. You can buy a copy here: www.fow.org/good-night-wissahickon.

As always, FOW is made up of people who love the park. We’re grateful for your support of our work and wish you and yours a healthy, happy 2017 filled with good times in the Wissahickon. To become a member or to give the gift of membership, visit www.fow.org.