Tacony Creek Park, embraced by the community, reopens as green space after years of cleanup

The 300-acre nature preserve spanning North and Northeast Philadelphia was once home to one of the city’s largest illegal dumping sites.

By Celia Alves. On May 5, 2026. Edited by Nigel Thompson.

Councilmember Quetcy Lozada and State Representative Rep. Jason Dawkins joined the community on Tacony Creek Park cleaning day. (Photo by Claudia Ceballos)

On April 11, hundreds gathered in Tacony Creek Park to celebrate the unveiling of a new 49-acre nature preserve. It will serve as a new entrance to the 300-acre park on the grounds of Friends Hospital.

The celebration was organized by the Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership (TTF), but also featured the support of several partners from the city and state government, and surrounding neighborhoods.

Chambs Ruiz with TTF said preparation for the important day started over a year ago.  Volunteers worked tirelessly to clear what was once a massive illegal dumping site in North Philly. At one point, an estimated 4,000 tires clogged the natural preserve.

TTF also used the cleaning as a way to promote workforce development for those who came out to help.

Volunteers came ready. Wearing comfortable clothes and not afraid of getting their hands dirty. (Photo by Claudia Ceballos)

Chambs Ruiz, Communications and Engagement Coordinator at TTF. (Photo by Claudia Ceballos).

“Not only is this a nature preserve, this is more jobs for Philadelphians,” said Ruiz. “This is a set career path for Philadelphians, and this is a way for us to keep nature here instead of a bunch of properties that are popping up,” said Ruiz.

At the celebration on April 11, there were no more tires to clear, but volunteers came ready. Wearing comfortable clothes and not afraid of getting their hands dirty, they joined forces planting native trees and plants, cleaning the area of some trash and debris, socializing, and taking in the new scenes of the new preserve.

Rumberos Jeep Club members. (Photo by Claudia Ceballos).

Volunteers of all ages help revitalize Taconey Creek Park. (Photo by Claudia Ceballos)

Maribel Oquendo, president of the Rumberos Jeep Club, came with 22 volunteers and said it was a great experience with nature.

“Having my people working in something different is great,” she said. “They love what they're doing. They enjoy it. They're on the water.”

Among the volunteers was also a host of student athletes from Mariana Bracetti Academy Charter School in Frankford. It’s the second year that students joined members of the nearby Frankford Community Development Corporation to do a community cleanup.

Student Makayla Drake (at the right in the picture above) said that living in Philly, she sees the city’s struggles with staying clean, and wanted to help the effort.

“I just wanted to help out the community, really try to keep it clean, try to be friendly,” she said. “I just want to have a better, safer environment.”

The effort to beautify the reserve also included planting trees and other native plants around the creek to serve as a habitat for animals and strengthen the natural ecosystem of the area. Drew Rinaldi Subits with TTF said the planting effort is focused on the long-term health of the reserve.

“We're trying to plant as many oaks as we can,” he said. “They can live for a couple of hundred years. They can provide habitat for many different types of creatures.”

Judith Alvarez, Director of Family and Community Engagement (center), and her students from Mariana Brassetti Academy Charter School. (Photo by Celia Alves)

Rinaldi Subits said the oaks support everything from tiny creatures, such as butterflies and birds, to the deer and foxes that eat their acorns. The large roots also grow deep into the ground and stabilize the nearby stream bank.

According to Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the state had already lost 5% of its native plants to extinction by the year 2000, and it’s still at risk of losing 25% more. A plant is considered native if it was present in the U.S. soil before the arrival of Europeans. Those plants are used to the climate, give character to locations, and serve as ideal habitats for wildlife. 

Pennsylvania’s native plants have been harmed by the growth of cities and the introduction of invasive plants and pests. In Tacony Creek Park, volunteers were also tasked with the removal of invasive bamboo, whose vast root networks can have major impacts on nearby plants. Volunteers cut the bamboo stalks down to their stubs so they could eventually be professionally removed at a future date.

Ruiz said the end goal is to bring surrounding communities to the park and enjoy the new green space in North Philadelphia. 

“We're trying to empower. And we're trying to get people to actually take part in the park, actually walk in it, feel good in it, feel safe in it,” she said.

State Representative Rep. Jason Dawkins has many childhood memories from Taconey Creek Park. (Photo by Celia Alves)

As someone born and raised in Frankford, State Representative Jason Dawkins said it’s vital for youth and other community members to have clean, safe spaces like Tacony Creek Park to play and gather.

“This particular park was one of my childhood escapes,” he said. “I used to ride ATVs and dirt bikes on these trails years ago. This became like our second home.”

Quotes have been edited for clarity and grammar.