Global Education Network, 160 E Doe Run Rd, Kennett Square, PA 19348, US

In March of 1945, thirty people from the West Chester and Wilmington areas got together to listen to a man named Clayton Hoff talk about the Brandywine Creek. What they heard was alarming. In many spots the creek was little more than an open sewer, the result of wastewater being dumped into the stream with little or no treatment. In addition, thousands of tons of soil were being washed into the Brandywine--choking aquatic life and diminishing water quality. Recognizing that such threats would cause permanent damage, this group founded Brandywine Valley Association, the first small watershed association in America. BVA is now more than 800 members strong and is still working to protect the picturesque and productive Brandywine Creek.