It’s not rare in our neck of the woods to come across wild animals. Many of you have probably seen raccoons, opossums, and groundhogs near your house, not  to mention squirrels. A wild turkey was roaming some West Philly neighborhoods last spring, which was well documented thanks to neighbor reports and photos. I came face to face with a young opossum on my porch last fall that I first confused with my cat. This post, though, is about what you should do if you encounter a wild animal that needs help, if it is sick, injured or if you found a baby animal with no mother in sight.

An opossum gets some TLC at the Schuylkill Center. (Photo from schuylkillcenter.org).

West Philly Local reader Kameliya Atanasova and her neighbors had a very close encounter with three seemingly lost baby raccoons off of 49th and Florence Streets on Monday. When they contacted the ACCT (Animal Care and Control Team) they were referred to the Schuylkill Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic, which is part of The Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education. The clinic cares for injured, sick and orphaned wildlife native to Southeastern Pennsylvania. It is located in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia (304 Port Royal Avenue) and is open to accept animals during the following hours (April to September): 10:00 am – 6:00 pm seven days/week, according to information on their website.

However, before calling the clinic please read this page: “What Do I Do If …“.

For some reason, the clinic wasn’t open on Monday and Tuesday, Kameliya writes. Luckily, two of the three baby raccoons successfully found their momma on their own. It is not known what happened to the third one as it appeared rather scared by curious passersby. The Schuylkill Center’s page on what to do in these cases warns people to not interfere unless the animal is injured or the mother is dead.

“My neighbors and I all made the mistake of being in close proximity to the raccoons which scared them and only challenged/delayed their reunion with their mother. If more of us knew about the Schuylkill Center as a resource and their recommendations about how to handle such situations, we could all react in a more informed manner during close encounters with wildlife. I personally didn’t even know of its existence until I spoke with the ACCT,” writes Kameliya.

Café Renata co-owner Yasser Aiq raises the flag of Brazil for the World Cup, which starts Thursday. Café Renata, which is BYOB, is one of a few venues around the neighborhoods that is welcoming World Cup revelers with open arms. (Photo by Mike Lyons / West Philly Local)

The 2014 World Cup starts Thursday in Brazil and many local watering holes and cafés are getting ready. We have a few places listed below that have said they will have their TVs tuned in for the duration of the tournament (June 12 – July 13) and will be welcoming neighborhood soccer fans. By the way, the tournament kicks off at 4 p.m. on Thursday with a Group A game – Brazil vs. Croatia. Let us know if you know of any other spots where shouting, cheering and maybe even a vuvuzela or two are encouraged.

• Cafe Renata, 4305 Locust St (Facebook page). The opening game party starts at 2 p.m. on Thursday, June 12 (a complimentary Lager will be served with any lunch order).

• City Tap House, 3925 Walnut St (Facebook page).

• Drinker’s West, 39th and Chestnut (Facebook page). All the World Cup games will be shown at all three Drinker’s Philly locations, including Drinker’s West. You can stop by for drinks, tacos, hot dogs and soccer.

• Harvest Seasonal Bar & Grill, 40th and Walnut (Facebook page).

• Pasqually’s Pizza, 200 S. 43rd St. (Facebook page).

• Saint Declan’s Well Irish American Pub, 3131 Walnut St (Facebook page). Food and drink specials and giveaways will be offered during the games.

Editor’s Note: Dozens of articles have been written about trash in Philadelphia. So what are some grassroots, block-by-block solutions to the problem? More trash cans? Culture change? It’s a tricky one.

It’s no secret that Philadelphia is an unkempt city. After all, the riverside metropolis has landed on the top end of a few “dirtiest cities in America” listicles—chief among them, Travel+Leisure’s 2012 roundup (in at number six) and Forbes’ extensive 20 Dirtiest Cities list (in at number three).

A resident placed this trash can at 45th and Osage years ago and it’s still doing the job. (Photo by Mike Lyons / West Philly Local)

You don’t need lists to tell you that, though. Look down your block, in a vacant lot, or any SEPTA station, and you’re bound to see— and smell — trash. Sure, it’s gotten better over the years, but not by much. And, as Ryan Briggs wrote for City Paper in May, the politics of cleaning up Philadelphia are just as messy as its streets.

In the interest of sifting through those politics, we here at West Philly Local were curious about how public trash receptacles played into West Philly’s litter problem. Why were there multiple public trashcans on certain corners while other streets didn’t have a trashcan for a few blocks?

As West Philly Local reader, Victoria, tweeted us under the handle @vvictorrriaa, “What trashcans on our streets? Lived her for 18+ yrs + there aren’t any on my block or surrounding blocks.”

So we turned to the City for some answers. Turns out, the City normally places public wire baskets on business corridors with heavy foot traffic “where there is a need and the expectation that they will be an effective tool to control litter,” June Cantor, spokesperson for the Philadelphia Streets Department, told West Philly Local.

“The most heavily littered areas are commercial corridors that lack strong business associations and some residential areas. Public trash receptacles serve a role in the control of litter[,] but they are not a panacea,” Cantor told West Philly Local. “Property owners, residents and businesses need to have civic pride, take personal responsibility for their environment and engage the community in order to effectively control litter.”

Community Development Corporations, local community groups, businesses, local schools, and block captains also have a hand in providing public trashcans, West Philly Local was told by city officials. For example, in the Powelton Village area, University City District and Drexel University mostly provide and maintain public bins within their respective borders, according to Powelton Village Civic Association President Michael Jones. (University City District did not respond to multiple requests for comment.)  Continue Reading

Some really creative and entrepreneurial folks work at the University City Arts League, one of the oldest nonprofits in West Philly. They always find fun and delicious ways to raise money. Many of our readers have probably heard about UCAL’s annual Chili Bowl, all-you-can-eat chili as long as it fits in a handmade bowl from UCAL’s pottery studio (you need to buy it at the event). And now, quite fitting for summertime, UCAL introduces a first ever Ice Cream Bowl on Sunday, June 8, 1 – 4 p.m.. Sounds yummy, right? So here are the deets from the UCAL website:

UCAL pottery studio. (Photo courtesy UCAL)

“Bassett’s, Little Baby’s, Shake Shack, ‘Lil Pop Shop, Ben & Jerry’s and Weckerly’s will be offering their delicious goodies, but it’s the ice cream bowls that will share center stage. Cost for a handmade bowl with ice cream is $10 per person or $30 for a family of four. Each additional family member costs $5. An array of toppings will be available for outfitting your ice cream including Greg Salisbury’s mean chocolate sauce and whipped cream.”

Sunday’s event will also include family-friendly events like face painting, live music and wheel throwing from the pottery studio. There will also be a raffle and a sale of pottery “seconds.” Proceeds will go towards improvements to the pottery studio.

University City Arts League is located at 4226 Spruce St. More information is available at the UCAL website.

Here’s some great news for a West Philly based nonprofit: Neighborhood Bike Works (NBW), which offers educational and recreational programs and career-building opportunities for youth and adults in underserved areas, was awarded a $100,000 grant this week. Impact100 Philadelphia, an all volunteer women’s collective giving group that funds Philadelphia nonprofits, selected NBW as one of the $100,000 grant winners after they presented their cause on Monday during Impact100’s sixth annual meeting. In total, $328,000 was awarded to five area nonprofits on Monday.

Neighborhood Bike Works receiving a $100,000 check from Impact100. (Photo courtesy Impact100 Philly).

Thanks to the grant, NBW can now move forward with some of their big plans.

First, a new West Philly hub is planned, which would bring NBW’s two sites, in West and North Philly, together. With the help of the Impact100 grant, this vision will become a reality. The new single hub will enable NBW to expand its programming, strengthen relationships with community partners, increase its retail and instructional spaces, and reduce the overhead costs associated with maintaining two facilities.

NBW will also launch a new program, Freedom to Ride, that will bring their services to the heart of the neighborhoods. NBW staff will go to schools and community centers and involve 100 new middle and high school students in an intensive 10-week program. The students participating in the program will build their own bikes and then go on cycling field trips to explore natural areas, like Bartram’s Garden and Cobbs Creek.

Finally, NBW is planning to launch a series of outreach activities to get families and communities engaged in cycling. They’re planning to train and employ teens as assistant instructors and ride leaders. Teenagers employed by NBW will go to block parties and other community events and will talk to the public about safe riding skills and offer quick bike tune-ups.

For more information about Neighborhood Bike Works and their work, visit: http://neighborhoodbikeworks.org/.

The Spruce Hill Zoning Committee will be meeting this Thursday (June 5) at 6:30 p.m. and both Spruce Hill and Walnut Hill residents are invited to discuss a couple of properties within the two neighborhoods. The meeting will be held at the SHCA center at 257 S. 45th Street.

Here’s the meeting’s agenda, according to an announcement by Spruce Hill Zoning chair Barry Grossbach:

1. Expansion of the number of children enrolled in The Little Green School House, a small home based day care and after school program, from the current six allowed to the number 12 requested. West Philly Local wrote about The Little Green School House last summer when it was preparing to open.

“This operation at 219 S. Melville was given a trial run for a year by agreement of neighbors and the zoning committee when it came before us last Spring. Neighbors wanted to determine the impact of the school on traffic, congestion, and quality of life issues on the block. The applicants have met with immediate neighbors recently, and this is now before the zoning committee with all parties invited to attend and share their views,” the announcement reads.

2. The second item on tomorrow’s meeting’s agenda is the construction of a single family house on the lot at 223 S. 46th Street (between Walnut and Locust). Neighbors in the area have been alerted and all are welcome to attend and share their thoughts, according to Grossbach.

Lot at 223 S. 46th Street. (Source: Google Maps).