The Perkiomen Creek is the largest tributary of the Schuylkill River, which is itself the largest tributary of the Delaware River.

So a canoe and kayak sojourn down the Perkiomen is no small thing, especially when it occurs for the first time.

As someone who has participated in a sojourn (the 2000 Schuylkill River Sojourn to be specific) I can vouch for the value of taking the time and the trouble to take a little ride down a little river.

As I wrote in a short write-up that will appear in The Mercury shortly, there is no better way to get to know a stream than from the stream's persepctive.

A recent documentary on PBS quoted an activist concerned about pollution in the ocean as saying, "the ocean is downhill from everything."

This same theory applies to our rivers and streams.

And perhaps few streams in our area are currently struggling to handle as much "up-hill" run-off as the Perkiomen, now at the heart of the once the fastest developing regions in THE fastest developing counties in Pennsylvania.

Even in this lagging market, housing construction continues on property in the Perkiomen's watershed that was once fields and woods, no doubt soon to be named after the natural resource it destroys.

One of the most remarkable aspects of my experience on the Schuylkill River Sojourn was how amazed everyone was, myself included, how pristine the river seems when seen from its surface -- even in urban areas like in Norristown.

And this for a river that was once so polluted, it became the subject of the first major environmental clean-up in the country.

I can only imagine how lush and verdant the Perkiomen will look from the water. I suggest all of you with the time and the $65 to spend take the Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy up on its offer.

To register for the sojourn, which is sponsored by the law firm of Keenan, Ciccitto & Assoc., call 610-287-9383, or visit their Web site at www.perkiomenwatershed.org