Soffa, a nature lover, is a local grassroots environmental activist, Friends of the Wissahickon (FOW) Trail Ambassador, Pennsylvania Master Naturalist and Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Commissioner. (Photo by Carol Baldridge)

by Barbara Sherf

In 1976, after being struck by a car while biking to work at the Philadelphia Center for the Blind, where she worked as a teacher, Kris Soffa was in a deep coma for several days, and upon coming out of it, Soffa felt called to do something more and she clearly has.

Soffa, a Roxborough resident, is a local grassroots environmental activist, Friends of the Wissahickon (FOW) Trail Ambassador, Pennsylvania Master Naturalist and Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Commissioner.

Soffa explained that her parents instilled in her and her three siblings a deep love and respect for the natural world. Over time, Soffa has adopted the “Seventh Generation“ philosophy that Lenni Lenape Native American leaders considered when they were faced with making a decision. “How will this affect the seventh generation from now?”’

This lifelong outdoorswoman who climbed above Mt. Everest basecamp, scaled the Matterhorn, volunteered as one of the first scuba divers in the Camden Aquarium shark tank and worked as a whitewater raft guide, describes herself as “a Wilderness Woman.”

A mother of three grown children who has lived near the Wissahickon Valley since 1976, Soffa has become a serious activist for environmental causes. In more recent years, Soffa added lepidopterist to the list of titles she holds.

As a lepidopterist, or one who specializes in studying butterflies and moths, Soffa will give a workshop entitled “Butterfly Basics: Building Your Own Pollinator Garden” at The Cedar’s House Café on Sunday, March 5, 2 p.m., on behalf of FOW.

Her community leadership began in earnest 20 years ago when the bucolic Barker Farm on Port Royal Avenue in Roxborough was slated for installation of a 1289-foot “super-broadcasting” tower.

“We started organizing an environmental preservation effort by going door-to-door in the days before the Internet and cell phones. A broad coalition of city stakeholders, elected and appointed officials, Friends of the Wissahickon, regional nonprofits, local businesses and schools joined together in a sustained effort spanning many years and many zoning hearings.”

With a distinctive laugh, Soffa shared how their planned media events and coordinated efforts led to the battle being featured in The New York Times. “They called it “the fiercest tower battle in the country,” she reminisced. As the proposal was defeated, she and her neighbors were already moving to broaden preservation efforts in a wider area.

“A local group was able to buy and preserve portions of the Barker Farm, which was significant because the area became the first privately conserved open space in the city.”

Their next target was preserving the old Upper Roxborough Reservoir. “This is an important migratory flyway, and The Friends of The Wissahickon jumped right in to help us protect this public land from becoming a housing development. I’m proud to say, once the land was safe from development, community leaders continued working ceaselessly and shepherded this reservoir into the Philadelphia Parks system, and it is now the gorgeous Upper Roxborough Reservoir Preserve, the highest park in the city.”

But Soffa and her neighbors did not stop there. “In a parallel effort, we raised funds and helped community partners obtain the original designation of a broader portion of Roxborough as The Upper Roxborough Federal Historic District in 2001. This became an 8-year community effort, after which the Upper and Lower Roxborough Reservoirs and filtration beds were added to the Historic District,” Soffa said.

Currently, she has just started a four-year appointment serving on The Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Commission. As for her butterfly talk, Soffa hopes to inspire others to appreciate the interconnectedness and beautiful web of nature and become a friend to pollinators. She’ll show easy ways to enhance private and public land to provide rich habitat areas for butterflies and other pollinators.

“People often become interested in environmental conservation by becoming fascinated by something simple, like butterflies. These popular creatures provide a perfect gateway into natural resources conservation,” Soffa said. “If you can inspire people to make some small changes, then larger ones will likely follow.”

As for her work over the years, Soffa feels everyone can help make a difference. “We all have excellent opportunities to serve locally and make substantial direct improvements to our natural world. Working together with other people toward a sustainable goal brings with it the comfort of knowing you‘re making a difference.”

To register for the March 5 event and for more information, visit www.fow.org/events/. For more of Barbara Sherf’s writing, go to her blog at http://communicationspro.com/blog-2/