Climate change threatens Pennsylvanians
When Hurricane Debby’s remnants moved through the Mid-Atlantic in early August, it caused devastating floods. Pennsylvanians in Tioga County had to scramble for safety as flash floods brought chest-deep water in under six hours. Within a week more than 1,200 tons of debris and other materials were collected from Tioga County alone. The cost to rebuild that community and others will run in tens of millions of dollars. The toll on the lives of people of Tioga County cannot be measured.
Dangerous flooding is on the rise in Pennsylvania as climate change turns rain events more severe. Due in part to flash flooding, 3,828 miles of Pennsylvania’s rivers and streams do not meet water quality standards because of polluted urban stormwater runoff and storm sewers. The critical water infrastructure Pennsylvanians depend on for clean water is failing.
But we can do something about it. National Wildlife Federation’s Affiliate PennFuture is leading the way in Pennsylvania. The state’s watchdog and advocate, PennFuture, helps to ensure all people have pure water, clean air, and a preserved environment.
The PennFuture approach to conservation
Founded in 1998 to fight for the protection of public health and restore natural resources through the legal system of the commonwealth, PennFuture has provided millions of dollars in pro bono legal services while setting critical precedents and enforcing environmental laws. As the organization grew, they also became the leading voice for clean air and clean water in Pennsylvania and on Capitol Hill. PennFuture is at the forefront of the transition to a clean energy economy in Pennsylvania and beyond.
Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future
PennFuture’s success depends on informed and engaged community members. The organization gives people the tools to help make a difference in building healthy, sustainable communities. That’s why their team works every day, across the state to build public awareness about environmental issues, urgent threats, and the need to swiftly transition to a clean energy economy.
Through their leadership role in the Choose Clean Water Coalition and the Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed, and their annual “Clean Water Education Days,” PennFuture is making a difference for waterways across the state. One example is the passage of the Clean Streams Fund. Initially approved by the state legislature in 2022, this fund received a one-time allocation of $220 million through the American Rescue Plan Act.
It represents the first major funding initiative aimed at tackling the three primary sources of water pollution in the state: agricultural runoff, stormwater runoff, and acid mine drainage. In 2024, the Clean Streams Fund was further solidified by being incorporated into the regular budget, at an annual investment of $50 million.
Another recent success will help fix Pennsylvania’s ailing water infrastructure and can help mitigate flash flooding. PennFuture successfully advocated for the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The IRA looks to tackle the climate crisis while lowering energy costs for households and businesses, creating manufacturing jobs for Pennsylvania workers, and delivering a clean, secure, and healthy future for its children and grandchildren. The savings, jobs, and other benefits provided by this legislation will reach communities across Pennsylvania.
PennFuture highlighted the opportunity by hosting a celebratory 1-year anniversary party in West Philadelphia with Representative Dwight Evans, highlighting how the IRA investments are benefiting Pennsylvanians. Similarly, PennFuture’s press conference in Pittsburgh in November 2023, with its labor partners at IBEW Local 5, Representative Dan Miller, and PennFuture, showcased the union-built EV chargers in Pittsburgh’s Strip District.
Protecting people and wildlife from the impacts of development
Appropriate management of land use and development is vital to protecting the natural environment and community health. When a significant land development proposal comes to town—a massive distribution center, a sprawling resort, a shopping center—locals are left wondering how it will impact their neighborhoods and the environment, and if there is anything they can do.
On April 21, 2024, PennFuture’s Legal Team gave them a tool to help locals get involved in the process. They released a new guide to help Pennsylvania residents better understand and participate in local land use decision-making. This comprehensive guide provides valuable information on local land use decision-making bodies, the types of decisions made, the rules governing each decision, and tips for effective participation in the process.
The guide aims to empower Pennsylvanians with the knowledge and tools they need to engage in local land use decision-making and continues PennFuture’s efforts to protect local waterways and communities from the impacts of large logistics center developments.
From the Industrial Revolution to a modern, green economy
From Appalachia to the Poconos, PennFuture and its partners are actively engaged in multiple campaigns to support Pennsylvania’s local communities. They champion policies that end unproductive reliance on the declining fossil fuel industry and instead develop blueprints for long-term, equitable, environmentally safe and sustainable economic growth.
On June 20, 2024, PennFuture unveiled a report by their Policy Manager for Sustainable Economics, Donna Kohut, which recommends reforming the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) to guide the state’s economy away from fossil fuels and toward clean, innovative industry while ensuring the well-being of vulnerable communities and workers.
The report recognizes the need for Pennsylvania’s economy to address both technological and environmental threats, challenges the notion that a healthy environment conflicts with a strong economy, and counters the belief that continued reliance on fossil fuels will lead to a stable and prosperous future for Pennsylvanians.
Clean air
Pennsylvania’s Allegheny County failed to attain state standards for ozone, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide and particulate matter. Allegheny ranks among the worst two percent of counties in the United States for cancer risk caused by air pollution. School children across the county have asthma rates more than double the state average. Across the state, toxic air pollution puts vulnerable populations at risk. PennFuture is fighting back.
Two actions against dirty industry south of Pittsburgh helped ensure cleaner air for Pennsylvanians. PennFuture took legal action against U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works for violations of the Clean Air Act. In 2023, The Environmental Protection Agency sided with PennFuture and its partners by rejecting the Allegheny County Health Department’s air quality permit since it did not require monitoring and air testing as required by the Clean Air Act. In Elizabeth Township, PennFuture successfully challenged the weak pollution controls proposed in the Invenergy power plant.
In Clinton County, located further east in central Pennsylvania, PennFuture objected to the Bechtel Corporation permit because it allowed illegal levels of air pollution, ignored environmental justice concerns in the Renovo community and the health costs to society in issuing the permit, and for several other deficiencies spelled out in the Notice of Appeal.
As PennFuture celebrates its 25th anniversary, their work on behalf of Pennsylvanians shows in these and other significant victories for clean air, clean water, and renewable energy across Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania wildlife spotlight
We asked our Pennsylvania Affiliate their favorite wildlife in the commonwealth, here’s what they said:
Pennsylvania’s state amphibian, the eastern hellbender—sometimes called a “snot otter”—is a large, fully-aquatic amphibian with a flat head, wrinkled body, and paddle-shaped tail. Its body is usually dark gray or brown with irregular dark spots along the back. Reaching four to five pounds (1.8 to 2.3 kilograms), the hellbender is the largest salamander in North America by weight. Adults average 20 inches (50 centimeters) in length but can grow up to 29 inches (73 centimeters).
Hellbender populations have declined throughout most of the species’ historic range. The Ozark hellbender and the Missouri population of the eastern hellbender are federally endangered.
To find out more about the hellbender visit our website.
1. Beat the Crowds to the Beach: Horseshoe Crab Tagging in the Delaware Bay
Although my eight year old son is pretty sure werewolves are real, a true local species that can be spotted under a full moon is the horseshoe crab. Older than the dinosaurs, this species has a distinctive appearance. To the average beachgoer’s eye, horseshoe crabs may look like an odd combination of prehistoric crab and an old-fashioned World War I helmet.
By the hundreds of thousands, horseshoe crabs converge on the Delaware Bay to breed by the light of the moon. Several National Wildlife Federation partners, including American Littoral Society, hold horseshoe crab tagging and tag re-sighting events on the beaches of the Delaware Bay. The data collected from tagging is used to help analyze the population of horseshoe crabs in the region and better inform conservation efforts to protect them. Your loved ones will gain a whole new respect for you when you gear up for a nighttime expedition on the beach crawling with the harmless horseshoe crabs.
2. Celebrate the Return of America’s Founding Fish
Midway across the New Hope-Lambertville Bridge you can take your picture straddling two states: New Jersey and Pennsylvania. If you come at the right time of the spring, you can spot shad making their migration from the Atlantic, through the Delaware Bay, and up the Delaware River to reproduce.
Thanks to great planning and habitat protection, shad numbers are on the rise after all-time lows just ten years ago. You can celebrate their return at New Hope and Lambertville’s Shad Fest, and enjoy food, music, art, and face painting for the kids. When you go, make sure you check out the commercial shad fishing demonstration by the Lewis family, the last anglers to have a commercial license to catch shad using nets.
3. Escape from NYC to the Upper Delaware River
Just a couple hours from New York City is the idyllic Upper Delaware. Take the 70 mile drive from NYC to the Upper Delaware Scenic Byway. Get panoramic views from such places as the Hawk’s Nest, and wind up in one of the country’s best areas for wild trout fishing. You might even spot a bald eagle soaring above you!
Trout is the lifeblood of the region, generating over $29 million in economic activity for small rural communities. Watch anglers take to their drift boats in search of a wild trout at the confluence of the East Branch and West Branch of the Delaware. While people come from all over the country, there are guides that can help anglers of any experience.
4. Bird like a boss
Are you sad the Easter egg hunt season over? Over the past thirty-five years New Jersey Audubon’s World Series of Birding has made bird conservation fun by turning it into a giant all-ages treasure hunt over the course of 24 hours. Groups of all experience levels drive, walk, sit, listen, and comb New Jersey and identify an average of 165 different bird species. Game on. My recommendation: Join the crowds on the beaches around Cape May National Wildlife Refuge, and join NJ Audubon’s fun events.
Fascinated by birds of prey? Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Pennsylvania was named one of the 10 Best birdwatching destinations in the nation, according to USA Today’s annual reader’s poll. The fall boasts the best views of migrating hawks, bald eagles, and osprey. Hawk Mountain’s 2500-acre sanctuary was the world’s first refuge for birds of prey, and overlooks an eight mile trails system.
5. Wave to the Turtles and Raccoons as you float on by
The large number of outfitters on the Delaware River make it easy to hop in an innertube, canoe, or kayak, and see the great stretches of habitat on which so many species depend. But, remember, habitat is everywhere — including in Philadelphia’s backyard!
John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, PA
Photo: Bill Buchanan, USFWS
At John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge in Philadelphia you can wend through the largest remaining freshwater tidal marsh in Pennsylvania, and see eye-catching wildlife from a new vantage point. Reserve your spot on an expert-led kayak birding tour of the refuge where you may see some bald eagles that have been known to nest at the refuge.
Although the policies coming out of Washington, D.C. right now may be challenging to understand or accept as conservation minded folks – from attacks on the Clean Water Act to the gutting of rules that protect migratory birds – we can take action locally.
As we plan our family outdoor adventures this summer, it’s important not to take our National Parks and local wildlife for granted. We can ensure our children and future generations can enjoy the same summer wildlife-watching and outdoor activities we did by asking our state and federal politicians to take simple steps to protect the homes of river otters, shad, and bald eagles.
The native plants installed as a part of creating wildlife habitat are also able to absorb water and filter runoff more effectively than turf grasses. These landscape changes have a significant impact on improving water quality in the Susquehanna River and, ultimately, in the Chesapeake Bay.
So far, over 300 homes, 23 community areas, and three schools in Lancaster County have been certified as suitable wildlife habitats. Based on Lancaster’s population size, they’re already more than half of the way toward certification!
The Lancaster County certification movement has been driven by three passionate women who were recently trained as Habitat Hosts by the National Wildlife Federation. Linda Ferich, Margie Hall, and Allison Zechman are all Pennsylvania Master Naturalists who are dedicated to working with the Lancaster County Conservancy (LCC) to help Lancaster to become a safe haven for wildlife species. Linda Ferich is a retired registered nurse who now volunteers at LCC doing water quality testing and invasive species removal. Margie Hall is a retired teacher who works on the education committee for the LCC to help combat Nature Deficit Disorder in children. Alison Zechman is the wastewater operator for the City of Lancaster and spends her free time volunteering for conservation organizations and helping with water quality testing. These three conservation stewards have rallied their community to protect wildlife and are working with Fritz Schoeder, LCC’s Director of Urban Greening, to get the word out.
Ferich is the team leader for Lancaster County’s community wildlife habitat. She has mobilized this team to transform this region into a habitat haven through outreach, education and restoration.
After her training as Master Naturalist, Ferich noticed how much of her community was comprised of sterile grass lawns, barren of wildlife. She felt inspired to take action and find a way to educate and empower her neighbors to create wildlife habitat on their property and replace the sprawling monoculture that had taken over the landscape. Ferich, and Hall, signed up for Habitat Host and Habitat Steward Trainings with the National Wildlife Federation and our nearby affiliate, the Delaware Nature Society. The goal of the Habitat Host workshops is to train local citizens to become knowledgeable advocates for wildlife and sustainability. “A calling is a need seen. I saw a need and I listened to the voice that said we need to create more wildlife habitat. This is my calling,” explained Linda Ferich as she described her involvement in the project.
The team is now working on developing a course to train residents to become Habitat Stewards. The training will occur over four days in March and April and will show attendees how to implement successful restoration projects in urban, suburban, and meadow environments. By training other dedicated community members to be leaders in conservation, they will be able to use them as messengers and inspire even more residents to create habitat. Ferich has also found that teaching about Monarch butterflies motivates more residents to plant native milkweed in hopes of enticing the attractive pollinator to their gardens. “Monarchs are a gateway bug,” she explains, and once given information on how to become butterfly stewards, many people are eager to take action.
In addition to training citizens to spread the word, the team is also working with schools. Schools play a particularly important role because schoolyard habitats not only contribute to the end goal of certification, they also serve as an outdoor learning laboratory for the next generation of conservation stewards. By getting all facets of the community involved, this movement has the potential to create abundant habitat corridors throughout the County.
Looking forward, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania is on its way to transforming the standard low -productivity lawn landscapes into healthy habitat homesteads. The efforts of the Lancaster County Conservancy, as well as Linda Ferich and her team, are key to educating the community about the value of creating habitat and getting them “hooked” on native plants and pollinators. The County-wide certification program will not only benefit wildlife, but will also foster an ongoing community commitment to environmental stewardship, and improve water quality for local waterways and the Chesapeake Bay.
- Environmental education connects knowledge that students gain in the classroom with real word situations, allowing students to make new discoveries and understand their world on a whole new level.
- Environmental education creates an environmentally literate student population that will be equipped to handle the environmental issues of the present and future.
- Environmental education has also been shown to facilitate critical thinking skills as well as social and basic life skills.
One of the ways National Wildlife Federation (NWF) advances environmental education is through our Eco-Schools USA program, a student-driven, comprehensive framework that provides resources and curriculum to support ten Pathways to Sustainability. This program currently reaches 4,725 schools 2.7 million students, and 130,000 educators in the United States.
Over the past year, NWF has been working closely with the Pennsylvania Green and Healthy Schools Partnership (PAGHSP) to advance the Eco-Schools USA program in Pennsylvania and strengthen partnerships between Eco-Schools USA, assistance providers, state agencies, local education agencies, teachers, facilities manager, and other sustainable schools stakeholders in Pennsylvania. With the implementation of this program made possible with the support of Katherine J. Bishop, Chesapeake Bay Trust, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency, we hope to increase the number of Eco-Schools in Pennsylvania by more than 30%. To register your school for free or for more information on the program, visit Eco-Schools USA.
As part of this effort, NWF and PAGHSP contracted with the Center for Schools and Communities (CSC) and Boyer Sudduth Environmental Consultants (BSEC) to convene two in-person stakeholder forums and two online webinars. The events engaged a total of 162 participants from 112 different organizations across the Commonwealth in discussions about sustainable schools best practices, resources, and certification programs.
The first full-day forum, held in Harrisburg, PA in February, brought together experts, practitioners and resource providers to explore the “how,” “what,” and why” of greening your school. Panelists from York County Solid Waste Authority, Fairmount Water Works, and Stroud Water Research Center joined representatives from four schools – Park Forest Elementary, Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, Greenwood Elementary and Blaine Academics Plus – to explore real world examples of the Eco-Schools Consumption and Waste and Water Pathways. Participants also engaged in interactive exercises that helped them to develop new ideas that could be implemented at their own schools.
Based on feedback from that event about additional Pathways that schools were most interested in pursuing, NWF and our partners designed two webinar panels focused on Schoolyard Habitats and Healthy Schools. The first explored the creation of wildlife habitat and nature play spaces for schoolyards, playgrounds, and parks. Sandi Olek, Senior Policy Advisor for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and Craig Johnson, Director of Interpret Green & Neighborhood Nature Works in Pennsylvania, shared research on the benefits of natural play and best practices from schools and other facilities that have incorporated nature play and habitat gardens into their grounds. The webinar is recorded online and may be accessed here.
In the second webinar Lisa Donohue and Lorna Rosenberg from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 3 shared guidance on how to prevent or remediate lead in drinking water and how to improve indoor air quality in schools. Michelle Niedermeier, Community Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and Environmental Health Program Coordinator with the PA IPM Program, explained the human and environmental health impacts of pesticides and how to implement pesticide-free pest management programs in schools. A recording of that webinar is also available online and may be accessed here.
The final stakeholder forum was held in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Envirothon at the University of Pittsburg Johnstown in May. This forum allowed NWF and our partners to engage high school teachers from almost every county in Pennsylvania, most of whom were unfamiliar with Eco-Schools USA or the Pennsylvania Green and Healthy Schools Partnership. After giving an overview of the program, we invited Robert Heinrich, Principal at Greater Johnstown High School, to present on how his school earned the Eco-Schools USA Silver Award and the critical role that their students played. Afterwards, we grouped participants by region and led them through exercises designed to help them create a green team and spark new sustainable school project ideas. This forum was particularly well received and participants praised the workshop saying: “I am so inspired after this!” and “This forum was extremely informative. I enjoyed learning about the different platforms to make schools more eco-friendly.”
National Wildlife Federation is committed to connecting the next generation of Americans with wildlife through programs like Eco-Schools, USA, partnerships such as Pennsylvania Green and Healthy Schools, and with the support of our members. As outlined in our new Strategic Plan, this is part of NWF’s larger effort to engage 25 million young people in conservation education and meaningful, recurring outdoor experiences that will connect them to nature and teach them to be skilled and effective in conservation as adults.
To learn more about our education programs and how you can join us in this critical mission, please contact me at shieldsh@nwf.org.
Who We Are
Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future, known as PennFuture, was created in 1998 as a statewide environmental advocacy organization. PennFuture works to protect public health, restore and protect natural resources, and move Pennsylvania toward a clean energy future.
What We Do
The PennFuture team litigates cases before regulatory bodies and in local, state, and federal courts; advances legislative action on a state and federal level; provides public education; and assists citizens in public advocacy. They work to conserve Pennsylvania’s rich wildlife heritage from wild trout, to a diversity of bat species and iconic species such as white tailed deer and elk.
PennFuture’s staff works on a range of issues. One such issue is their effort to clean up the Susquehanna River and restore its famous bass fishery. Bass populations have been decimated by chemical, sediment and nutrient pollution, so PennFuture is working with anglers to convince regulatory agencies to require pollution reductions from sewage plants, factories and farms. Water quality improvements to local streams in the Susquehanna River accrue tremendous benefits to the health of the Chesapeake Bay, helping the wildlife and communities that live throughout the region.
PennFuture’s effective legal team has provided more than $2 million in legal services to families and communities around the state, including those in Pennsylvania’s gas patch. Successes in this arena have allowed PennFuture to make sure local governments have the power to regulate siting of gas wells to protect schools and homes, require drillers to meet the strictest air quality standards, and ensure that gas drillers follow the laws and regulations to the letter. They have won cases that will stop raw sewage from polluting a trout stream, ensure coal companies restore mining-ravaged land, force developers to control polluted runoff, and more.
PennFuture’s outreach team works in communities around the state to help members and supporters become effective advocates for their local environment and for the larger effort to keep the air and water clean and safe and fight climate change. PennFuture outreach staff help community members testify before regulatory bodies, hold educational events, and connect with their local elected officials.
Making a National Impact
Pennsylvania is the third largest emitter of carbon pollution in the nation. To combat this, PennFuture’s Energy Center provides expert analysis and advocates for policies that advance wind and solar energy and robust energy efficiency programs. PennFuture’s work at the state level to substantially reduce the use of coal for electricity generation, limit the construction of new gas-fired power plants, and promote the quick transition to clean energy is vital to the national effort to limit the warming of our climate.
Pennsylvania is truly the “Keystone State.” The fight for a safe climate must be won to maintain viable habitat for species such as scarlet tanager that utilize the state’s vast swaths of forest, and the full array of other migratory songbirds and raptors that utilize its portion of the Atlantic Flyway. PennFuture is at the forefront of that fight.
Get Involved
Join the ACE Program to become a citizen advocate. PennFuture’s “Advocates for Conservation and the Environment” (ACE) program organizes teams of volunteers to educate their state and federal legislators about conservation and environmental issues. ACE volunteers provide policy makers with an opportunity to learn from concerned citizens who live in their respective districts about environmental and public health issues.
Connect with PennFuture
Connect with PennFuture to get their latest news and keep up with their conservation efforts through Facebook and Twitter, or by visiting their website.
Now wrapped into this year’s Water Resources Development Act, the DRBCA and its critical conservation funding may finally have a chance to become law – and that means exciting things not only for the people of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, but also for wildlife in those states. Among the many species that will benefit from this important legislation is one that hits close to home for many.
Sometimes making a personal connection to wildlife is critical in appreciating the conservation efforts required to protect our natural treasures, like in my case with the DRBCA and ospreys.
A Sign of Conservation
Every year, in the first few weeks of June, areas along both shores of the Delaware River and Delaware Bay are filled with the floating strains of high-pitched, whistling chirps.
The sounds belong to ospreys. Although ospreys can be seen year-round throughout North America, their breeding range in the summer is isolated to the Pacific Northwest and the east coast, a critical piece of which is the Delaware River Basin.
Signaling the start of summer, these chirps and whistles are made by osprey families sprinkled throughout the 2,000 tributary rivers and streams running into Delaware Bay from all sides. Locals who hear these chirps along waterways or spot nests on telephone poles or channel markers know these sights and sounds are commonplace.
But this wasn’t always the case. In the early 1900s, ospreys numbered in the thousands in New Jersey alone. By 1975, DDT use starting in the 1940s had driven the osprey population down to only 53 nests. Today, thanks to aggressive conservation efforts, New Jersey is back to almost 600 nesting pairs – and growing every year. Luckily the same trend can be said for the other states of the Basin as well.
Diary of an Osprey’s First Months
Back when I lived in the Delaware River Basin, I had the privilege of being neighbors with a pair of nesting ospreys. During one summer, I watched three baby ospreys – dubbed Manny, Moe, and Jack (of Pep Boys trio fame) – grow from little, squiggly nuggets to gangly, awkward adolescents, and then eventually into teenage raptors learning (sometimes ungracefully) how to snatch fish from the water’s surface mid-flight.
See how they aged over their first summer below:
June 14 – The pair of nesting ospreys that I’ve been watching from my porch revealed their three chicks today. I watched in delight as Papa Osprey fed a big red fish to Manny, Moe, and Jack. Right now, these three are just wobbly little heads that pop up every now and again.
How You Can Help
Ospreys aren’t the only wildlife species that benefit from conservation efforts in their breeding range – in fact, they’re only one of the many reasons we need to invest in the Delaware River Basin. The Basin is home to more than 8 million people, along with nearly 180 species of threatened or endangered fish and wildlife. The Basin also provides clean drinking water to more than 15 million people, including residents of New York City and Philadelphia.
So what can you do? You can join us to make sure Congress passes the Delaware River Basin Conservation Act by helping us call on all members of Congress to support the protection of the Delaware River Basin and the wildlife that depend on it. The Delaware River Basin bill will establish a restoration program to make sure the people and wildlife of the Basin have the resources needed to protect this important area – now, and for future generations (of osprey and human families alike!) to come.
We also encourage you to get out and experience the Delaware River Basin for yourself! Attend events to get outside on the Delaware River Waterways or find other ways to enjoy the Basin’s national wildlife refuges.
Take ActionHelp NWF protect the Delaware River Basin for osprey and other wildlife
Each fall, my family and I go exploring and camping with our close friends. This year, with the weather turning cool and leaves changing, we headed Northwest to Pennsylvania. We were ready to experience the many joys of exploring wild places with the next generation of conservationists in the back seat.
If you have never been to the Laurel Highlands, book your trip now. Beautiful forests give way to the rapids of the Youghiogheny River. Whether you are looking for wildlife or a wild bike ride, there is an incredible amount of family fun for young outdoor enthusiasts (and their parents).
Wildlife Viewing
We got to our campsite at dusk and gave the kids each a flashlight. Searching for insects and snails allowed us to set up camp and get dinner started. The following day, we were alerted to the sound of a pileated woodpecker from our son Finn. Our critter list for the weekend included a yellow-shafted flicker and the common, but adorable, chipmunk.
Camping
Camp cooking and a campfire ensured two nights spent in Ohiopyle State Park’s campground was loads of fun. Hunting for sticks for the fire, preparing camp meals, and taking short hikes between campsites provided plenty of adventure. A slightly wet tent was also part of the experience.
Biking
Bike trails throughout the region are well known and traveled. The Great Alleghany Passage bike trail includes 27 miles of biking within the Ohiopyle State Park. We didn’t venture very far from the campsite, but our young bikers enjoyed riding around the campground.
Protecting Pennsylvania’s Natural Resources
Hiking, white water rafting and waterfall exploring will bring us back to this special part of Pennsylvania. It is a unique place whose constitution states: “The people have a right to clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic, and aesthetic values of the environment. Pennsylvania’s public natural resources are the common property of all of the people, including generations yet to come. As trustee of these resources, the Commonwealth shall conserve and maintain them for the benefit of all the people.”
Ensuring these resources remain for the next generation to enjoy is essential. But protecting natural resources takes financial resources. Pennsylvania’s Growing Greener program has funded hundreds of park and trail projects, conserved more than 50,000 acres of threatened open space and restored hundreds of miles of streams and waterways.
The National Wildlife Federation recently endorsed the next blueprint for the program: Growing Greener III. Join us and our partners to show your support for protecting Pennsylvania’s natural resources.
The weekend was a lesson in the many benefits of Pennsylvania’s public natural resources and wild places. My young explorers can’t wait until the next adventure.
Cindy Dunn was honored on March 12 by the National Wildlife Federation for her contributions and achievements in the environmental field. Her work to reduce carbon pollution, promote clean energy, and protect wildlife and their habitats from the risks of climate change has made her a recipient of the Women in Conservation Award, given to those deserving women that have shown exceptional leadership and dedication to conservation and climate action.
“Cindy is a true asset to the conservation community,” said Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. “We at NWF believe that highlighting and bringing women into the environmental story is important to reach the common goal of protecting all people, communities, landscapes and our precious wildlife from the impacts of climate change.”
I met Cindy Dunn over 25 years ago, well before I was thinking about my own career in the environmental field. Throughout this time in positions with Audubon Pennsylvania, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, DCNR and most recently as CEO of PennFuture, the NWF Pennsylvania state affiliate, she has demonstrated pragmatic and thoughtful conservation leadership and pursued it with great passion and humor.
Collin O’Mara put it best “The leadership that she’s demonstrated in Pennsylvania – whether it’s land conservation or promoting outdoor recreation, or improving water quality, or reducing carbon pollution – it puts her among the top female conservationists across the entire country.”
I look forward to following her next chapter, as Secretary of DCNR and watching the difference a true conservation leader can make.
A Changing Pennsylvania
According to the National Wildlife Federation’s Wildlife in a Warming World report, climate change is the biggest single threat to wildlife this century, and is already transforming our landscapes across America.
Rising global temperatures will wreak havoc on Pennsylvania‘s fish and wildlife resources. More frequent heavy precipitation events, coupled with extreme heat waves could decimate Pennsylvania fish populations, including brook trout, and make conditions far more favorable for ticks, the wooly adelgid, West Nile virus and other noxious insect pests.
Extreme summertime temperatures will continue to adversely affect Pennsylvania’s world-class smallmouth bass streams rivers, while creating conditions unfavorable for ruffed grouse, which are already on the decline.
If we don’t act now, the expected changes in the earth’s climate will directly threaten Pennsylvania’s treasured fishing and hunting traditions.
Attend an Event in York, PA
If you live near York, Pennsylvania, join us Wednesday, March 27 at 3:00 pm for a roundtable discussion about the impacts of a warming planet on wildlife and natural resources in Pennsylvania and what we can do about it.
Come listen to experts discuss the science behind climate change and what impacts are already noticeable around the world; the impacts of climate change on moose, smallmouth bass, and many other wildlife species; how climate change is making conditions more favorable for insect pests to survive the winter; how bird migration patterns are changing; and what the Obama administration is doing to reduce carbon pollution.
RSVP via email today
Roundtable Details
WHAT: “Bugs, Critters, and Plants: At Risk in a Warming World” Roundtable discussion about the impacts of a warming planet on natural resources
WHERE: Unitarian Universalist Congregation of York, 925 South George St., York, PA [map]
WHEN: March 27, 2013, 3:00pm
Speakers include:
- Dr. Keith Peterman, Professor of Chemistry, Physical Sciences Department, York College of Pennsylvania
- Tom Smith, West Nile Virus Program Administrator, Penn State Cooperative Extension Service
- Paul Zeph, Director of Conservation at Audubon Pennsylvania
- Ed Perry, Pennsylvania Outreach Consultant, National Wildlife Federation
RSVP via email today
The following individuals are featured in the roundtable:
- Dr. Richard Ready, professor of Agricultural and Environmental Economics at Penn State University
- Pastor Marvin Friesen of the University Mennonite Church in State College
- Ed Perry, National Wildlife Federation Outreach Consultant
Pennsylvania’s C-NET was on hand to broadcast the roundtable:
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