The mission of Penn State Extension is to bring the scientific and practical expertise of PSU researchers and faculty throughout the Commonwealth. But even with offices in every county, extension staff can’t be everywhere at once. That’s where master volunteers come in. PSU Extension's Master G...

In Pennsylvania, flooding presents one of the greatest climate threats. According to the Climate Impacts Assessment released by the Pennsylvania DEP this past spring, flooding is currently the highest-risk hazard facing the state. This risk will only increase as temperatures continue to rise. In...

Last Saturday, about 90 riders gathered at Black Moshannon State Park for the second in-person Public Lands Ride. The morning was brisk but it quickly warmed up into a gorgeous fall day, with leaves beginning to turn brilliant shades of yellow, orange and red up on the Allegheny Front. Riders could ...

Climate change is one of the major targets of the Biden Administration’s $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation bill, which would also fund social programs and additional infrastructure items not included in the smaller bipartisan infrastructure bill. While the bill has met several roadblocks, the at...

Pennsylvania Environmental Council · Policy Check-In One month ago, the state Regulatory Review Commission signed off on a rulemaking that would make Pennsylvania the newest member of RGGI, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative – the state's best opportunity to substantially reduce its ...

Riverwise, along with the Ohio River Trail Council, are currently midway through a campaign aimed at the preservation of a potential key piece of trail infrastructure in Beaver County known as the Blacks Run Bridge. While so many of the long-distance trails corridors PEC focuses on are linear in...

The Wilkes-Barre and Eastern (WB&E) Railroad was originally constructed in 1893 to carry coal, ice and passengers from the city of Wilkes-Barre in Luzerne County to Stroudsburg in Monroe County. It was one of the last railroads to be developed in the region, claiming to be the shortest route...

Philadelphia's trails took a beating from Hurricane Ida, and some will take months to recover. Two weeks after the floodwaters receded, we look at conditions along the Schuylkill River Trail with representatives from the City of Philadelphia and the Schuylkill River Greenways National Heritage Area....

If someone tells you they host a program for underserved and under-represented youth in Pittsburgh and Johnstown, PA that includes three days of river surfing, conservation, and filmmaking… you might have questions. For starters: what’s river surfing? This concept is probably better expl...

In August, Pennsylvania released its updated State Forest Action Plan. A requirement of the federal Farm Bill, these plans are completed by all U.S. states and territories every ten years to assess the condition of their forests and guide future management. This is Pennsylvania’s first comprehensi...

On June 19th, paddlers gathered at Riverside Park in Greenville, PA to celebrate the Shenango River as 2021’s River of the Year. The sojourn was hosted by the nominating organization, the Shenango River Watchers. Each year, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources works...

We celebrate Pennsylvania Trails Month with a preview of this year's PEC Public Lands Ride and the 11th annual PEC Environment Ride. Pennsylvania Environmental Council · A Ride for Everyone   As summer comes to an end, we’re looking forward to cooler weather, changing leaves, and Pe...

Today the state’s Independent Regulatory Review Commission concurred with the Environmental Quality Board, as well as the Department of Environmental Protection’s (“DEP”) Citizens Advisory Council, Small Business Compliance Advisory Committee, Environmental Justice Advisory Board, and Air Qu...

As a result of planning decisions made decades ago, communities throughout suburban Philadelphia struggle with flooding and other negative impacts from heavy rainfall. These conditions don't just affect residential properties, which account for the bulk of land use in the Wissahickon and Tookany/Tac...

PEC works with partners in the Circuit Trails Coalition to create outdoor spaces that are inclusive and welcoming to all, a commitment that has led us to forge new partnerships and seek out creative approaches to engaging trail users. One such innovative effort is TrailOff, described below in ...

An aerial map of tree canopy in any large U.S. city will give you a relatively accurate picture of income and racial demographics: with few exceptions, the more tree cover a neighborhood has, the more likely it is to be wealthy and predominantly white. Tree Equity Score, a new tool by American Fores...

This summer has been packed with climate wake-up calls. Dangerously high temperatures, wildfires, and severe storms have devastated communities across the country. Just this week, the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a new report which outlined in extensive detail how humans h...

The Liberty Bell Trail (LBT) in North Penn and Indian Valley will link residents and visitors alike to downtown centers; residential neighborhoods; parks, libraries, and schools; natural areas and open spaces; transportation hubs; and much, much more. In addition to local connections...

There are 349 rare, threatened, or endangered native plant species in Pennsylvania. The habitats they call home are as diverse as the plants themselves. As the climate changes, new challenges will arise for the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the agency in charge of ma...

There are two ways to participate in the 2021 Public Lands Ride. We are excited to promote both an in-person event returning to Black Moshannon State Park on October 2, 2021, and the release of six new routes in different state forests to be ridden anytime. Learn more here. Route Overview: ...

Last month in Rector, PA, staff from six state parks around the Laurel Highlands gathered at Powdermill Nature Reserve. The gathering was the first of its kind for the Laurel Highlands Conservation Landscape since the onset of the pandemic, and attendees were eager to meet and share ideas face-to-fa...

It's one thing for an environmental organization to tout its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. It's another to live out that commitment at the level of programming and daily activities. On this episode: how Philadelphia's Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership is innovating upo...

There are two ways to participate in the 2021 Public Lands Ride. We are excited to promote both an in-person event returning to Black Moshannon State Park on October 2, 2021, and the release of six new routes in different state forests to be ridden anytime. Learn more here.  Route Overvi...

This post was originally published on Environmental Defense Fund's Climate 411 Blog. It was co-authored by Taylor Bacon, High Meadows Fellow with the U.S. Clean Air team at EDF. As Pennsylvania moves forward with the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), questions are being raised ab...

This post is adapted from an article originally published in May 2021 on Discover NEPA's blog. It  was written by PEC's Janet Sweeney and Imogen Wirth-Granlund, Program Coordinator at the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor.  It’s time to get your tail on the trail! No, I...

Billions of dollars' worth of solar panels and other components are flowing into the U.S. from China, feeding a market increasingly hungry for renewable energy. Most are made with materials linked to alleged forced-labor practices in the Xinjiang region. As the market heats up and trans-Pacific trad...

At the end of June, the General Assembly hurriedly presented a budget package, passed it, and adjourned for the summer. Due to federal assistance provided through the American Recovery Act, this year’s state budget didn’t generate the usual drama. But the quick closure also meant several oth...