The end goal of any trail project is to create a public asset that's accessible, welcoming, and beneficial to everyone in the community. But to succeed, inclusivity has to be baked into every project from its inception. Julia Raskin, trail planner and author of PEC's new Inclusionary Trail Planning ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 25, 2019 NEWS FROM: Northeast Environmental Partners CONTACT: Angela Vitkoski, Pennsylvania Environmental Council PHONE: 570-718-6507 EMAIL: avitkoski@pecpa.org   NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA ENVIRONMENTAL PARTNERS ANNOUNCE AWARDS DINNER & AWARD RECIPIENTS &n...

The governors of five Great Lakes states, including Pennsylvania's Tom Wolf, are banding together in an effort to make the health of the lakes a campaign issue in the 2020 presidential election. We dive into the Great Lakes 2020 Platform in conversation with Gov. Wolf's Deputy Chief of Staff, Sam Ro...

Pennsylvania has two coastlines, did you know that? The tidal portion of the Delaware River connects via Delaware Bay to the Atlantic. Though it’s freshwater, it experiences a daily tidal influence of six feet. The other coastline is Lake Erie, with the jewel of Presque Isle State Park. Sad...

Transforming abandoned strip mines into healthy native forest isn't as easy as it sounds! Learn how PEC and our partners in the Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative (ARRI) are restoring Penn's woods, one legacy mining site at a time. ...

Though Pennsylvania enjoys an abundance of world-class opportunities for outdoor recreation, access is often limited by racial, socioeconomic, and other disparities. For Pennsylvanians with disabilities, adventure sports like kayaking can be especially difficult to break into. But proponents of "ada...

A stand of old-​growth hemlocks with trunks nearly four feet in diameter towers over a trail cut along a creek shrouded in mountain laurel that ripples through Laurel Hill State Park, part of one of the largest state park systems in the nation. It rose from a Depression-​era work program that em...

Before you can attempt to solve a problem, you have to understand it in depth. You have to identify whatever resources are available and learn how to apply them to a solution. You have to be willing to embrace your failures, and always ready to adapt. You have to think ahead, anticipating challe...

Pennsylvania Legacies is on summer break through mid July. We leave you with an audio postcard from the recent unveiling of two exciting new improvements along Bucks County's Delaware & Lehigh Trail. Links: Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor Wolf Administration Highl...

On June 19, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette published an editorial in which it called out both PEC and PEC President Davitt Woodwell, a Pennsylvania Commissioner on the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO), as “irresponsible and cowardly” and “disgracing ORSANCO’s rich legacy�...

PEC Vice President Janet Sweeney appeared on WBRE-TV's "PA Live!" to talk about the kickoff of the Get Your Tail on the Trail Northeast PA Chapter: ...

The 49th Philadelphia Environmental Partnership Dinner was held on Thursday, June 13, at the Crystal Tea Room in Center City Philadelphia. Hundreds of the city's environmental movers and shakers turned out to celebrate innovation, service, and leadership exhibited by the winners of this year's Curti...

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a shiny dibble bar,” joked the Forest Technician as crew leaders unloaded planting bars from the back of a rented pickup truck at Weiser State Forest on the afternoon of April 19th. But those shiny new tools didn’t stay clean for long. The Weiser site was ...

It's not just Pennsylvania -- trails and greenways are becoming must-have amenities for communities throughout the U.S. and around the world. But the trend isn't universal, and the scarcity of trails in many areas is reflected in lower public health, wellness, and quality-of-life ratings. We assess ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 6, 2019   Contact: Josh Raulerson, Pennsylvania Environmental Council Phone: 412-481-9400 Email: jraulerson@pecpa.org   Riverfront North Partnership Recognizes Patrick Starr   Philadelphia — The Board of Directors of the Riverfront North Par...

Today Senator Jay Costa circulated a cosponsor memo for legislation that will reduce carbon pollution from Pennsylvania’s power sector to help address climate change and ensure that Pennsylvania remains economically competitive in a zero-carbon energy future. The legislation requires at least a...

Through research, activism, and thought leadership, colleges and universities have always been the vanguard of the sustainability movement. But, like any large enterprise, most are also voracious consumers of energy and resources. The University of Pittsburgh is one in a growing number of schools...

This month PEC hosted the 2019 Pennsylvania Mountain Bike Summit at Raystown Lake, where mountain bike clubs were represented alongside land conservancies, outdoor businesses, Chambers of Business, and DCNR staff. Our guest of honor and featured speaker was Gary Sjoquist of Quality Bicycle Produ...

Two hundred and fifty of PEC’s friends and partners gathered on Wednesday May 22 at the Westin Convention Center Hotel in Pittsburgh to honor the four winners of the 2019 Western Pennsylvania Environmental Awards and a Lifetime Achievement honoree. Co-Sponsored with Dominion Energy, the ann...

As Ben Franklin wrote, “when the well’s dry, we know the worth of water.” But how do you calculate the value of water resources in dollars and cents? Researcher Spencer Phillips, Ph.D., unpacks the far-reaching economic impacts of water quality in southwestern Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands...

This summer and fall, Get Your Tail on the Trail is challenging northeastern Pennsylvanians to walk, run, ride, or paddle 165 miles -- the length of the Delaware & Lehigh trail What better way to get yourself on a “path” to healthy habits and a healthier you? In order to earn your Tail on...

Pennsylvania has one of the nation’s most extensive state park-and-forest systems, and for decades it’s been growing in size as well as popularity. But funding for the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) hasn’t kept pace with that growth. As a result, a new Pennsylvania Par...

PEC celebrates Opening Day on the Trails 2019 on Fayette County's 34-mile Sheepskin Trail, part of the growing Industrial Heartland Trails Coalition network. Ride along as we discover local history on the recently re-opened section linking Dunbar, PA with the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP), and learn...

On April 13, I had the pleasure of participating in an “Opening Day for Trails” event in Southwest Philadelphia’s Cobbs Creek Park. This event featured a one-mile walk along the Cobbs Creek Trail and attracted approximately 15 community residents. During the walk, educators from the Cob...

As lawmakers wrestle with the future of nuclear energy in Pennsylvania, many issues remain unresolved. But within both parties there is increasingly widespread agreement on one principle: we can and should address greenhouse gas emissions in Pennsylvania, and that allowing the Commonwealth's nuclear...

The Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership is a small organization with a big name, and even bigger ambitions. Executive Director Julie Slavet explains how TTF works across urban/suburban boundaries to educate and engage residents, and how they leverage collaborations like the Delaware River...

PEC and the Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers (POWR) welcomed nearly 200 attendees to the 2nd Biennial Statewide Conference for Watershed Organizations on February 24-25, 2019. Our conference was held at the new Wyndham Garden Hotel in Boalsburg PA, just outside of State Colleg...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 15, 2019   Contact: Frank Maguire, Pennsylvania Environmental Council Phone: 814-234-7765 Email: fmaguire@pecpa.org   Celebrate PA Land Trails this September!   Pittsburgh — The Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC) and Department of Conser...

Our partners at Rails-to-Trails Conservancy produced this beautiful video showcasing the Industrial Heartland Trails initiative. Check it out! ...

Here's a pretty good reason to root for the Philadelphia Eagles (even you, Steelers fans): under the team's award-winning Go Green initiative, every field goal they put on the board means another ten trees planted in Bucks County's Neshaminy State Park. We celebrate another tree-planting season with...

Conservation Landscape partners gather in the Laurel Highlands, where conservation, recreation, and historic preservation come together. ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 25, 2019   Contact: Sally Tarhi, Pennsylvania Environmental Council Phone: 412-481-9400 Email: wpea@pecpa.org Western PA Conservation Leaders and Environmental Projects to be Honored   Pittsburgh – Two conservation leaders and two environmental pr...

How do you talk about potentially divisive environmental topics with a hostile audience? Tora Johnson, a University of Maine geographer and keynote speaker at last month’s Statewide Conference for Watershed Organizations, says the key is affirming the dignity of everyone involved. Conversation wit...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 13, 2019   Contact: Josh Raulerson, Director of Communications Phone: 412-481-9400 Email: jraulerson@pecpa.org   PEC Welcomes Trails Program Manager Brett Hollern   Pittsburgh — The Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC) has named veteran tr...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 03/15/2019 COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA Dept. of Environmental Protection Commonwealth News Bureau Room 308, Main Capitol Building Harrisburg PA., 17120 CONTACT: Elizabeth Rementer, DEP 717-787-1323   Wolf Administration Names Environmental Excellence Award Win...