Call of the Wilds

The Wilds are calling! So are the Poconos, the Laurel Highlands, the D&L Trail, Lake Erie’s shorelines, Lake Wallenpaupack, the Schuylkill River Trail, the Three Rivers, and everywhere else in Pennsylvania that gives you the opportunity to get out.

Why do we at PEC get so worked up about encouraging folks to be outside and recreate and why do we focus so much of our work on outdoor recreation? Certainly, there are the individual health benefits in the exercise, the psychological benefits of de-stressing, and the community and economic boosts of people visiting and spending money on everything from ice cream to overnight stays – and we support all of that.

Why do we at PEC get so worked up about outdoor recreation? Because it makes people better citizens and better stewards of the environment we share.

But to us, the biggest motivation is getting Pennsylvanians to see and experience the amazing array of natural and built environments that abound in the Commonwealth, and to develop a true sense of ownership of those places and experiences so that they can become better-educated and better-engaged stewards of those resources.

That involvement then makes our work the rest of the year that much more fulfilling as we work to encourage sensible and sustainable answers to often difficult issues balancing environmental and conservation issues with other economic, community, health, and budget goals.

So, this summer, we encourage everyone to take a hike, a walk, a paddle, and/or a ride to explore close to home or across the state. Then think about how you would like to be involved in charting Pennsylvania’s environmental and conservation future.

Enjoy it!

 

Resources abound to help you figure out where to go and what to do. They include, but are not limited to: