Motivated by the resilient commitment and dynamic energy of community watershed organizations across the state, The Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers (POWR) took on the task of redesigning its website to provide better access to the tools and resources...
Which of five finalists will be Pennsylvania’s River of the Year for 2021? With less than a week remaining to vote, nominating watershed groups make their final pitch for your vote. Pennsylvania Environmental Council · Watershed Showdown Links VOTE HERE...
On its 100th anniversary, a new book explores the chain of unlikely historical events that gave us Presque Isle State Park. Authors David Frew and Jerry Skrypzak discuss the book, the Isle, and their hometown of Erie, PA. Pennsylvania Environmental...
As we enter the 9th month of the COVID-19 restrictions, PEC’s water team staff continues to participate in programs across the Commonwealth, keeping our focus on initiatives which promote clean and healthy watersheds. During this time, many Pennsylvanians have discovered...
We’re entering the home stretch of the Tookany Creek Trail feasibility study! Over the past year or so, our team—consisting of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC), the Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership (TTF), and Campbell Thomas & Co. (CTC)—has collected roughly 500...
For the better part of a century, the Hazelwood neighborhood was one of Pittsburgh’s most important industrial centers. That all changed with the 1997 closure of the LTV steel plant on the site now known as Hazelwood Green. Now, as...
Through our partnership with the Philadelphia Water Department, PEC performs watershed education and outreach throughout Greater Philadelphia. The following post originally appeared in the Southwest CDC Globe Times on June 5, 2020. Have you ever wondered how litter impacts the...
These days, environmental issues are politically charged in a way that can make sound, commonsense policy seem unattainable. But it wasn’t always like that — and it doesn’t have to be. Tom Ridge, the Republican former governor of Pennsylvania, says...
PEC’s motto, “conservation through cooperation,” aptly describes any number of our programs and activities. But it’s especially relevant to the collaborative work of legacy mine land restoration, which we’ve been proud to share with our government and nonprofit partners in...
Pennsylvania’s scenic rivers are perfect places for paddling, fishing, exploring, hiking, biking, painting, birdwatching and… wait, what? Painting? Well, yes — that too! In fact, landscape painting has more in common with watershed conservation than you might think. En plein...
Working from home doesn’t mean we stop learning! With multiple free webinars and virtual presentations planned in the next week, watershed professionals and volunteers can stay current and connected with colleagues. Here are a few upcoming events we’re following: The...
For 25 years, he oversaw the process that may represent humans’ best attempt to date at total annihilation of land: strip-mining and mountaintop-removal mining of coal… Angel, born and raised in the same eastern Kentucky mountains that have been devastated...
The Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers (POWR) provides support for community watershed organizations to build capacity and coordinate more effectively with one another. This spring they’re taking their show on the road, with regional workshops planned for six locations...
The five finalists for 2020 River of the Year represent everything that’s right – and everything that’s wrong – with Pennsylvania’s 86,000 miles of rivers and streams. With online voting set to close in a matter of days, we hear...
As Upstream Suburban Philadelphia (USP) coordinator for the Delaware River Watershed Initiative (DRWI), one of PEC’s responsibilities is to organize watershed tours. These outings are a chance for USP partners to showcase their stormwater management work to William Penn Foundation...
Saturday, October 26th was a glorious fall day for tree planting, as PEC — with project partners — brought to fruition the final phase of the Cornwells Elementary School Basin and Constructed Wetland project in Bensalem Township. This project helps...
In a state that’s nearly 60 percent tree-covered, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Bureau of Forestry has a lot of ground to cover. But thanks to Penn State’s Pennsylvania Forest Stewardship training program, DCNR has boots on the...
To help the Philadelphia Water Department meet their MS4 permit requirement, PEC provides public education and outreach to residents, businesses, and schools. Our boots-on-the-ground in this effort is Community Engagement Specialist Kadafi El-Kardah, who shared this account of his summer...
Allegheny College’s “Creek Connections” program gets students out of the classroom and into local waterways for a hands-on learning experience. Watershed educator Laura Branby explains how Creek Connections is sparking kids’ interest in the sciences and building their relationship with...
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...
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,...
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.
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...
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...
“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...
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....
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...
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,...
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...
Conservation Landscape partners gather in the Laurel Highlands, where conservation, recreation, and historic preservation come together. https://youtu.be/Thfn1j2RpSgVideo can’t be loaded: Laurel Highlands Conservation Landscape: Highlands, Heritage and History (https://youtu.be/Thfn1j2RpSg)
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...
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water(shed)… Shark Tank: Funder’s Edition returns to the 2019 PA Statewide Conference for Watershed Organizations. https://youtu.be/HclDmwPHYEUVideo can’t be loaded: Swimming With the Sharks (https://youtu.be/HclDmwPHYEU)
As anyone who pays even casual attention to the news can attest, we’re living in politically polarized times. Sometimes it feels like the divide is too wide and deep to bridge, and consensus on things that matter will always be...
The Senate passes a massive public lands bill including permanent reauthorization for the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, and Pennsylvania’s native trout are flourishing thanks to the state- and national-level work of Trout Unlimited. We talk with TU President...
Pennsylvania is home to hundreds of small, people-powered organizations dedicated to protecting and restoring local watersheds. These groups are accomplishing great things in their communities, typically on a shoestring budget. But could they be even more effective by coordinating their...
Patriots Cove, along Beaver Run in Wyoming County, is more than just a great fishing spot. It’s a refuge for brook trout and human beings alike, where injured veterans are healing themselves and one another while helping to restore an...
Vermont Law School is home to the nation’s top-ranked environmental law program. Its graduates are also among the best prepared for the real world, thanks to the Semester in Practice program. Davitt Woodwell chats with Vermont Law’s Johanna Thibault and...
As voting begins for 2019 Pennsylvania River of the Year, a chat with Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper‘s Carol Parenzan about last year’s winner, Loyalsock Creek. Then: plenty of groups and government agencies are working independently to restore Pennsylvania’s forest lands. Could...
At PEC we believe in “conservation through cooperation”: an ethic of connection, engagement, and close collaboration with partners. By convening a diverse group of stakeholders to focus on a problem we achieve not only a better understanding of the challenges...
In working to clean up one of Pennsylvania’s most impaired urban watersheds, the members of the Wissahickon Clean Water Partnership face a daunting challenge. But the coalition also has a major advantage: a shared recognition that working together is the...
The site of Barbara Bradford’s home near Canawacta Creek in Lanesboro, Susquehanna County, is as historic as it is picturesque. Built in the 1830s, the stone cottage stands amid the remnants of a small commercial district – complete with blacksmith...
An important part of PEC’s mission is working with community and watershed groups to strengthen connections to their riverfronts, identify and implement strategies to enhance water quality, and protect and restore waterways. Often this means helping to forge regional trail...
Cambria County’s business, government, and nonprofit sectors are teaming up with citizens to reinvent the historically flood-ravaged city of Johnstown. We explore Johnstown’s evolution through the work of the Vision 2025 initiative and the Laurel Highlands Conservation Landscape.
The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) expired on September 30th, despite widespread bipartisan support in both the House and Senate. That means one of the most successful conservation and recreation programs in our nation’s history now sits idle, unable...
As time runs out for the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, we hit the road to discover how LWCF funding has enhanced parks and public lands across the Commonwealth — and why it’s so urgently important for Congress to...
Funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund helps protect wildlife habitat, improve water quality, and preserve open space for Pennsylvanians to enjoy. But those benefits could disappear if Congress doesn’t vote to reauthorize the Fund by September 30. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4ZYaSKIkoY&t=1sVideo...
Pennsylvania is getting ready to tackle the next phase of the Chesapeake Bay cleanup, with a new emphasis on getting things done at the county level. But will it be enough to get us back on track after a disappointing...
PEC and our affiliate organization, the Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers (POWR) is looking for a watershed professional to promote and advocate for improved water quality across the Commonwealth in partnership with local watershed associations. See the complete job...
If you care about public lands, outdoor recreation, community parks, protecting natural lands, clean water, and preserving heritage areas, you need to know about the importance of the Land and Water Conservation Fund. And, more importantly, you need to let...
In these digital times, the paper industry isn’t what it used to be. But one paper manufacturer in central PA is thriving under a business model that’s all about reducing environmental impacts and finding innovative ways to stay viable....
On Saturday, May 12, seventy teams from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, Maryland and as far away as South Africa, Israel and England, raised binoculars in NJ Audubon’s 35th annual World Series of Birding (WSB). What a day it...
As a follow-up to our 2016 series, POWR and PEC are convening a series of regional workshops across the state to identify needs and provide organizational capacity and technical resource tools to Pennsylvania’s community watershed organizations. Invited guests include staff...
Technology is a powerful tool, but it’s not enough to confront the most complex environmental challenges — you also need foresight, strategy, cooperation, patience, and above all, leadership. Jared Cohon has exemplified all of these qualities and more during his...
Through our affiliate, the Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers (POWR), PEC is proud to support the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Pennsylvania River Sojourns program. Each summer, the program sends hundreds of paddlers on guided trips along...
With help from partners and volunteers, PEC’s Illegal Dumpsite Cleanup Program tackles a decades-old tire dump in northern Susquehanna County.
Planting trees in seemingly unfavorable conditions has become an Earth Day tradition for PEC. April 20th, 2018 marked the third consecutive year PEC has coordinated volunteer tree planting events on former mine lands within Pennsylvania’s State Forests with help from...
An update on recent environmental legislation and other state government activity with PEC’s policy team, and a postcard from our recent Earth Day tree-planting event at Pinchot State Forest. Earth Day 2018 Tree Planting in Pinchot State Forest...
You know those images of a school of fish seeming hellbent on a mission and turning in a flash to avoid peril and course correct? The Delaware River Watershed Initiative (DRWI), recently funded for Phase 2 by the William Penn...
This week marks a major milestone in one of PEC’s most important projects, as the William Penn Foundation (WPF) announces more than 40-million dollars in new funding for the Delaware River Watershed Initiative (DRWI). Launched in 2014, the DRWI is...
He returned March 19 and she returned on the 24th. And with that, the 22nd nesting season of our resident osprey pair began. This pair is emblematic of the conservation success story of the species. But they also hold a...
POWR and PEC Host Regional Workshops for Community Watershed Organizations As a follow-up to its successful series of regional watershed group workshops in 2016, the staff at the Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds & Rivers (POWR) and Pennsylvania Environmental Council...
Every spring, PEC and Dominion Energy honor organizations and individuals from western Pennsylvania who are leading the way on environmental innovation and stewardship in their communities. This year an independent panel of expert judges reviewed dozens of nominations, ultimately awarding...
Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful “Lets Pick It Up Days” will take place from April 7st to April 30th . As part of this program, PEC’s own Keep Northeastern Pennsylvania Beautiful will be scheduling several events throughout Northeast PA. Please check the Events...
A new art exhibition at the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education invites visitors to consider how much of our awareness — or lack of awareness — about the landscapes we inhabit is shaped by names. The pieces in “Learn a...
Since its inception in 1993, the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund has made possible the creation or improvement of thousands of community assets – everything from trails and green space to libraries and historic sites. In honor of the...
Spring and summer are a great time to get out and explore the outdoors, or to tackle a project that will help preserve or enhance natural and recreational resources in your community. The middle of winter is… a great time...
Those who know me are not surprised when they learn that my path to PEC and the conservation sector was sparked by my love of birds. Some might call it an obsession, but that’s a story for another day. 2018...
Though they may look similar superficially, each of the suburban communities that make up Montgomery County has its own unique qualities… and its own challenges. But one thing they all have in common is a shared stake in the health...
In our final episode of 2017: why Pennsylvania veterans are joining the call for responsible controls on methane emissions in the natural gas industry, and an update on voting for 2018 Pennsylvania River of the Year.
Abington Township Environmental Advisory Council Receives 2017 Planning Advocate Award Volunteering can be exhausting. For many retirees, volunteer work is literally a full-time job; the rest of us do our best to fit in activities after work and on...
A coalition of municipalities, local and state agencies, NGOs, and citizens is working a plan to clean up Montgomery County’s impaired Wissahickon Creek. But before seeking out answers for a problem as complex as this one, you need to be...
Each year, the Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers (POWR) and the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources recognize one distinguished waterway as Pennsylvania River of the Year. With the nomination deadline for 2018 honors approaching, the process of selecting...
Pennsylvania is riddled with abandoned oil wells, and the state doesn’t have the resources to locate and plug even a fraction of them. That’s why DEP wants to make it easier — and less risky — for private actors to...
I’ve been trekking in various vessels on the Delaware River since 2000, and never before have I learned so much as I did late last month when I joined the Upstream Alliance (aka Don Baugh and family) on a 3-day...
Mounting opposition to budget riders, DEP’s modest progress toward better clean drinking water enforcement, and good news from the Chesapeake Bay. Also: why do birds suddenly appear every time you reclaim and reforest abandoned mine lands?
What’s the connection between kayaking, the 1794 Whiskey Rebellion, and David Bowie? The Mon River Towns initiative and Venture Outdoors co-hosted the Rebel Rebel Float Trip on August 6th, 2017. The outing received funding through the Pennsylvania River Sojourn Program...
Drinking water from the Delaware River is shared by Pennsylvania and three other states according to an elaborate, decades-old formula. For years, an agreement among the parties has allowed for some variability in that formula for the sake of maintaining...
June is budget month in Harrisburg, and that means a year’s worth of fiscal numbers and news come to a head through many different moving parts. While 2017 is a different year, we are again faced with daunting numbers and...
Conversation with 2017 Winsor Award winner Carol Collier, and a crash course in the climate science and economics of methane emissions. Links: 2017 Philadelphia Environmental Partnership Dinner CH4nge for PA
PEC opposes a state Senate bill that would expose surface water to further impacts from underground mining, and we pay tribute to two western PA environmental leaders up for Lifetime Achievement honors at our spring awards dinner. Links:...
Students in the University of Scranton’s “Extreme Physiology” program learn about the physiological effects of different training environments by experiencing them firsthand. A new four-week summer course offering has participants hiking, biking, and paddling through the often rugged terrain of northeastern Pennsylvania to earn elective credits in...
The Montour Woods Conservation Area outside Pittsburgh is a time capsule, studded with remnants of the area’s agricultural and industrial past. It’s also part of the pathway to a future when public parks and greenspaces across the region will be...
On April 22, 2017, hundreds of volunteers planted trees on barren former mine land sites to enhance water quality in the Susquehanna River in support of the Chesapeake Bay Program and the Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative. Local action in support...
On April 22, 2017, hundreds of volunteers planted trees on barren former mine land sites to enhance water quality in the Susquehanna River in support of the Chesapeake Bay Program and the Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative. Local action in support...
Bipartisan, Bicameral Legislation a Win-Win for Pennsylvania . Yesterday a bipartisan group of legislators in Washington reintroduced legislation – known as the RECLAIM Act – that would expedite much-needed funding from the Abandoned Mine Land Trust Fund for projects that...
Watershed groups from across the Commonwealth were represented at this week’s Watershed Connections conference in State College. Davitt Woodwell spoke with some of them for this week’s show.
Most people in Philadelphia know Wissahickon Creek as a bucolic setting for outdoor recreation, easily accessed via the city’s Fairmount Park. But the real story of the Wissahickon begins 23 miles upstream in Montgomery County, where the picture isn’t...
PEC’s watersheds team has had a very busy fall and winter, working on a variety of projects including the initiation of Phase II planning for the Delaware River Watershed Initiative (DRWI), facilitating best practices workshops for members of the International...
According to current estimates, there are between 300 and 400 local watershed organizations active across Pennsylvania. But opportunities for networking and collaboration among them have been limited: though gatherings have been held occasionally since the early 2000s, the last statewide...
The state’s Conservation Landscapes program is poised to expand in 2017 with the creation of a new landscape area in western PA. We’ll learn about the new “Glacier’s Edge” landscape from program manager Marla Papernick on this week’s show.
This week’s guest is John Dawes, Executive Director of the Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds.
This week’s guest is Evan Griffin of the Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds.
This week’s guest is Cathy McCollom, Principal of McCollom Development Strategies.
In the latest Environmental Focus, we examine efforts to advance leading practices and safeguards for unconventional shale gas development. Interviewed are Susan LeGros, President and Executive Director of the Center for Sustainable Shale Development, and Davitt Woodwell, President of the...
This week’s Pennsylvania Legacies podcast features Patrick Starr, Executive Vice President of PEC.
This week’s guest is Mary Ellen Ramage, borough Manager of Etna Borough.
This week’s guest is Oliver Griswold, Director of Northwoods Ranch.
Kiara Vaughn, a law student at the University of Pennsylvania, joins the Pennsylvania Legacies podcast. Visit PEC’s Audio Room to listen to the podcast series.
Gabi Hughes, an environmental educator at the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania, joins the podcast to discuss what led her to environmental education, her experience in the profession, and more. Visit PEC’s Audio Room to listen to the podcast’s first...
Elena Meth, an environmental studies/sociology and anthropology double major at Denison University joins the podcast to discuss how she developed her passion for the environment, her collegiate studies, the next generation of environmental stewards, and more. Visit PEC’s Audio Room...
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette environmental reporter Don Hopey joins the podcast to discuss the state of environmental journalism, how he got started in the industry, and much more. Visit PEC’s Audio Room to listen to the podcast’s first three episodes featuring PEC’s John...
Carol Collier, Senior Advisor for Watershed policy and management at the Academy of Natural Sciences at Drexel University, joins the podcast to discuss initiatives taking place on the Delaware River and her work at Drexel, and more. Visit PEC’s Audio...
Hiking along the Frost Hollow Trail in Lackawanna State Park my husband Terry and I found ourselves discussing ways to attract the region’s college students to the enriching outdoor opportunities available in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Terry, Professor and Chair of the...
In our continuing efforts to increase environmental and conservation stewardship across the Commonwealth, PEC is pleased to present our first podcast series (the term “PEC-Cast” has even been suggested). Titled “Pennsylvania Legacies,” these conversations, hosted by Davitt Woodwell, are meant...
PEC staff works with numerous partners across the state to help build local stewards for Pennsylvania’s varied natural resources including land and water trails, forests, and watersheds. Through these efforts, we have worked on developing user-friendly tools to help residents...
On March 8, PEC officially held the first of six regional watershed group workshops as part of a statewide initiative aimed at building local capacity for stewardship. Funded in part by a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s...
As the Program Director for Watersheds at the Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC), I’m often asked to help plan and participate in educational workshops and training events for municipal officials, landowners, and watershed groups on water resource management issues. That all...
When & Where: Oct. 13, 2015 at the Harrisburg Hilton (Harrisburg, Pa.) Detailed Agenda Included Below There is no shortage of environmental challenges facing Pennsylvania, and PEC’s second annual Policy Conference will be covering issues of both national and statewide...
PEC has a long history of involvement in stormwater management issues affecting our state. Persisting issues include providing municipal stormwater management education and training opportunities, providing regulatory and policy recommendations, and advocating for innovation in financing green stormwater infrastructure projects....
Sometimes, a shot of history can make you feel good. Perusing the June 5 to 11 Pittsburgh Business Times, I was, as I often am, taken in by the lists that they generate each week, ranking everything from architecture firms...
PEC welcomes Harry Campbell, PA Executive Director, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, as the first author in its guest blog series. A significant challenge to restoring the Chesapeake Bay is the disconnect that Commonwealth residents perceive with the nation’s largest and most...
The Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC) is proud to play a key role in the development of the state’s robust water trail network. Water trails are recreational corridors comprised of access points, boat launches, day use sites, and overnight camping areas....
With nearly 20,000 miles of streams in Pennsylvania not meeting federal Clean Water Act standards, the Commonwealth continues to face one of its most significant environmental challenges. The Pennsylvania Environmental Council has joined the Clean Water Counts! campaign, organized by the...
The Wissahickon Creek is truly a watershed in crisis! As a result, The Friends of the Wissahickon and the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association hosted “A Creek in Crisis” last Wednesday at Germantown Academy. Attracting more than 200 concerned residents, the...
Spring has been quite the busy season for PEC as we continue work with our watershed partners in the Southeast portion of the state. We facilitate the Upstream Suburban Philadelphia Cluster, one of eight regional clusters within the broader Delaware...
Lardner’s Point Park is the poster child of how PEC enhances the environment through our partnerships and vision. That vision is being rewarded on Saturday at 11 a.m. as the park will be receiving the Green Parks Award—along with a...
Lardner’s Point Park is the poster child of how PEC enhances the environment through our partnerships and vision. That vision is being rewarded on Saturday at 11 a.m. as the park will be receiving the Green Parks Award—along with a...
Is Philadelphia an urban outdoor oasis? The New York Times thinks it is, and ranked the city No. 3 on its “52 Places to Go in 2015,” behind only by Milan, Italy, and Cuba. Seriously? Absolutely, says the Times. The...