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Every year, aquatic invasive species cost Pennsylvania millions of dollars, underscoring the importance of being vigilant while recreating and informing officials of any potential spread. Aquatic invasive species (AIS) are non-native plants, animals, or pathogens that harm the environment, reduce biodiversity, and cost communities time, money, resources, and lost revenue. AIS differ from native species, which play an ecologically important role in the aquatic community, or naturalized species that aren’t native but don’t cause harm to humans or the ecosystem. “Oftentimes, [AIS] are introduced by humans, sometimes on purpose but mostly by accident,” said Amber Stilwell, a Coastal Outreach Specialist…

Stormwater Resources Basin Retrofit Guide Caring for Your Streamside Property Naturalizing Your Yard Caring for Wetlands How to Create a Meadow Golf Course Water Resources Handbook of Best Management Practices Water Resource Brochure: Maintaining Stormwater Basins Stormwater Fee Guide

Jimena Aguilar works as Administrative Coordinator in PEC’s Pittsburgh office. She is a licensed CPA with over 15 years of experience in accounting. In that time, Jimena has worked for a range of businesses, including a nonprofit health institute in Puerto Rico and a small winery in Santa Rosa, California, where part of her duties involved inventorying bottles of wine. In her free time, Jimena volunteers as treasurer for the PTA of her kids’ school. For fun, she enjoys traveling, hiking, and spending time with her family.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sep. 18, 2023 Contact: Tali MacArthur Email: [email protected] Phone: 570-285-8013 PEC announces 2023 PA Water Trail Mini-Grants Now Available Dallas – The Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC) has announced the opening of the 2023 PA Water Trails Mini-Grant cycle. Grants are available on a competitive basis for projects that implement the PA Water Trail Program’s eight guiding principles: Partnership Stewardship Volunteerism Education Conservation Community Vitality Diversity Wellness and well-being Proposed projects must advance program goals such as creating recreational opportunities for all Pennsylvanians on Water Trails; developing trails that support sustainable use of natural resources; increasing and improving physical…

It’s our 200th podcast episode! We celebrate by recognizing another big milestone: issue #1000 of the PA Environment Digest published by former PA Department of Environmental Protection Secretary David Hess. Dave explains how the Digest grew from an internal newsletter during his days as a legislative staffer into one of the Commonwealth’s longest-running and widest-reaching citizen journalism initiatives. We are celebrating our 200th episode of Pennsylvania Legacies this week by speaking with someone who has been supporting us since the beginning of the podcast. David Hess is the editor of the PA Environment Digest and a veteran of the Pennsylvania…

This article was originally published on DiscoverNEPA as part of the monthly series, Get Your Tail on the Trail. Rachael Stark is PEC’s Northeastern Pennsylvania Program Coordinator. Find something for every trail enthusiast on the D&L. The Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor (DLNHC) is one of the most well-known rail-trails in our region. Known as “the spine,” the D&L Trail preserves, interprets and leverages the nationally significant history of the 165-mile transportation route between Wilkes-Barre and Bristol, Pennsylvania. The multi-use trail is popular among hikers, cyclists, kayakers, and anglers of all ages and abilities. This month, we’re highlighting the section of…

Three possible routes have been identified for the Turtle Creek Connector Trail, which will connect the communities of the Turtle Creek Valley to commercial areas, employment centers, and regional attractions. This comes after a two-year feasibility study, coordinated by Allegheny County with input from regional stakeholders. Once complete, the 9-mile, on- and off-road trail will link the Great Allegheny Passage with the Westmoreland Heritage Trail (WHT) , from Carrie Blast Furnace National Historic Landmark to Trafford Borough. This corridor also will connect to the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) over a rehabilitation of the Carrie Furnace Hot Metal Bridge in Rankin Borough.…

The PEC Public Lands Ride seeks to showcase state parks and forests across the greater central region of the state. Throughout the month of September, cyclists are encouraged to ride as many of the suggested virtual routes as possible and share their experiences on social media. The month culminates in an in-person group ride on September 30. You can find more details about the event here. Overview The 2023 edition of the Public Lands Ride (PLR) will be in Black Moshannon State Park and Moshannon State Forest on Saturday, September 30 with food, fun, and lots of friendly faces. The PLR…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sep. 6, 2023 Contact: Rachael Stark Email: [email protected] Phone: (570) 718-6507   Dallas — As paddlers take to Pennsylvania waterways in ever-increasing numbers, a new mini grant program provides funding to make the Commonwealth’s rivers and streams more accessible. The Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers (POWR) announces the opening of the new Statewide Waterway Access Grant Mini Grant Program (SWAG). The grant program, supported by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, is designed to help meet growing demand for non-motorized boating opportunities. The program provides grants…

In their new novel, The Nature Book, Pennsylvania native Tom Comitta takes a unique approach to storytelling by stitching together nature descriptions from more than 300 works of fiction. What’s more, the book contains no humans, a purposeful choice by the author to imagine a world without us. What went into making the novel, and what does it say about how we think and talk about nature? Storytelling is a uniquely human endeavor, and the subjects of the stories we tell — love, war, adventure — center around the human experience. Tom Comitta, author of The Nature Book, out this…

Featured photo credit: [email protected] PEC’s Public Lands Ride is about celebrating the Pennsylvania outdoors on two wheels. For those who can’t make it to the September 30th group ride at beautiful Black Moshannon State Park – or who just want to get in some more miles closer to home – PEC has created a series of GPS-guided routes you can ride any time. The newest virtual ride, “The Philly Classic,” explores the Philadelphia area along city streets, backroads, and parts of the Circuit Trails network including the Schuylkill River Trail and the Wissahickon Bike Trail. Learn more about the Public…

The recently opened half-mile of the Kensington & Tacony Rail Trail on the Delaware River in Philadelphia is a testament to the proverb, “Good things take time; great things take a little longer.” The project was certainly a long time coming. The opportunity to convert the rail line to a publicly accessible multi-use trail first came to my attention in June of 1996 during a community meeting that PEC organized in partnership with the National Park Service to explore reconnecting Philadelphians with the majestic Delaware River. It seemed like a great opportunity to provide recreation access to an area that…