Pennsylvanians have voted, and they have chosen trails as their top conservation cause in iConservePA’s Elect to Conserve online campaign.

Carl Lorence, who champions trails and volunteerism, emerged as the winner of the Elect to Conserve campaign with 27 percent of the vote. Carl’s passion for trail building and volunteerism will be celebrated with a $5,000 donation, from a private foundation, to the Keystone Trails Association.

“We’re thrilled about Carl’s victory,” said Curt Ashenfelter, executive director of the association. “We’ll spend the winnings to help hiking trails and hiking opportunities in Pennsylvania.”

Watershed restoration and trees and forests were tied for second place, native species and habitat and open space and land conservation rounded out the voting.

In honor of the candidates who did not win—Norm, Dana, Debbie, and Montrell—a $1,000 donation will be made to each of the organizations that further their respective causes: PA Parks and Forests Foundation, PA Land Trust Association, Wild Resource Conservation Fund and the PA Environmental Council.

More than 5,400 people voted in the campaign, which ran October 1 through Election Day. Citizens selected among trees and forests, open spaces, water, native species and trails as their favorite conservation issue or cause.

For more information, log on to www.iConservePA.org.

11/7/2008