PA Environment Digest

Urging people to “stand up and demand change because we are in serious trouble,” Larry Schweiger, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation, offered a unique, historical perspective on conservation in Pennsylvania at the midpoint of a two-day Conservation Leaders Summit held June 17-18 in Valley Forge.

The Conservation Leaders Summit gathered people from across the state to discuss how to protect Pennsylvania’s natural resources in the future. The group heard from panelists and keynote speakers who addressed trends impacting conservation in this century; generated big ideas and initiatives on how to protect Pennsylvania’s legacy of special natural lands and waters, working farms and forests; and determined how to help green the state’s built environment.

Schweiger’s lecture, “Pennsylvania Conservation: Standing on the Shoulders of Giants,” was billed as a modern-day Michaux Lecture, which was first delivered in the late 1800s by Joseph Rothrock to draw attention to the environmental destruction of the time.

The first part of Schweiger’s lecture was reflective of his 30-plus-year conservation history—his personal experiences of the people who shaped him and conservation in the state. He entertained the more than 100 people gathered with stories of Ralph Abele, Maurice Goddard, John Laudadio and others, and how they stood up in the face of opposition for what they believed.

Schweiger became most passionate when he transitioned to present day and our prospects for the future, showing his raw emotions when talking about future generations. Speaking of his newly born grandson, he said, “He is entering a world we are allowing to be destroyed. We are collectively allowing others to take our world from us. Until Americans stand up and demand change, we are all in serious trouble.

“We have been blessed by great men and women who did powerful work,” Schweiger added. “I have been blessed personally. Together, we need to change the future like they did.”

DCNR Secretary John Quigley kicked off the second day of the conference discussing the challenges before us, and steps for creating lasting change.

“Together, we have done great work over the last seven years, and begun the critically important mission of changing the game of conservation—changing the rules, how we keep score, and how we play the game,” Secretary Quigley said. “We have engaged with communities in new ways, and counties have stepped up to the plate to invest in land protection.

“Communities across the state are greening themselves,” Secretary Quigley added. “And DCNR has worked with them to conserve more than 136,000 acres, investing $190 million in land conservation projects totaling $529 million.”

Secretary Quigley pointed to the Conservation Landscape Initiatives, or CLIs, which are DCNR-led efforts to engage communities, local partners, state agencies and explore funding opportunities to conserve high-quality natural and cultural resources while enhancing the region’s economic viability.

A recent year-long evaluation found that the CLI approach has:

-- Increased tourism and created economic benefits;

-- Protected natural resources and parks through land acquisition;

-- Enhanced experiences for visitors by updating and expanding recreational opportunities;

-- Connected communities to the outdoors;

-- Engaged more local governments on conservation issues;

-- Involved citizens more in their communities; and

-- Proven especially effective at leveraging unprecedented state investments to attract additional private and federal resources.

“These discussions are especially timely as we experience the opportunities and challenges that the extraction of natural gas from the Marcellus Shale formation will bring to Pennsylvania,” added Secretary Quigley.

The Secretary did note, however, that we have hardly scratched the surface of the impacts that will come from natural gas extraction from the Marcellus Shale formation and that requires “a serious about conservation and its place in our communities, our economy, in our lives, and in public policy.

“These times—what President Obama has vividly described as “the fierce urgency of now”—cry out for a 21st century conservation movement that matches—indeed exceeds—the vision and work and audacity of Gifford Pinchot, Joseph Rothrock, and Maurice Goddard,” Secretary Quigley said.

Secretary Quigley introduced a section on “Game Changers,” led off by former DCNR Secretary Michael DiBerardinis, whom Quigley described as being the “ultimate game changer.”

The game changer panel discussion served as the foundation for breakout brainstorming done by the conference participants on four themes: protecting our land and water; conserving our working landscapes; preserving and connecting parks and special places; and greening our built environment.

The summit was co-sponsored by the Pennsylvania Land Trust Association.

“One of Pennsylvania’s great strengths is having strong conservation leadership in both the private and public sector,” PALTA Executive Director Andy Loza said. “This gathering of private and government leaders will help set the direction for conservation in this time of challenge and opportunity.”

The Pennsylvania Environmental Council assembled a “Highlights of Pennsylvania’s Environmental History” for the Conservation Leader’s Summit. The Commonwealth has a long history around natural resource utilization, conservation and environmental protection, as well as a cadre of nationally recognized conservation leaders.

The information gathered from the sessions will help to shape white papers on moving conservation forward.

For more information, visit DCNR's Conservation Landscape Initiatives webpage.

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