Are you 55 years or older, live in Allegheny County and want to become involved in protecting our resources and educating the public on the natural world?  If so, the new Allegheny County Senior Environment Corps wants you!

The Allegheny County Conservation District, the Allegheny County Watershed Alliance, and Nature Abounds are working together to get the group up and running.

Senior Environment Corps (SEC) members can participate in a variety of tasks from monitoring water quality, observing and reporting on wildlife, reaching out to others about how they can help the environment, and even aiding with office tasks.

The possibilities are endless.

“With the converging of the three rivers being in Pittsburgh, Allegheny County is the perfect place to get seniors involved with monitoring water quality. We’re thrilled that Allegheny County will have a Senior Environment Corps soon,” said Nature Abounds President, Melinda Hughes.  “The new group will be part of the larger statewide Pennsylvania Senior Corps, whose volunteer members have been working hard to protect our natural resources since 1997, with over 2,000,000 hours served.

“Seniors volunteers in Pennsylvania really do make a difference in our community and for our environment. In fact, the value of the SEC program across Pennsylvania is estimated at over $3,000,000 a year,” added Hughes.

Water Quality Monitoring Training

The first project of the new Allegheny County SEC will be water quality monitoring, and a training will be held on September 21st at the Fern Hollow Nature Center in Sewickley from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. 

If interested in becoming involved in the Senior Environment Corps program or if you just want to find out what being involved in the Senior Environment Corps program is all about, you are invited to attend.

For more information on the program, visit the Nature Abounds PA Senior Environment Corps webpage or contact Melinda Hughes of Nature Abounds at either 814-765-1453 x203 or  send email to: SEC@Natureabounds.org. 

9/19/2016