What is nature worth? Does it have a hidden value beyond the beauty and welfare of a community? What are we willing to pay to maintain or enhance our quality of life, health, cost of living and economy that nature provides?

Because Mother Nature does not write receipts, nature's financial value is often overlooked or undervalued in policy debates, investment decisions and personal choices. Dauphin County's scenic mountains, farmland views, river corridors, and large forest habitats are more than just pretty places.

They are productive assets that generate millions of dollars each year in savings, earnings and avoided costs for residents, businesses and outdoor recreation enthusiasts.

They contribute to our local economies and property values, and they help us save on everything from healthcare to stormwater management.

They also naturally create greenery, beauty, a sense of place, and improve the air we breathe and the water we drink.

On April 26, 2017, the Penn State Water Resources Extension team hosted a webinar on The Economic Value of Protecting, Restoring and Expanding Nature’s Financial Benefits. The presenter was John Rogers, an environmental consultant, policy planner and current President of the Keystone Conservation Trust. 

This webinar reported on a financial analysis to express a return on the environment (ROE). ROE explains nature's invisible financial value in terms everyone can understand. As a result, policy makers, businesses and residents can begin to see natural systems as a portfolio of financial assets, rather than a commodity or added expense.

Click Here to view the entire one hour recorded webinar.  Click Here to view other recorded webinars in the Penn State Extension Water Resources Webinar Series.

Upcoming Webinars

Here are several upcoming Penn State Extension Water Resources webinars you might be interested in--

-- May 31: Lessons From Over 30 Years Of Water Well Research And Outreach In PA.  Noon to 1:00.

-- June 28: Effect Of Climate Change On Riverine Inputs To The Chesapeake & Delaware Bays.  Noon to 1:00.

(Reprinted from the May 22 Watershed Winds newsletter from Penn State Extension.  Click Here to sign up for your own copy.)

[Posted: May 22, 2017]

5/29/2017