It may be hard to believe, but Pennsylvania’s hillsides were once stripped bare of trees, Presque Isle Bay in Erie was so full of algae you couldn’t row a boat through it and air pollution was so thick in one steel valley it killed people.

“Echoes Through Penn’s Woods” is an Emmy-award winning documentary by Commonwealth Media Services and the GreenTreks Network that explores how far we’ve come in restoring our environment in Pennsylvania from some very major insults.

It also explores how far we have to go on issues like sprawl and cleaning up acid mine drainage polluted streams and rivers.

The documentary highlights positive efforts by individuals, groups, businesses and local and state government to address these problems and find solutions.

Accompanying the documentary is an educator’s guide teachers can use to educate students about Pennsylvania’s environmental heritage and what they can do to continue making improvements to our environment.

“Echoes” can be viewed online or the video can be purchased for use in the classroom or at home.

Visit the “Echoes Through Penn’s Woods” webpage for more information.

3/31/2006