On September 12, the PA Association of Environmental Professionals recognized Kristina Thompson and PennDOT District 5-0 with the 2024 Walter Lyon Award and former DEP Secretary David Hess with the Karl Mason Award.

PAEP presents these awards to Pennsylvanians who made unique and creative contributions to the field of environmental management in Pennsylvania with preference given to the fields of administration, law, regulation and community organization.

The awards were presented at the PAEP annual conference in State College.

Kristina Thompson & District 5-0

Kristina (Kris) Thompson led the initiative to bring life back to one of the last three remaining wrought iron bowstring bridges in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Through her ingenuity and steadfast resolve, what was once a long-forgotten bridge now has a new life as a destination bridge on the Schuylkill River Trail in St. Clair, PA.

Her dedication to historic preservation, excellent working relationships with partner agencies, and innovative spirit played a key role as she developed a novel idea to help preserve the Mount Carbon bowstring.

Kris reached out to the FHWA PA Division office and the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) to discuss her idea for mitigation, and with concurrence from both agencies as well as coordination with the other consulting parties, her innovative solution was born.

Using mitigation funding from two federally funded bridge replacement projects that impacted historic bridges with similar ties and history patterns as that of the bowstring, PennDOT was able to remove the Mount Carbon Bowstring from its location, relocate the water line, clean and paint the bridge, and deliver it to the site in St. Clair where the Schuylkill River Greenway Association was working to build a bridge for their trail system.

A kiosk with information about the structure now stands near the bridge so others can learn and appreciate its long-standing history.

Walter Lyon Award

Walter Lyon began his professional career as a sanitary engineer at the U.S. Public Health Service in Washington D.C. serving as Assistant Chief of the Planning and Development Branch, Division of Engineering Resources from 1950-1954.

He then served for three years as the Assistant Chief of the Environmental Health Section, Philadelphia Department of Public Health.

From 1983 to 2013, Walter went on to teach and consult in the areas of environmental engineering and water policy.

For many years, Walter participated in the Pennsylvania Association of Environmental Professionals conferences and special events and generously shared his knowledge and experience.

He was a strong advocate for employing highly educated, qualified, and experienced environmental professionals in the public and private sectors and serves as a role model for the environmental professionals of today and tomorrow.

David Hess

David Hess is the former Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental

Protection for Governors Ridge and Schweiker and has served in and around state government dealing with environmental issues for nearly 50 years holding positions in the Pennsylvania Senate and the former Department of Environmental Resources.

During the Ridge and Schweiker Administrations, the agency won more national and international awards for innovation than any other state agency in the country.

The awards involved innovations in communications and public involvement, restoring brownfield industrial sites, using the Internet and information technology in unique ways, and watershed and water resource protection.

He also helped guide the successful rescue of nine miners trapped in the Quecreek Mine in Somerset, Pennsylvania in 2002 and the environmental response to the crash of Flight 93 on September 11, 2001.

He is now retired, but serves as editor of the weekly PA Environment Digest newsletter and the PA Environment Digest Blog covering Pennsylvania environmental and energy issues.

His formal education includes a Masters degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Illinois and a Bachelor's degree in Urban Studies from Shippensburg University.

As an aside, Hess also worked for Walter Lyon at the former Department of Environmental Resources.

Karl Mason Award

Karl Mason served as Pennsylvania’s first State Environmental Administrator from 1952 to 1966.

Karl’s holistic vision of environmental management embraced essential, but conflicting, needs associated with waste disposal and community environmental protection.

The general framework established by Karl serves as the foundation for Pennsylvania’s environmental protection programs to this day.

Karl believed and put into practice the notion that environmental protection is primarily the business of professionals who have the skills, by virtue of their scientific training, to manage the technical and scientific complexities of maintaining a safe, healthy and clean environment.

He was committed to the belief that continuing education was an essential part of the career of every environmental professional.

Visit the PAEP Karl Mason and Walter Lyon Awards webpage to learn about past winners.

For more information on programs, initiatives, workshops and other special events, visit the PA Association of Environmental Professionals website.  Click Here to sign up for regular updates on PAEP activities or Like them on Facebook.  Click Here to become a member.

[Posted: September 19, 2024]

9/23/2024