Leaders from 16 states, including Pennsylvania, will gather at the University of Pennsylvania June 23 and 24 for a symposium entitled "Creating a New Natural Resource Legacy: Conservation and Sustainability ... Historic Missions Cast New in the 21st Century."

The forum is co-hosted by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, California, Iowa and Maryland and will feature discussions about how to use land management and conservation practices as powerful tools to achieve sustainability and address climate change.

"As 21st century environmental issues rapidly unfold, states across the nation must turn to their natural resource agencies and public lands for new and innovative solutions to emerging and often daunting challenges," Gov. Rendell said. "Paying attention to new practices and policies will help tackle climate change, renewable energy, carbon emissions, sustainability and more."

"Historically, state natural resource agencies have paid attention to and invested in the understood and time tested values of conservation: land, habitat and watershed protection; recreation; maintenance; and resource extraction," said Department of Conservation and Natural Resource Secretary Michael DiBerardinis. "New opportunities, including an increased value of public land management for carbon sequestration, sustainable forestry practices and a range of alternative energy initiatives, are arising and as good stewards we need to advance them in a way that continues to protect the long-term health of the resource."

The symposium will begin with discussions on what states currently are doing on renewable energy, sustainable community development and climate change. That will be followed by keynote remarks from environmentalist, entrepreneur and author Paul Hawken and a session on the opportunities that exist for a new conservation agenda.

The second day will be devoted to discussing how the agencies might need to change to address climate change and sustainability, and how states can influence national policies on these issues.

6/20/2008