The Swatara Creek Watershed Association, based in Lebanon County, and the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association, Montgomery County, are the first winners of $250 grants awarded to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Growing Greener Watershed Restoration Program.

The State Conservation Commission will host a Webinar on June 9 at 10:30 a.m. to review the new Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) farm conservation tax credit application and answer questions regarding the guidelines and application process

The Center for Watershed Protection will host a webcast on June 17 from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. entitled, "Managing Stormwater In The Age Of Budget Cuts."

The Senate this week unanimously approved Senate Bill 829 (MJ White-R-Venango) to extend the deadline faced by the Department of Environmental Protection for submitting a Pennsylvania Climate Change Action Plan.

The House Consumer Affairs Committee this week held a hearing on Act 129 which sets electricity consumption demand reduction milestones starting at 1 percent by 2011 increasing to 4 percent by 2013.

The Legislative Forestry Task Force of the Joint Legislative Air and Water Pollution Control and Conservation Committee this week held a hearing on green building certifications beyond the LEED - Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design system-- now being used.

The Joint Legislative Air and Water Pollution Control and Conservation Committee will hold an Environmental Forum on June 8 at 12:00 noon in Room G-50 of the K. Leroy Irvis Building on the topic of alternative energy.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation and local partners in Lancaster and Chester counties today received a new, multi-year conservation grant to assist farmers in one of the most agriculturally rich regions in the country to reduce runoff and improve water quality in local rivers and streams.

Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future, joined by elected officials and representatives of other organizations working to protect Pennsylvania’s land, water and communities from damage caused by natural gas drilling, will hold Town Hall meetings across the state and will sponsor an Action Day in Harrisburg on June 9.

The Pennsylvania Fly Fishing Museum Association will host its annual Pennsylvania Fly Fishing Heritage Day on June 20 at the Allenberry Playhouse and Resort in Boiling Springs, Pa.

The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy is now accepting applications to help fund projects to establish or improve canoe and kayak access to the region’s rivers and streams.

The June issue of the EE Connections newsletter from the Pennsylvania Center for Environmental Education is now available online.

The Professional Recyclers of Pennsylvania are sponsoring their second annual Recycling Film Festival inviting videographers from all over the state to submit their videos on composting, recycling and waste reduction.

For the first time since the Household Hazardous Waste Collection Program began in 1998, sixty-eight Chester County municipalities are hosting a Household Hazardous Waste and Computer Collection Event for Chester County residents on a Friday.

Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences and the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources have extended for 18 months a collaborative effort to stop the spread of invasive plant species in state parks.

The National Firewise Communities Program is calling for nominations for its fourth annual awards program to recognize outstanding efforts to promote a cooperative approach to reducing the loss of lives, property, and resources in the wildland/urban interface.

Join naturalist and author Scott Weidensaul, one of the founders of the Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art in Millersburg, for an examination of Smith's fascinating life and work at a special program on June 10 sponsored by the Pennsylvania State Bookstore in Harrisburg.

A new, easy-to-use Eastern Pennsylvania Birding and Wildlife Guide covering 13 counties is now available. With an introduction written by Pulitzer Prize finalist Scott Weidensaul, the 130-page, spiral-bound book presents readers with a road map on where, when and how to explore the region.

With just a click of your mouse, you can help to plant trees in Pennsylvania’ State Parks, courtesy of the Odwalla juice company of Dinuba, California.

Nestle Waters North America's Nestle Pure Life water bottling facility in Breinigsville, Pa., this week officially received the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-- LEED-- Gold certification.

As part of Pennsylvania’s effort to expand the use of biodiesel and alternative fuel vehicles, the Commonwealth has applied to the U.S. Department of Energy for $15 million through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. The funds will be used for Alternative Fuel and Advanced Technology Vehicles Pilot Grants.

Anticipating substantial fee increases in electricity, coupled with the fluctuation of natural gas prices, the Erie Manufacturer & Business Association is now offering its members a low-cost alternative energy solution.

Tom Fidler, Deputy Secretary overseeing the Air Quality, Waste Management, and Radiation Protection Programs within the Department of Environmental Protection, has announced he will retire from the agendy on June 19.

The Department of Environmental Protection published notice of an opportunity to bid on a mine reclamation project in Somerset County.

Smokey Bear has been telling Americans since 1944, "Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires," but a new bill (House Bill 262 (Haluska-D-Cambria)) under consideration in the General Assembly may begin to change Pennsylvania's approach to the blazes, according to forest experts in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.

Here’s a selection of NewsClips on environmental topics from around the state--

Read a sampling of NewsClips on watershed topics from around Pennsylvania.

No new regulations were published this week. Pennsylvania Bulletin - June 6, 2009

The State Conservation Commission published a new policy on access to odor management plans and the Game Commission published notice of the 2009-10 seasons and bag limits.