Building on our past to create a legacy for our future


Connecting our environmental and social history to today's issues.

The Cradle of Conservation




Thanks for attending this event!!!

With a nearly full room at the Woods Center of the Capitol Theater, 120 people heard Susan Rimby, keynote speaker tell us why this region and it's influential leader left a conservation legacy for the state and the nation. Our guest panel including Scott Weidensaul and Dan Maracucci along with Susan gave us a spirited dialogue about current conservation issues after the keynote speech.


South Mountain: the Cradle of Conservation




Susan Rimby- Ph.D., Chair, History and Philosophy at Shippensburg University.
South Mountain’s history provides a conservation model for the rest of the nation, and an example of what we might use in confronting Twenty-first Century environmental problems. During America’s Progressive Era, 1890-1917, citizens were instrumental in conserving their local forests. Much of the initial work occurred on South Mountain’s State Forest Commission’s reserve. Concerned citizens in organizations like Pennsylvania State Federation of Women’s Clubs and the Pennsylvania Forest Association lobbied for the funds for the Commission to reforest South Mountain, to create a school to train professional foresters, and to establish the Commonwealth’s state parks system.
South Mountain Conservation Today
A panel of notable conservationists from the region will tell you what the future may hold for the quality of life and resources for the South Mountain region. Hear about collaborative work being done to conserve local natural and cultural resources and what are current issues today.