Join Us at Go Local for Health on September 18th, 2012

Join us at the Gettysburg Hotel for the Go Local for Health Summit, featuring a South Mountain Speaker as the keynote event.  As keynote speaker, Gina Calhoun of the Copeland Center will discuss the link of mental health to healthy eating, exercise, and access to the outdoors.  Gina's keynote will commence at 8:30 a.m. REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED.  To register click here

Go Local for Health is a regional summit, to be held in September 18, 2012, uniting community leaders, stakeholders and the general public on the issues of affordable and accessible healthy eating and recreation opportunities in south central Pennsylvania.  Rates of chronic diseases and related risk factors continue to increase locally and a comprehensive approach is needed to address them.  

Go Local for Health attendees will be educated on current community efforts and national best practices, and participate in planning dialogues about promoting health regionally.

To learn more about the whole day summit, visit
http://golocal4health.blogspot.com/

Don't Forget! Take part in the Speakers Series! The call for proposals is now open!

We need your help.

We have begun planning for our 2013 South Mountain Speakers Series- a program that has drawn over 1,500 interested citizens in the last two years. The theme of the Speakers Series is "engaging with the past to protect the future- connecting our social and environmental history to today's issues."

To get an idea of Speakers Series events, check out the 2012 event schedule below.

Click the picture to the left or the link below to send your proposals our way! Speakers Series All Call Survey.

Join Us August 26th, 2012: Fierce Friends- the South Mountain Story of Snakes and Bats

Be sure to keep your schedule clear, you won't want to miss this Speakers Series coming to you in August!

“Fierce Friends” to be Topic of Next South Mountain Lecture Series in August

Harrisburg – Snakes and bats will be the topic of the next lecture in the South Mountain Speakers Series on Sunday, Aug. 26, at Kings Gap Environmental Education Center in Carlisle.

State wildlife biologists Aura Stauffer and Jim Chestney will offer a free lecture entitled “Fierce Friends” beginning at 2 p.m. 

“Snakes and bats are a duo of mysterious, elusive creatures that are sometimes misunderstood but play an important role in the ecology of the South Mountain region,” Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Richard Allan said. “This is the story of their beneficial relationship with humans and their fierce fight for survival.”

The biologists will describe the natural history and precarious future of these unique animals, based on a regional study of their critical habitats. 

Several native snakes, including venomous species, will be displayed during a question and answer session at the end of the program.

This is the third year for the South Mountain Speakers Series, envisioned as a revival of the talks given by Joseph Rothrock in the late 19^th century as part of his work to preserve and restore Pennsylvania’s forests and natural landscape.  Rothrock, a Pennsylvania native, was a pioneer in forest management in the United States and is often referred to as the state’s “Father of Forestry.”

This event is sponsored by DCNR, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and the South Mountain Partnership. The South Mountain Partnership is a group of private citizens, businesses, nonprofit organizations and government representatives in Adams, Cumberland, Franklin and York counties, working together to protect and enhance the landscape.

The partnership was sparked by DCNR’s Conservation Landscape Initiative, an effort to engage communities, local partners, state agencies and funding opportunities to conserve the high-quality natural and cultural resources while enhancing the region’s economic viability.

The series will continue with “Keeping Fruit Healthy: Challenges to Keeping Food on Your Plate” on Sept. 8 at the Penn State Extension Biglerville Research Station in Adams County.

For more information about the speaker series, visit http://southmountainspeakers.blogspot.com/ or call the Appalachian Trail Conservancy at 717-258-5771.

Some of the earlier lectures in the speaker series can now be found on Youtube at

http://www.youtube.com/user/SouthMtnSpeakers.