South Mountain Speakers Series: From Springs to Sprinklers

News for Immediate Release
Oct. 2, 2012
DCNR: Next South Mountain Lecture to Focus on Water Quality and Quantity in the Region

Harrisburg – The final lecture of the year in the South Mountain Speaker Series will focus on the challenges of conserving water quality and quantity in the region on Thursday, Nov. 8, in Memorial Auditorium at Shippensburg University.

“From trout fishing in our spring-fed creeks to the ice cold glass we enjoy on a hot summer's day, water is at the heart of our quality of life here in the South Mountain region,” said Allen Dieterich-Ward, an associate professor of history at Shippensburg University and the chair of the South Mountain Partnership committee on the speaker series. “Over the years, new demands on ground and surface water have created challenges for conserving these important resources.”

The event will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a reception featuring displays by local watershed and advocacy groups.

At 7 p.m., Pat Bowling, a hydrologist with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, will describe water challenges and then join a panel of local experts to discuss ways to protect our water supply for future generations.

The panel will include Dr. Christopher Woltemade, a professor in Shippensburg’s Department of Geography/Earth Science, and Michael Christopher, manager of Washington Township, Franklin County.

This event is sponsored by the Adams, Cumberland and Franklin county conservation districts; Shippensburg University; DCNR; and the South Mountain Partnership.

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. The series is anticipated to return in 2013.

Sparked by DCNR’s Conservation Landscape Initiative, the South Mountain Partnership is an effort to engage communities, local partners, state agencies and funding opportunities to conserve high-quality natural and cultural resources while enhancing the region’s economic viability.

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.

Media contact: Christina Novak, 717-772-9101

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In the Spirit of the Michaux Lectures

Pennsylvania has a long and compelling history of conservation. Inspired by the state and the nation’s early conservation leaders and their struggles, the South Mountain Partnership seeks to put today’s environmental issues into a broader context and inspire action within our communities.

The South Mountain Speakers Series are organized in the spirit of the Michaux Lectures, a series of talks given by Joseph Rothrock in his work to preserve and restore Pennsylvania’s forests and natural landscape. During the late nineteenth century, the Michaux Lectures as presented by Rothrock were an educational mission that became a catalyst for real change in our state’s environmental history.

It is our hope that as we face the challenges of the twenty first century, the South Mountain Speakers Series can encourage a new generation to find in the past a positive vision for the future of the South Mountain landscape and beyond.

Building on our past to create a legacy for our future

From Springs to Sprinklers