Selling Conservation

"Selling Conservation from the 1890s to the 21st Century”

Monday, May 10^th starting at 6-9 PM

Penn State Mont Alto

Entitled “Selling Conservation from the 1890s to the 21st Century,” the free public event will start at 6 p.m. with forestry students providing tours of the campus arboretum. Those who wish to participate on the tour should go to the General Studies Building at 1 Campus Drive, Mont Alto.

In existence since 1903, the Mont Alto Arboretum contains a wide variety of tree species. For the event, the Penn State Mont Alto Library also will have a display of items from the early days of the school, including some old hand tied-fishing flies made by Mont Alto students and images from the Mira Lloyd Dock Glass Lantern Slide Collection of the Caledonia area taken in the late 1890s and early 1900s. Refreshments will also be available.

The lecture by Dr. Peter Linehan, associate professor of Forestry at Mont Alto, will begin at 7 p.m. at the General Studies Building. Linehan will show how the Pennsylvania Forestry Association mobilized and educated the public and influenced state lawmakers to revolutionize the management of forests in Pennsylvania.

“Nestled among the trees on the edge of the Michaux State Forest, Penn State Mont Alto has educated America’s foresters for over a century,” Linehan said. “It was one of the first forestry schools in the nation. The goal at that time was to crusade for a change from the barren hills caused by forest fires and charcoal production.”

After the lecture, a panel including Linehan; Nels Johnson, director of Conservation Programs for The Nature Conservancy in Pennsylvania; and Dr. James Grace, DCNR executive deputy secretary; will discuss contemporary forestry issues and respond to questions from the audience.

Sponsored by Penn State Mont Alto, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural resources, and the South Mountain Partnership.

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.