Press Release: South Mountain Partnership Announces Three Water Related Workshops


BOILING SPRINGS, PA (November 12, 2019) – The South Mountain Partnership network is coming together to host a series of water-related workshops for the annual South Mountain Speakers Series. Save the dates for these workshops – attend one or attend them all! Registration will soon be available by visiting www.southmountainpartnership.org.

The three Water Workshops are unique events that serve different audiences (see details below). The series is hosted in coordination with partners at Capital RC&D, the County Conservation Districts of Adams, Cumberland, and Franklin counties, the Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers (POWR), and the Alliance for Aquatic Resource Monitoring (AllARM).

December 3, 2019The Tri-County Watershed Association Meeting is for local watershed associations, groups, and individuals in the general South Mountain region of Adams, Cumberland, Franklin, and York counties. This free meeting will focus on connecting watershed organizations to landowners and will provide an opportunity for attendees to give a quick project overview. It will take place in the Anthony F. Ceddia Union Building (CUB) at Shippensburg University from 6 to 8:30 pm. Light refreshments will be served. This workshop is hosted primarily by the County Conservation Districts of Adams, Cumberland, and Franklin counties.

January 9, 2020 – The South Mountain Water Workshop: Municipalities and Watershed Groups Working Together for Greater Impact is a free workshop for local municipalities and watershed organizations that want to better coordinate their efforts so that they can accomplish more together. Tentative agenda items include time for networking, the Return on Environment Report for Cumberland County, volunteer recruitment, county Watershed Implementation Plans(WIPs), Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) plan implementation, and case studies of successful partnerships. The workshop will take place in the Stern Great Room of Dickinson College from 2 to 6 pm. Light refreshments will be served. This workshop is hosted primarily by Capital RC&D and the South Mountain Partnership.

March 27, 2020 – This POWR Regional Water Workshop is for watershed organizations, related regional alliances, local and state agency representatives, and interested individuals from throughout south-central Pennsylvania who want to learn about opportunities to advance water resource and watershed protection and how to build the capacity of their volunteers and organizations. Tentative agenda items include time for networking, a deep dive into volunteer management, recruitment, and psychology, understanding insurance and other board requirements and liabilities, outcomes and lessons learned from the Parks for All survey, and leadership development and skill building. This workshop is hosted primarily by POWR and will take place at the Trees and Trails Environmental Education Center in Mechanicsburg from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm. A small fee will be charged to cover cost of refreshments and lunch.

Additional information about each of these three workshops, including how to register, will be posted at www.southmountainpartnership.org as it becomes available. So, save the dates and check back soon!

The South Mountain Speakers Series is presented as a revival of the Michaux Lectures, a series of talks given by Joseph Rothrock to build a groundswell of public support for his work to preserve and restore Pennsylvania’s forested landscape. The late 19th century Michaux Lectures were an educational mission that catalyzed real change in Pennsylvania’s environmental history. As we face the challenges of the 21st century, the South Mountain Speakers Series is intended to encourage a new generation to find in the past a positive vision for the future of the South Mountain landscape.

For more information about the South Mountain Speakers Series, go to http://southmountainpartnership.org/speakers-series.

This workshop is funded by a grant from the Chesapeake Bay Funders Network, Chesapeake Bay Trust, National Fish and Wildlife Federation, US Environmental Protection Agency, and the Chesapeake Bay Program. It was also funded by a convening grant from the Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons