South Mountain Partnership Unveils A New Look
South Mountain Partnership (SMP) is unveiling a streamlined, updated version of southmountainpartnership.org on February 16. The refreshed website features a rejuvenated logo embodying the “Spirit of South Mountain” while also giving SMP more flexibility and readability. The logo is a gateway to imagining exploring a stream, watching the hawk, hiking the mountain, or cycling past a historic farm field. The colors of the logo were inspired by seasonal colors found within the landscape. As the core work of the South Mountain Partnership remains the same, the renewed appearance brings a more contemporary appeal to the Partnership’s visual identity.
The new website is centered around showcasing the work of the South Mountain Partnership network and connecting visitors with the resources they need efficiently. The website has a searchable archive to capture the decade-and-half of SMP’s initiatives. The site also offers job postings in the conservation field as well as funding opportunities and conservation resources. SMP featured images received from a regional photo contest throughout the website. The website refresh was led by Afteractive with support from the South Mountain Partnership Communication and Leadership committees. It was a prime focus of 2022.
Program Manager Julia Chain said, “The natural evolution of the partnership spurred the development of the refreshed website. In fact, the site is reflective of the South Mountain Partnership’s mission as a conservation network.”
The South Mountain Partnership is a collaborative network of people and organizations protecting and promoting the agricultural, natural, cultural, and recreational resources of the region in Adams, Cumberland, Franklin, and York counties of southcentral Pennsylvania. SMP is one of Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’s eight identified conservation landscapes. SMP work is made possible by a public-private partnership between PA DCNR, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, and over 40 local partners. The primary work of the partnership is building relationships with a variety of partners, stakeholders, communities, citizens, and municipalities to bring awareness to the importance of the South Mountain region. Through a holistic approach and focused collaboration, the South Mountain Partnership hosts initiatives such as the State of the Region project and holds meetings attended by more than 500 total attendees throughout the year. In addition, the annual South Mountain Mini-Grant Program has generated a total investment of $660,000, since commencing in 2009. The grants stimulated matching funds of $1,300,000 for the region.
Looking ahead ten, twenty, even fifty years, the Partnership is seeking to maintain a healthy landscape. SMP strives for a future where conserved resources and vibrant communities share a common sense of place, and the region works together on well-planned growth and sustainable economic development. The renewed version of southmountainpartnership.org will support this work.
The South Mountain Partnership (SMP) is a collaborative network of people and organizations protecting and promoting the agricultural, natural, cultural, and recreational resources of the region in Adams, Cumberland, Franklin, and York counties of southcentral Pennsylvania. To stay abreast of SMP, subscribe to the newsletter at www.southmountainpartnership.org
The South Mountain Partnership is financed in part by a grant from the Community Conservation Partnerships Program, the Environmental Stewardship Fund, under the administration of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation.