Pennsylvania Legacies

Latest Episodes:

Redefining Trail Gaps Oct 07, 2022

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PEC's recently published gap analysis of the Circuit Trails network is more than just a list of priority segments: it proposes a whole new way of thinking about trail projects in terms of social impact. We hear from two members of the Circuit Trails Coalition's task force on justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion: Eleanor Horne of the Lawrence Hopewell Trail, and PEC's Zhenya Nalywayko, who prepared the report.

Taking the Lead Sep 23, 2022

Show notes

The Lancaster Watershed Leadership Academy provides learning and networking opportunities for people who come from a variety of backgrounds but share the same vision of healthy local watersheds. As the program prepares to welcome a new class, we speak with graduates Lindsey Deininger and Emily Smedley, and with Allyson Gibson of Lancaster Clean Water Partners.

Running the East Coast Greenway Sep 09, 2022

Show notes

Ultramarathoner Shan Riggs talks about his 3,000-mile run from Florida to Maine to raise awareness and money for the East Coast Greenway Alliance.

Funded! Aug 26, 2022

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The state budget passed in July represents Pennsylvania's biggest investment in conservation in more than 15 years, including funding for three new state parks. DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn returns to the podcast for a closer look at what's in the 2022-23 budget for the environment and outdoor recreation.

25 Million Stewards Aug 12, 2022

Show notes

For more than 70 years, the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO) has worked with Pennsylvania and seven other states to improve water quality in the Ohio River Basin. In addition to its extensive monitoring and data collection efforts, ORSANCO offers programs to help people connect with their local waterways and become better stewards. Lily Jones talks with outreach specialist Nick Callahan about ORSANCO’s annual River Sweep cleanup and floating environmental education classroom.

A Terrible Tradeoff Jul 29, 2022

Show notes

Low-producing "marginal" wells contribute less than a tenth of the oil and gas produced in the U.S. So why are they responsible for HALF of the industry's methane emissions? A new study from Environmental Defense Fund provides the first nationwide analysis of low-producing wells and their staggeringly disproportionate climate impact.

Beyond Climate Despair Jul 15, 2022

Show notes

It's easy to get demoralized in the face of climate change, especially when it feels like there's nothing we, as individuals, can do about it. An initiative from the Carnegie Museum of Natural History (CMNH) in Pittsburgh is trying to change the dynamic by reframing the crisis in terms of local impacts and helping western Pennsylvanians meet it on their own terms. PEC's Lily Jones spoke with Dr. Bonnie McGill of CMNH's Climate and Rural Systems Partnership.

Lay of the Landscape Jul 01, 2022

Show notes

An exit interview with program manager Marla Meyer Papernick as she departs from PEC and DCNR’s Laurel Highlands Conservation Landscape, where Marla has served as external lead since 2015. We look back on what the effort has accomplished since then, and what the Landscape’s new strategic plan says about its future.

Trawling for Nurdles Jun 17, 2022

Show notes

Almost everything made of plastic starts out as "nurdles": lentil-sized bits that sometimes get loose and end up in rivers and streams, where aquatic creatures easily mistake them for food. On the heels of a train derailment that spilled carloads of plastic pellets and crude oil into the Allegheny River in May, western PA watershed groups are working with university researchers and citizen scientists to measure the presence of nurdles in the region's waterways.

Encore: The Greenway Imperative Jun 03, 2022

Show notes

In celebration of National Trails Day on June 4, a repeat of our 2020 conversation with planning architect and trails historian Chuck Flink about his book, The Greenway Imperative.

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