Larry Kehl, President of the PA Association of Conservation Districts reacted negatively to Gov. Rendell’s proposed 2009-2010 budget concerning funding for the 66 Pennsylvania conservation districts.

The Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee reported out the following bills and asked for more time to review a regulation increasing fees for Marcellus Shale drilling permits--

Rep. Mike Hanna (D-Clinton), Majority Chair of the House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, this week announced the introduction of Pennsylvania's new "PATH to Organic" farming transitions program.

The northward and inland movement of North American birds, confirmed by thousands of citizen-observations, provides new and powerful evidence that global warming is having a serious impact on natural systems, according to new analyses by Audubon scientists.

Department of Conservation and Natural Resources announced this week it is undertaking the next step in its innovative work to reduce the amount of climate-changing greenhouse gases that reach the atmosphere.

A team led by Pennsylvania-based Air Products and including Imperial College London and Doosan Babcock Energy Ltd. were presented the Rushlight Carbon Capture and Storage Award 2008 for work addressing impurity removal in carbon dioxide waste streams from coal-fired power plants.

What do kids think about conserving water? Do they understand the power of public transportation? How do you pack a waste-free lunch?

The Pennsylvania Association of Environmental Professionals are now accepting nominations for the 2009 Karl Mason Award. Nominations are due March 31.

If you are involved in the protection and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay, then you owe it to yourself to take seven minutes to join the Chesapeake Watershed Network– a new and rapidly growing online community of nature protection and pollution control experts and advocates.

The Valley Creek Restoration Partnership celebrated the successful restoration of Crabby Creek on January 24 at the Tredyffrin Township Building, Berwyn.

The Department of Environmental Protection is inviting public comments on Total Maximum Daily Load watershed plans and correcting a comment deadline for watersheds in Armstrong, Clarion, Clearfield, Fayette, Forest in Jefferson counties. They include:

The Westmoreland Conservation District will hold a workshop for engineers and anyone involved in the land development and construction process onMarch 5. The same workshop will be repeated on March 6.

The Jeddo/Nescopeck Partnership will be hosting a "Wonders of Our Watershed" Celebration on May 9 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Penn State Hazleton campus.

The ClearWater Conservancy will sponsor its annual Watershed Cleanup Day on April 25 to eliminate little and dumping throughout Centre County's watersheds.

The National Wildlife Federation, in conjunction with the Verizon Foundation, would like to offer local environmental groups a chance to recruit new volunteers to assist with your projects and make them aware of the Volunteer Incentive Grant Program.

PA CleanWays announced is now accepting applications for the Sue Wiseman Scholarship, an annual $1,000 scholarship that recognizes youth who have demonstrated leadership and shown exceptional commitment and dedication to reducing litter and illegal dumping in their community.

The Department of Environmental Protection reported this week its inspectors found no structural problems after the first round of re-inspections were completed at 11 coal waste impoundments across the state.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency invites the public to submit creative projects to the 3rd annual Rachel Carson intergenerational “Sense of Wonder” contest. The deadline for entries is June 10.

Pennsylvania leads all states in the number of colleges and universities participating in the 2009 RecycleMania competition sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The Professional Recyclers of Pennsylvania will hold a College, University, School Recycling Roundtable on March 10 at Messiah College, in Grantham, Pa, near Harrisburg.

The Coca-Cola/NRC Recycling Bin Grant Program will start accepting applications February 15.

Audubon Pennsylvania invites educators to the 2nd Annual Educators Birding Seminar on May 16-17.This free 2-day seminar will provide the necessary tools, training, and resources for integrating current environmental education topics into your classroom.

The PA Outdoor Lighting Council is promoting an international environmental event to raise awareness about energy usage and waste. The event, called Earth Hour, will take place at 8:30 p.m. March 28.

The PA Outdoor Lighting Council, along with the Department of Environmental Protection, is sponsoring two outdoor lighting workshops to help local officials understand effective outdoor lighting options. The workshops will be held:

Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation this week reported it will have 60 wells drilled into the Marcellus Shale formation completed by the end of 2009 in Pennsylvania, in spite of lowering its investment level for the year.

The Independent Oil and Gas Association of Pennsylvania released the following statement this week in response to Gov. Rendell's to impose a severance tax on the oil and gas industry urging caution due to its potential impact on the oil and gas industry.

Small businesses in northwestern Pennsylvania looking for help to reduce their energy costs are encouraged to attend one of two workshops on how to apply for Small Business Energy Efficiency Grant Program from the Department of Environmental Protection.

A nearly two-year independent study has concluded a wind turbineposes no over tthreat to bird and bat life while it generates supplemental power and serves as an educational aid at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center at Presque Isle State Park in Erie.

The Wildlife Leadership Adventures is a cooperative initiative involving state agencies and conservation organizations and is coordinated and administered by the Pennsylvania Institute for Conservation Education. Applications for the program will be accepted until April 15.

Why did the salamander cross the road? (a) To get to the vernal pool; (b) To ensure survival of the species; (c) To watch humans run across the road in reflective gear carrying buckets of amphibians; or (d) All of the above.

The closure of at least one road and restroom facilities at Bald EagleState Park, Centre County, is likely later this month as workprogresses on the Pennsylvania state park system’s first nature inn,DCNR officials announced this week.

The Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society, along with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Pashek Associates, LLC and other partners, will host a "Citizen Symposium" as part of its 62nd Annual Conference in Hershey, Pa on March 7-11.

Through DCNR’s Community Conservation Partnerships Program, PA CleanWays is putting up information signs at greenways across the state.

The next Town Square: Science for Citizens Program at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia will feature a discussion on extending the Schuylkill River Trail.

Brian Gula, and environmental education specialist at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center, has been honored with the Earth Friend Award from Erie’s WSEE-TV and the Lake Erie Regional Conservancy.

The Western PA Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation forwarded this request for help from the Eastern Coal Regional Roundtable to help restore funding to the federal Office of Surface Mining Watershed Cooperative Agreement Program.

PA Council of Trout Unlimited, which represents 13,000 members in 53 local Chapters across the state, issued a white paper this week outlining its concerns about drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale formation outlining several concerns about the need to make sure drilling is done in a way that does not damage natural resources.

By Wayne W. Kober, PA Association of Environmental Professionals

Beginning February 14, the public can review and comment on a proposal that will better enable the Department of Environmental Protection to cover the increased costs and staffing needs for overseeing Pennsylvania’s booming natural gas industry.