PA Environment Digest Blog: March 2026

Tuesday, March 31, 2026

DCNR Launches New Statewide Volunteer System To Expand Access To Outdoor Service Opportunities

On March 31, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources announced the launch of a new, streamlined Conservation Volunteer system designed to connect more Pennsylvanians with service opportunities across the Commonwealth’s 124 state parks and 2.2 million acres of state forestland.

DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn visited Black Moshannon State Park in Centre County alongside local and state leaders to highlight the impact of volunteers on public lands and discuss the new online system, which modernizes how DCNR engages volunteers by simplifying sign-ups, standardizing processes, and automatically tracking hours and milestones.

Black Moshannon State Park is the PA Parks and Forests Foundation 2026 Park of the Year.

Click Here for video and photos from the event.

Critical Role Of Volunteers

Volunteers can earn rewards as they reach service benchmarks, including free camping and cabin stays in state parks and forests, and the system makes it easier for individuals and groups to sign up-- building on the more than 56,000 volunteer hours contributed to state parks across 3,300 projects in 2025 alone.

Since taking office, Governor Shapiro and his Administration have worked to modernize state government and deliver services that are easier and faster for Pennsylvanians.

Those efforts are also driving economic growth — with new data showing Pennsylvania’s outdoor recreation economy grew by $1.5 billion and added 9,000 jobs in 2024, reaching $20.4 billion in total impact and supporting more than 177,000 jobs across the Commonwealth.

The sector continues to outpace national growth, reflecting the Shapiro Administration’s investments in parks, trails, and outdoor recreation infrastructure.

“Pennsylvania’s parks and forests are some of our greatest assets-- and they rely on dedicated volunteers to keep them thriving,” said DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn. “This new system makes it easier than ever for people to get involved, give back, and connect with the outdoors while helping us care for these spaces for future generations. We are grateful to the individuals and groups who spend time each year picking up trash, maintaining trails, and supporting events outdoors. Thank you for your service to our beautiful natural spaces.”

Volunteers play a critical role in maintaining and improving public lands-- from repairing and maintaining trails to supporting campgrounds, enhancing visitor experiences, and promoting healthy forests.

DCNR is unveiling the new system during a month-long recognition of volunteer contributions across the Commonwealth, including the work of Friends groups supported by the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation.

“We are grateful to the individual volunteers and our Friends groups for their consistent, dedicate service to supporting public lands,” said PPFF President Marci Mowery. “These amazing people donate their time and talent, working alongside state park and forest staff, to help make Pennsylvania’s state parks and forests some of the best natural spaces in the country, and we thank them for their service.”

"Our volunteers are the backbone of Keystone Trails Association,” said Holly Smith, executive director of the Keystone Trails Association. “In 2025 alone, 196 dedicated individuals showed up across 27 Trail Care events, contributing 3,793 hours of service valued at $122,438. Their dedication is what makes KTA's work possible."

All Ages Can Get Involved

DCNR encourages Pennsylvanians of all ages and backgrounds to get involved.

Volunteer opportunities include trail maintenance, campground support, facility improvements, environmental education, and conservation projects, including--

-- Maintaining and improving all trails to ensure safety, accessibility, and sustainability.

-- Caring for recreational facilities, such as pavilions, playgrounds, gardens, and picnic tables.

-- Assisting with campground upkeep, including campsite maintenance, trash cleanup, and serving as a campground host.

-- Promoting healthy forests through tree planting, community education, and sustainable land management.

The new system allows DCNR to automatically track logged volunteer hours and subsequent rewards as milestones are reached.

Those rewards include a social media badge for anyone who volunteers and additional perks for reaching benchmarks, including--

-- 100 hours: 1-night free state forest camping

-- 250 hours: 2-night free state park camping

-- 500 hours: 5-night free state park camping

-- 1,000 hours: 2-night/3-day free state park cabin stay

A downloadable guide is available to assist volunteers with signing up for the new system to connect to volunteer opportunities.

More information and frequently asked questions about the Conservation Volunteer system is available on DCNR’s Conservation Volunteer webpage.

Visit DCNR's YouTube page for a video depicting how to become a conservation volunteer.

Click Here for DCNR’s announcement.

Visit Explore PA Trails and Get Outdoors PA for recreation areas near you.

Visit the PA Parks & Forests Foundation’s Events webpage and DCNR’s Calendar of Events for activities happening near you.

For more information on state parks and forests and recreation in Pennsylvania, visit DCNR’s website. Click Here to sign up for the Resource newsletter.

(Photo: Black Moshannon Park manager, Mathias Weinzen, DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn, Marci Mowery, President, PA Parks & Forests Foundation.)

Chesapeake Bay Foundation: National Fish & Wildlife Foundation Grant Will Help Pennsylvania Farmers Connect For Healthier Local Waters

On March 31, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation announced a new National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant will help create cleaner rivers and streams in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia through regenerative farm practices like converting row crops to pasture, better livestock grazing, and streamside trees under .

The Chesapeake Bay Small Watershed Grant of $939,700, with $267,800 in matching funds, will implement nearly 1,700 acres of agricultural conservation practices, including managed grazing and planting trees along streams.

The grant is made from NFWF’s Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund, funded primarily by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through the Chesapeake Bay Program Office.

Additional funding for this project is provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service.

In Pennsylvania, CBF will collaborate with Capital Resource Conservation and Development Council, Inc. (Cap RC&D) to provide educational resources, peer-to-peer technical assistance, field days, and pasture walks in Lancaster, York, Adams, Cumberland, Lebanon, Dauphin, and Franklin counties.

With Cap RC&D, field days will focus on improving pasture conditions, soil health, and converting row crops to grazing.

This produces less polluted runoff, healthier soils, and reductions in fertilizer use and farm costs, all of which leads to cleaner water in local streams and the Chesapeake Bay.

Pastures with deep-rooted forage plants are more resilient to extreme weather, like prolonged droughts or torrential rains.

Veterinary expenses and cull rates may drop because of fewer foot ailments and other herd health problems, since the livestock are more active and outside with less exposure to pathogens.

Grant funds awarded to CBF for the project will also go toward economic case studies on farms in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia, looking at the costs and benefits of shifting to regenerative production systems like grazing.

Kelly O'Neill, Agriculture Policy Analyst with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation in Pennsylvania said-- “For Pennsylvania, this grant means that more farmers will improve their grazing efforts by learning from other farmers.

“Federal and state investments in regenerative agriculture are good for farm productivity and the health of local streams by keeping soil and nitrogen on the land instead of running into local waters.

“Regenerative grazing has helped many farmers to balance expenses and income, while improving the quality of farm life by reducing labor and costs. Livestock move frequently through a series of paddocks, allowing the forage plants to recover while the animals are grazing elsewhere.

“Grazing operations generally have lower start-up and maintenance costs than the alternative. Many livestock farmers shifting to grazing can spend more time managing pastures and monitoring herd performance, and less on a tractor.”

For more on Chesapeake Bay-related issues in Pennsylvania, visit the Chesapeake Bay Foundation-PA webpage. Click Here to sign up for Pennsylvania updates (bottom of left column). Click Here to support their work.

Also visit the Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership to learn how you can help clean water grow on trees.

How Clean Is Your Stream

DEP’s draft 2026 Water Quality Assessment includes a mapping tool that allows you to check on the status of water quality near you.

Click Here to check how clean your stream is.

[Posted: March 31, 2026] PA Environment Digest

Tuesday PA Environment & Energy Articles - NewsClips: 3.31.26

“The people have a right to clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic and esthetic values of the environment. Pennsylvania's public natural resources are the common property of all the people, including generations yet to come. As trustee of these resources, the Commonwealth shall conserve and maintain them for the benefit of all the people.”

-- Article I, Section 27 Pennsylvania Constitution [It’s Not A Suggestion]

House Voting Schedule

April 13, 14, 15, 27, 28, 29

May 4, 5, 6

June 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

September 28, 29, 30

October 5, 6, 7, 19, 20, 21

November 9, 10

-- Committee Schedule

Senate Voting Schedule

April 20, 21, 22

May 4, 5, 6

June 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30

-- Committee Schedule

TODAY’s Calendar Of Events

TODAY 7:00: Virtual. Delaware County Planning Department Webinar On Delaware County Air Monitoring Project. 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. Click Here to register.

April 1-- Draft Agenda Posted. DEP Radiation Protection Advisory Committee meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson Building. 9:00 a.m. Contact: John S. Chippo jchippo@pa.gov. (formal notice)

April 1-- Lower Susquehanna RiverKeeper Speaker Series: Dr. Dorothy Merritts, Dr. Robert Walter And The Potential Of Restoring Buried Pre-Colonial Landscapes And Removal Of Legacy Sediments. RiverKeeper Office, Wrightsville, York County.

April 2-- DEP State Water Planning Program Hosts Webinar On Act 167 Stormwater Management Planning, 10:00 a.m.

April 7-- DEP Public Hearing On Shell Petrochemical Plant Air Quality Plan Approval Application. Penn State Beaver Auditorium, 100 University Drive in Monaca, Beaver County. 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Read more here.

April 16-- DCED PA Grade Crude [Oil] Development Advisory Council meeting. Penn State, State College. 10:00. Contact: Adam Walters 717-214-6548 or adwalters@pa.gov.

April 30-- DEP Oil & Gas Technical Advisory Board meeting. 10:00 a.m. Contact: Todd M. Wallace twallace@pa.gov. (formal notice)

-- Erie Times/USA Today: Radioactive Radium On Rural Roads? PA House Bills Clash Over Road Dumping Conventional Oil & Gas Wastewater On Public Roads [PDF of Article]

-- PennLive - John Beauge: DEP Assesses $100,000 In Penalties For Violations At 2 Of 3 Eureka Resources Closed Oil & Gas Wastewater Treatment Facilities In Lycoming, Bradford Counties

-- DEP Launches Delaware County Air Monitoring Project To Study Pollution From Refineries, Other Industrial Sources In And Around City Of Chester; March 31 Online Outreach Meeting [PaEN]

-- Observer-Reporter: Range Resources Making School District $5,000 Enrichment Grants Available In Operating Area

-- Reuters: Oil/Natural Gas Companies To Reap Billions From President’s War On Iran After A Month Of Soaring Energy Prices

-- First Waves Beaver County - Earth Week Student Summit April 22-25 [PaEN]

-- Outdoor News: PA’s Old Crow Wetland Being Degraded In Huntingdon County [After DEP Issues Permit For Convenience Store]

-- Huntingdon Daily News Letter: This Isn’t Just About How One Project Is Degrading The Old Crow Wetlands; It’s About DEP Accountability And What Else Can Happen - Laurie Michaels, Huntingdon

-- Republican Herald: Already Burdened, Tremont Water System Faces Additional Strain From Proposed ICE Warehouse Detention Facility In Schuylkill County

-- DEP State Water Planning Program Hosts April 2 Webinar On Act 167 Stormwater Management Planning, 10:00 a.m.

-- The Center Square: Showers, Toilet Flushing Optional As Residents Tackle High PA American Water Bills In Berks County

-- Morning Call: Lehigh Valley Drought Conditions Improve But Persist

-- WITF/NPR: President’s Administration Cuts Turned Rural Towns Into Sitting Ducks For Floods, Other Disasters [PA Highlighted]

-- Planet Philadelphia Radio: April 3 - Legally Protecting PA’s Environment - Climate Petition Before The EQB, 4:00 p.m.

-- PA iMapInvasives 2026 Invasive Species Scavenger Hunt May 1-31; Webinar Introduction April 30 [PaEN]

-- July 15-16-- In-Person. PA Sea Grant Aquaponics Educator Workshop. Tom Ridge Environmental Center, Erie.

-- Help Wanted: Armstrong County Conservation District - Dirt, Gravel, Low-Volume Road Resource Conservationist [PaEN]

-- Centre Daily Times: Black Moshannon Named State Park Of The Year By PA Parks & Forests Foundation At Event Unveiling New Volunteer System

-- Republican Herald: PA Recreation & Park Society Recognizes Schuylkill Haven Recreation Department For Revitalizing Trout Population To Boost Outdoor Recreation

-- PA Environmental Council Accepting Applications For Statewide Non-Motorized Waterway Access Grants [PaEN]

-- Republican Herald: Schuylkill River ‘River Of Revolutions’ Sojourn To Honor America’s 250th Anniversary - June 13 to 19

-- Teams Now Forming To Support 2026 Breeding Bird Blitz For Conservation By PA Society For Ornithology [PaEN]

-- WESA/Inside Climate News-Kiley Bense: Avian Flu Has Killed Thousands Of Birds In The US, Pennsylvania Is At The Epicenter

-- Audubon Supports New Bill To Designate Scarlet Tanager As Pennsylvania’s Official Migratory Bird [HB 2316]

A.I. /Data Centers

-- Scranton Times: Proposed ‘Wildcat Ridge’ A.I. Data Center Acquires Nearly 500 Acres Of Land In Archbald Boro

-- Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader: Dorrance Twp. Hearing On Proposed A.I. Data Center Continued Until May

-- WTAE: Hanover Twp., Beaver County Passes Ordinance To Regulate Potential A.I. Data Centers

-- Inquirer - Frank Kummer: PECO Files For 11.4% Rate Increase For Natural Gas Customers, 12.5% Rate Increase For Electric Customers; Typical Customer Bill Increases $420 Annually

-- WHYY - Susan Phillips: PECO Files For 12.5% Electric, 11.4% Natural Gas Rate Increases

-- PECO Files Request With PUC To Increase Electric, Natural Gas Rates

-- Scranton Times: UGI Electric Files For $17.3 Million Rate Increase, Residential Bills To Go Up 12.8%

-- UGI Electric Files For $17.3 Million Rate Increase, Residential Customers To See 12.8% Increase

-- Altoona Mirror: Susquehanna River Basin Commission Issues Water Permit To Amazon Data Services For Luzerne County Data Center

-- Delaware, Susquehanna, Potomac River Basin Commissions To Host April 16 Data Centers - What About Water? Webinar [PaEN]

-- WNEP: University Of Scranton Panel Warns Of A.I. Data Centers’ Impact On Environment

-- MyChesco.com: House Holds Hearing On Geothermal Energy Bill, Could Reshape PA Energy Future

-- TribLive Letter: Clean, Renewable Energy Should Be Powering A.I. Data Centers - By Debra Smit, Breathe Project

-- ABC27: Lawmakers Walk At Tightrope With A.I. Data Center Expansion

Today’s Oil & Gas Violations

-- Erie Times/USA Today: Radioactive Radium On Rural Roads? PA House Bills Clash Over Road Dumping Conventional Oil & Gas Wastewater On Public Roads [PDF of Article]

-- PennLive - John Beauge: DEP Assesses $100,000 In Penalties For Violations At 2 Of 3 Eureka Resources Closed Oil & Gas Wastewater Treatment Facilities In Lycoming, Bradford Counties

-- Today’s Violations: DEP inspected a Concordia Luth Health & Human Care conventional well in Butler County, Winfield Twp. and found it continued to be abandoned, not plugged and owner failed to submit annual reports [ever] for 1,737 days and counting. DEP inspection.

-- Today’s Violations: DEP inspected a Burnham Gas Co. Inc. conventional well in Crawford County, Spring Twp. and found it abandoned, not plugged and owner failed to submit annual reports [ever]. DEP inspection.

-- Today’s Violations: DEP inspection of 3 Range Resources Appalachia LLC shale gas well pads In Washington County in response to notifications found multiple slope failures in Amwell, Blaine, Hopewell Townships on March 23 & 25. DEP inspections.

Gas Explosions

-- PennLive: Central Dauphin East H.S. Evacuated Tuesday Morning After Natural Gas Leak In Dauphin County

International/National Impacts On PA Natural Gas

[Energy Independence Means Renewables]

-- March 31: PA Average AAA Gasoline Price Continues To Climb - Up 3 Cents To 86 Cents/Gallon Higher To $3.97 Since Feb. 27

-- March 31: Average AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $4.01 Ohio- $3.79 PA- $3.97

-- Feb. 27: Average AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $2.98 Ohio- $2.79 PA- $3.11

-- Warren Times: Warren County PA Gasoline Prices Still Highest In The State [Center Of Conventional Oil Industry, With Its Own Refinery]

-- Lock Haven Express Guest Essay: In Response To Spiking Energy Prices Caused By Another War, Harrisburg Must Act To Break Our Addiction To Oil/Natural Gas By Doubling Down On Clean, Renewable Energy - By Molly Parzen, Conservation Voters Of Pennsylvania

-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: Step Up Harrisburg! Break Oil/Natural Gas Energy Spikes By Moving To Clean, Renewable Energy - By Molly Parzen, Conservation Voters Of Pennsylvania

-- Reuters: Record Wind Energy Output Helps Shield UK From Worst Of Fallout From US President’s War With Iran

-- The Guardian: England’s Rachel Reeves, Chancellor Of The Exchequer, To Tell G7 Nations Accelerating Shift To Clean, Renewable Energy Is Best Defense Against Energy Price Shocks