PA Environment Digest Blog

Tuesday, May 7, 2024

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful Announces Litter Hawk Youth Award Program Winners

Winners of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s Litter Hawk Youth Award Program were recognized at a ceremony at the State Capitol Building in Harrisburg on May 2.

Winning students, their families and legislators with winning students in their district were invited to attend a ceremony honoring the Litter Hawk Youth Award winners and participants.

Over 50 people showed up to support and celebrate the winners and their efforts. Shannon Reiter, President, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, Phoebe Coles, Chair, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful and Ramez Ziadeh, Acting Executive Deputy Secretary for Programs, Department of Environmental Protection, provided remarks about the importance of educating youth about litter and anti-littering behaviors.

The program, funded by the Department of Environmental Protection, provides a way for students in kindergarten through grade 6 to express their concerns about litter through art, words or video.

Each participant completed a project specific to their grade level.

To complement our Open Your Eyes to Litter book series, the theme was: Open Your Eyes to Litter – Show Us What You See.

Judges were excited to see so many thoughtful submissions illustrating positive changes towards reducing the amount of trash found in our parks, school grounds and along our roadways. Almost a thousand students participated in this year’s program.

First and second place winners in each grade level received ribbons, certificates and a Litter Hawk decal.

First Place Winners

-- Mayameen Sarkar Manha, Kindergarten (poster), PA Leadership Charter School, Montgomery County

-- Hudson Hess, Grade 1 (poster), Reamstown Elementary School, Lancaster County

-- Veda Alluri, Grade 2 (poster), Shamona Creek Elementary School, Chester County

-- Nora Buchanan, Grade 3 (poster), George Washington Elementary School, Allegheny County

-- Beckett Blouir, Grade 4 (poster), West Greene Elementary, Greene County

-- Eleanor Mountz, Grade 5 (essay), Little Red School House, Chester County

-- Dion Cooper, Serenity Foster, RJ Green, Royce Lane, Grade 6 (video), Twin Valley Middle School, Berks County

Runners-Up Winners

-- Henry Trout, Grade K (poster), Norvelt Elementary School, Westmoreland County

-- Elizabeth Kalista, Grade 1 (poster), Holy Trinity Catholic School, Blair County

-- Tanesha "Gia" Iyer, Grade 2 (poster), PA Leadership Charter School, Lehigh County

-- Ava Milford, Grade 3 (poster), Knoch Primary School, Butler County

-- Josiah Haley, Grade 4 (poster), Homeschool, Clinton County

-- Alekhya Doddapaneni, Grade 5 (essay), Eden Hall Upper Elementary, Allegheny County

-- Everly Henderson, Mary Rhenish, Jacqueline Li, Emma Johnston, Grade 6 (video), Mars Area Centennial School, Butler County

"Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful wants to thank all the students who participated in our Litter Hawk Youth Award program this year. It’s been so rewarding to see the thoughtful and inspiring messages reflected in the hundreds of Litter Hawk entries. Each project is unique, reflecting the students’ own experiences, values and concerns. The nearly 1,000 entries are a clear indication that our youth are insisting on a cleaner, safer and more beautiful Pennsylvania," said Shannon Reiter, President of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful. "A big thank you to the families and educators for traveling to the state capitol and helping to make the awards celebration special. Congratulations to this year’s Litter Hawks! We hope to see everyone back again next year."

Winning entries will be displayed in the East Wing Rotunda of the Pennsylvania State Capitol Building in Harrisburg through May 23.

The Litter Hawk Youth Award Program is offered annually and was created with funding provided by the Department of Environmental Protection.

Pennsylvania students can participate individually or as part of a lesson initiated by schools, environmental clubs, scouts or other organized groups.

To view winning entries and for more information about the program, visit the KPB Litter Hawk Awards webpage. Winners will also be featured on Pennsylvania Beautiful’s Facebook page..

For more information on programs, initiatives and special events, visit the Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful website. Click Here to sign up for regular updates from KPB, Like them on Facebook, Follow on Twitter, visit their YouTube Channel.

The 2024 Pick Up Pennsylvania Initiative through May 31! Questions should be directed to Michelle Dunn at 1-877-772-3673 Ext. 113 or send email to: mdunn@keeppabeautiful.org.

Keep PA Beautiful helps mobilize over 100,000 volunteers a year to pick up litter, clean up illegal dumping and beautify Pennsylvania.

(Photos: top-left: First Place, 1st grade: Hudson Hess, Shannon Reiter, KPB, Ramez Ziadeh, DEP and Hess family members; top-right: First place, kindergarten: Mayameen Sarkar Manha, her mother and Shannon Reiter, KPB; Bottom-- First place in the 6th grade video division: Twin Valley middle School students, their teacher, Jennifer Eversmeyer and Shannon Reiter, KPB)

Penn State Extension Hosts May 22 In-Person Tap Talk: Deep Dive Into Vernal Pools Workshop In York

On May 22, Penn State Extension will host an in-person Tap Talk: Deep Dive Into Vernal Pools Workshop at the Collusion Tap Works, 105 S. Howard Street in oak from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Enjoy an evening out with Betsy Leppo, Invertebrate Zoologist with the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy who will speak about unique seasonal wetlands called vernal pools and the fascinating life found in them.

Participants can enjoy locally brewed beverages and can participate in an environmental trivia game.

Tap Talks is a fun, informative series of presentations on water quality topics. These events are scheduled at various locations around Pennsylvania and highlight presentations by local Water Resource Professionals and Penn State Extension Master Watershed Steward Volunteers.

Click Here to register and for more information.

Visit the Penn State Extension webpage for information on many other educational opportunities.

DCNR Conservation & Natural Resources Advisory Council To Hear Update On State Forest, Outdoor Recreation Plans, NextGen Council Report May 22

The DCNR Conservation and Natural Resources Advisory Council is scheduled to meet May 22 to hear updates on the State Forest Strategic Plan and State Outdoor Recreation Plan and a report from the NextGen Council.

Also on the agenda is an update on agency activities from DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn.

Comments On ATV Pilot

After its fall field trip to the ATV Regional Connector Pilot, CNRAC issued a memo to DCNR outlining its observations and recommendations.

At the end of the year, DCNR issued its report on the pilot to the General Assembly, and on January 18 announced it will operate the ATV Regional Trail Connector through the 2025 riding season.

Public Comment Period

There will be two opportunities for public comment at the meeting.

If you are interested in presenting comments, please advise by email to Nicole Faraguna at nfaraguna@pa.gov no later than 5:00 p.m. on May 21.

You can provide comments at the beginning of the meeting or at the end of the meeting. You may also provide comments or questions after the meeting by emailing the same address or through the Council's webpage.

Joining The Meeting

The meeting will be held in Room 105 Rachel Carson Building in Harrisburg starting at 10:00 a.m.

The public can also join the meeting remotely via Microsoft Teams. Click Here to register.

For more information, visit the DCNR Conservation and Natural Resources Advisory Council webpage. Questions should be directed to Nicole Faraguna at nfaraguna@pa.gov.

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, Visit the Good Natured DCNR Blog, Click Here for upcoming events, Click Here to hook up with DCNR on other social media-- Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr.

[Posted: May 7, 2024] PA Environment Digest

DEP Citizens Advisory Council To Hear Presentations On Electronic, Food Processing Waste, Air Quality Regs At May 14 Meeting

DEP’s Citizens Advisory Council is scheduled to meet on May 14 to hear presentations on electronic waste, food processing residuals and review air quality regulations.

Also on the agenda is an update on agency activities by Ramez Ziadeh, Acting DEP Executive Deputy Secretary.

Larry Holley, DEP’s Director of the Bureau of Waste Management, and High Garst from the Policy Office will do a presentation on food processing residuals.

Jason Linnell, National Center for Electronics Recycling, will do a presentation on electronic waste clearinghouses.

The two air quality regulations on the agenda are--

-- Proposed regulation clarifying the ability of DEP to adopt air emission standards through the submission of Air Quality Plans to EPA. Click Here for DEP’s presentation.

-- Proposed regulation correcting RACT III requirements for nitrogen oxide and volatile organic compounds. Click Here for DEP’s presentation.

Click Here for the complete agenda.

Public Comment Period

Individuals interested in providing public comment during the public comment period must sign up in advance of the meeting by contacting Ian Irvin, Executive Director, at iirvin@pa.gov.

The Council encourages the submission of a written copy of public comments prior to the meeting so that they can be shared with CAC members in advance, posted to the CAC’s website under the relevant meeting date, and properly reflected in the meeting minutes.

Joining The Meeting

The meeting will be held in Room 105 of the Rachel Carson Building in Harrisburg starting at 12:30 p.m.

The Council agenda includes options for joining the meeting via Microsoft Teams and by conference call.

Visit the DEP Citizens Advisory Council webpage for available handouts. Questions should be directed to Ian Irvin, Executive Director, iirvin@pa.gov.

[Posted: May 7, 2024] PA Environment Digest

We've Heard This Before: "We're Providing Jobs - Stopping Pollution Threatens Jobs"

Until Hunters Could Find No Game And Anglers Could Find No Fish, Then We Said No.

Related Article:

-- We've Heard This Before: "We're Providing Jobs - Stopping Pollution Threatens Jobs" - Until Air Pollution Killed People, Then We Said No

Tuesday PA Environment & Energy NewsClips - 5.7.24

“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 next voting day May 7, 8, 20, 21, 22, June 3, 4, 5

-- Committee Schedule

Senate next voting day May 7, 8, June 3, 4, 5

-- Committee Schedule

TODAY’s Calendar Of Events

TODAY 10:00: Agenda Posted. DEP Aggregate Advisory Board meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson Building. 10:00 a.m. Visit Board webpage for options for joining the meeting remotely. Contact: Daniel Snowden, dsnowden@pa.gov.

May 21-- NEW. House Tourism, Economic And Recreational Development Committee holds an informational meeting to introduce Nathan Reigner, Director Of The Office Of Outdoor Recreation updating the Committee on the work done over the last year. Room 140. 10:00 a.m. Click Here to watch online.

-- DEP Advisory: DEP’s OnBase Database Manager Will Not Be Available On Wednesday, May 8 From 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

-- Moody & Associates Study Finds Discharge Of Conventional Oil & Gas Wastewater To The Ground Surface ‘Not A Viable Management Practice'; Supports Ban On Road Dumping; Onsite Disposal [PaEN]

-- StateImpactPA - Rachel McDevitt: PA Senate Passes Bill To Change Permit Review For Energy Projects

-- WHYY: Plan To Move LNG Gas By Tanker Truck From PA To Proposed NJ Export Facility Moving Forward

-- Marcellus Drilling News: Mountain Valley Gas Pipeline Ruptures In Water Pressure Test Near Roanoke, Virginia

-- KDKA: $3 Billion Will Be Spent To Clean Up Rivers, Streams In Pittsburgh Area; How Will It Impact Your Sewer Bill?

-- York Dispatch: PA On Track To Meet 2025 Chesapeake Bay Pollution Reduction Targets

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal - Karl Blankenship/Jeremy Cox: Chesapeake Bay Restoration Leaders, Advocates Divided On Best Path Forward

-- DEP Chesapeake Bay Update: Multiple Grant Programs Now Open; Updates From County Partners; Union County Cleanup Success; Much More!

-- SRBC: Lower Susquehanna Source Water Protection Partnership Meeting May 16 In Harrisburg [PaEN]

-- Berks Nature Awarded American Water Charitable Foundation 2024 Water & Environment Grant [PaEN]

-- Master Watershed Steward Volunteer Rich Troscianecki 'Rain Barrel Guy' Engages Youth To Protect Watersheds In Lackawanna, Luzerne Counties [PaEN]