Wednesday, June 4, 2025

June 26 In-Person Lake Erie Environmental Forum Features Native Plant Conservation Experts At Presque Isle State Park, Erie

Successful native plant conservation efforts in local, regional, and statewide Pennsylvania watersheds will be the focus of the next
Pennsylvania Lake Erie Environmental Forum, hosted in-person on June 26, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. at the Beach 1 pavilion on Presque Isle State Park, in Erie. 

The forums are hosted by the Department of Environmental Protection and Pennsylvania Sea Grant

Participation is free and walk-ins are welcome but registration is preferred.

Participants will gain insight into native plant conservation efforts across the commonwealth. 

Native plants are attractive, require minimal maintenance, and provide food, shelter, and nesting habitat for birds, wildlife, pollinators and insects. 

Native plants are also used to stabilize streambanks, improve water quality, and increase biodiversity. 

While native plants have evolved to exist in their local ecosystem, their continued existence is threatened by land-use practices, habitat destruction and fragmentation, pollution, and the introduction of invasive species.

Invited speakers include staff from the Department of Conservation of Natural Resources who will discuss the Pennsylvania Invasive Replace-ive Program, which incentivizes homeowners to remove invasive tree and shrub species and replace them with native species, provided by DCNR at no cost. 

Representatives from Ernst Conservation Seeds, located in Meadville, Crawford County will share the story of their success using native seeds to increase biodiversity and restore habitat in Northwest Pennsylvania and beyond. 

Presque Isle State Park staff will discuss ongoing invasive species removal and the successes and challenges of replacing invasive species with native species at the highly visited park. 

Finally, the Pennsylvania Native Plant Society will provide an overview of local and statewide initiatives and opportunities to get involved.

All attendees will receive free resources including the recently published Choose Native Guide, developed by Pennsylvania Sea Grant and Penn State Extension.

Register today for this unique opportunity to come together and discuss native plants in conservation efforts. 

The Forum agenda and links to previously recorded sessions are available online

For additional details or questions, contact Amber Stilwell, Pennsylvania Sea Grant’s Lake Erie Coastal Outreach Specialist at ars26@psu.edu.

The Pennsylvania Lake Erie Environmental Forum is made possible with funding through the Department of Environmental Protection, U.S Environmental Protection Agency, and the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

Pennsylvania Sea Grant is supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Penn State University, and through federal, state, and local funding. 

Resource.

Click Here for the Lake Erie Forum announcement.

Visit the Pennsylvania Sea Grant website to learn more about its programs, initiatives, educational resources and other upcoming events.

Resource Links:

-- WHYY: New Book By Doug Tallamy Urges Everyone To Put Native Plants In Their Yards

-- Pollinator Gardens: Help Encourage Ecological Diversity In Your Own Backyard  [PaEN]

-- Penn State Watershed Friendly Certification Program Expands To Large And Small Properties, Apartments  [PaEN]

-- Penn State Master Gardeners Certification As Pollinator Friendly Garden

-- Pollinator Vehicle License Plate Now Available From PennDOT To Support Pollinator Habitat Fund  [PaEN]

Related Articles This Week:

-- Penn State Forestry Experts Host July 11 Webinar On Habitat Restoration As Part Of A Long-Term Strategy To Control Invasive Species  [PaEN]  

-- Penn State Extension: June 6 Webinar On Impacts Of Non-Native Plants & Bees On Native Pollinators, 1:00 p.m.

NewsClips:

-- Penn State Extension: An Interview With Dr. Harland Patch, Center For Pollinator Research and Pollinator Programming For The Arboretum At Penn State 

-- Penn State Extension: Pollinator Resources For The Home Gardener

-- Penn State Extension: Safe ‘Soft Landings’ Habitats For Beneficial Insects 

-- Penn State Extension Home Garden News: All About Pollinators, Beneficial Insects, Find Events Near You  

-- Williamsport Sun - Bill Bower: Reflections In Nature: Chance To See Few Seldom Seen Plants Was Worth The Trip

[Posted: June 4, 2025]  PA Environment Digest

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