207 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

Here are 207 new stories in the PA Environment Digest about individuals, groups, local governments, farmers, businesses, watershed groups and many more working all across Pennsylvania to restore and protect the environment and show others the beauty that surrounds us.

Thank you for your leadership!

-- Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader Guest Essay: Volunteers Vital To Nation And Nonprofits - By Robert Hughes, Eastern PA Coalition For Abandoned Mine Reclamation

-- DCNR: Pine Creek Rail Trail Selected As Pennsylvania’s 2026 Trail Of The Year  [PaEN] 

-- Erie Times - Brian Whipkey: Here’s Why Pine Creek Rail Trail Is PA’s 2026 Trail Of The Year

-- The Allegheny Front: What’s Special About Conestoga River, PA’s 2026 River Of The Year

-- Master Watershed Steward Stephen Hinds Helps Restore Riverbanks In Delaware County  [PaEN] 

-- Chesapeake Bay Program: Pay-For-Success Projects Reduce Nutrient, Sediment Pollution As Part Of the Conowingo Dam Watershed Implementation Plan In York County [PaEN]

-- PA Trout Unlimited: Volunteers From 6 Local TU Chapters Ship Trout Eggs To 430 Teachers In 60 PA Counties Connecting With 57,000 Students Thru Trout In The Classroom Program  [PaEN]

-- Pennsylvania Audubon Council: 100th Community Joins Bird Town Pennsylvania Program  [PaEN]  

-- TribLive: McCandless, Allegheny County, Named 96th Bird Town In Pennsylvania

-- The Derrick: Regional News To Continue: Derrick Publishing Company, Oil Region Alliance Of Business Collaborate On Online Platform  [PDF of Article]

-- Williamsport Sun: Vargas Family Shares Their Story Of How Chaos In Immigration Policy Is Affecting Legal Immigrants To US - Work Permits Taken Away, Mother Still In ICE Prison After 4 Months Without Charges  [PDF of Article] 

-- Guest Comments: How Is PA General Energy Allowed To Destroy Natural Forest Values To Which I Am Entitled To Enjoy With Its Shale Gas Well Pad And Access Road Project In Loyalsock State Forest, Lycoming County? - By Cynthia Bower, Resident  [PaEN] 

-- Guest Comments: PA General Energy Shale Gas Road, Well Pads Project Would Close Access To State Forest Land, Threaten Already Threatened Forest Bird Species In Loyalsock State Forest, Lycoming County -- By Bruce Buckle, President, Lycoming Audubon Society  [PaEN]  

-- Williamsport Sun: Public Testifies Against PA General Energy Project Industrializing Loyalsock State Forest They Cherish; Natural Gas Industry Highlights Jobs, Economic Development [PDF of Article] 

-- DEP Issues Water Quality Permits For Major Longwall Coal Mining Damage Prevention Project Covering 4 Texas Eastern Natural Gas Pipelines In Greene County  [PaEN]

-- The Derrick: Aqua Pennsylvania Reports ‘Settlement In Principle’ To Purchase Venango Water Company [Fallout From Public Water Supply Contamination By Conventional Oil Wastewater Spill Continues]  [PaEN] 

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - Feb. 7 to 20 - Conventional Well Owners Abandoning More Than 1 Well A Day; No Approval For Disposal Of Shale Drill Cuttings  [PaEN] 

-- Warren Times: DEP Progresses In Plugging 18 Conventional Oil Wells Abandoned By Their Owners At Chapman Dam State Park At Taxpayer Expense  [PDF of Article]

-- Erie Times Guest Essay: Think Energy Is Unaffordable Now? Just Wait Until 2029 [When Federal Methane Rule Kicks In]- By Daniel Weaver, PA Independent Oil & Gas Assn. [Represents conventional gas industry that produces less than 1% of natural gas in PA, but most of the uncontrolled methane emissions in the state]

-- Warren Times: New US Forest Service Oil & Gas Leasing Rules Expected To Have Little Impact In Allegheny National Forest ​​ [PDF of Article]  [Warning]

-- Marcellus Drilling News: Capital & Main Resolves Legal Challenge From CNX Resources Over Its Reporting With Editor’s Note Explaining What It Did Not Say Or Write About In An Article  [PaEN] 

-- DEP To Hold March 19 Meeting, April 7 Hearing On Shell Petrochemical Plant Air Quality Plan Approval For Ground Flares, Wastewater Treatment Plant, As-Built Air Pollution Equipment In Beaver County  [PaEN]

-- Capital & Main - Audrey Carleton: Pennsylvania Spent Big On A ‘Petrochemical Renaissance,’ It Never Arrived  

-- Beaver Times: Shell Petrochemical Plant Struggles, Seeks Buyer Amid Job, Profit Concerns 

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Winter Storm Brings Cash For Natural Gas Drillers; But Natural Gas Prices Reach Historic Highs For Consumers

-- Bloomberg: EQT Natural Gas Driller Expects $1 Billion Windfall On Winter Storm-Driven Gas Price Rally 

-- US EIA Increases Natural Gas Price Projection For 2026 By 40% Due To Large Withdrawals From Gas Storage [PaEN] 

-- PUC To Investigate Proposed 8.7% Rate Increase Requested By UGI Gas Division  

-- PUC To Investigate Proposed 5.9% Rate Increase, 35.7% Increase In Customer Charge Requested By National Fuel Gas  

-- TribLive: Bitter Cold Causes Home Heating Oil Delivery Problems, Cost Jumps 30 Cents/Gallon

-- Marcellus Drilling News: Philadelphia Penn LNG Gas Export Facility Appears To Be Dead [PDF of Article]

-- E&ENews/Politico: US Natural Gas Exporters Brace For Global Glut

-- Gov. Shapiro Secures 2 Year Extension Of PJM Price Cap, Collar On Electricity Capacity Auctions [PaEN] 

-- AP: As Electricity Costs Rise, Everyone Wants A.I. Data Centers To Pick Up Their Tab, But How?  

-- Gov. Shapiro: Gov. Shapiro Appears On CNBC Describing His Efforts to Lower PA’s Electricity Prices, Pressing PJM Leadership To Protect Consumers   

-- Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader: Gov. Shapiro’s GRID Standards Address Mounting Concerns About A.I. Data Centers 

-- Politico: ‘Pay For Your Own Power:’ Shapiro Digs In On A.I. Data Center Energy Costs

-- Bloomberg Opinion: Onsite Generators A.I. ‘Bring Your Own Generation’ Electricity Stopgap Needs A Big Caveat  [Warning]

-- The Center Square: Shapiro’s Power Plans Draw Mixed Reactions

-- PUC To Invite Comments On Proposed Rule Codifying Utility Customer Consumer Protections

-- WHYY - Susan Phillips: Why Gov. Shapiro Wants To Scrutinize Electric, Gas Utility Profits 

-- Reuters: PPL Forecasts 2026 Profit Below Estimates, Lifts Spending As Utility Prepares To Meet Surging Power Demand From A.I. Data Centers By Building Power Generation, Expanding Transmission Networks

-- Spotlight PA: PA Tax Credit For Data Centers Will Cost Taxpayers $2 Billion A Year By Mid-2031 

-- Ohio River Valley Institute: A.I. Data Centers Employ An Average Of 27 On-Site Workers - About The Same As An Average Olive Garden Restaurant

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: PA Doesn’t Need To ‘Bend Over Backward’ To Lure A.I. Data Centers With Giveaways; Strict Standards Needed To Protect Communities, The Environment To Outlast Boom; ‘Unless A.I. Kills Us All’  [PaEN] 

-- TribLive Editorial: State Making Fiscal Commitments In The Dark On Tax Exemption For Data Center Equipment 

-- Pittsburgh Business Times Editorial: Pittsburgh Region Should Make Way For More Data Centers [Even Though They Have Few Employees, Use Huge Amounts Of Energy, Are Increasing Energy Prices, Are Hot And Noisy] 

-- Scranton Times: Lackawanna County Commissioner Urges 3-Year State Moratorium On A.I. Data Center Development [PDF of Article]

-- Scranton Times - Chris Kelly Opinion: Lackawanna County Commissioner Gaughan ‘Grandstands’ On A.I. Data Centers, While Colleagues Sit On Their Hands [PDF of Article]

-- Scranton Times: Lackawanna County Communities Told By County To Address A.I. Data Centers On Their Own [PDF of Article]

-- The Citizens’ Voice:  Luzerne County Planning Office Hosting March 5 Public Forum On Draft Zoning Ordinance Amendment On A.I. Data Centers [PDF of Article]

-- Scranton Times Chris Kelly Opinion: Wyoming Valley Rings With Echoes Of A.I. Data Center Exploitation [PDF of Article]

-- Scranton Times Chris Kelly Opinion: Beware ‘Digital Identify’ Data Detention Centers [PDF of Article]

-- RealClear Pennsylvania: A.I. Data Centers Are A Repeat Of History In PA’s Coal Region - Devastated Landscapes, Broken Local Economies, Finally Industry Collapse - By Jake Wynn 

-- Montour County Commissioners Vote To Reject Talen Energy's Request To Rezone 800 Acres Of Agricultural Land For Industrial A.I. Data Centers  [PaEN] 

-- WHYY: Data Centers Explained: Why The Philly Area Is Seeing More Of them And How They Affect Us 

-- KDKA: Beaver Valley Could Become Center Of A.I. Infrastructure For Region; Aligned Plans 2 Natural Gas Power Plants To Power Data Centers [For Machines, Not People] 

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: A.I. Data Center Developers Zeroing In On A New Target - Converting Bitcoin Mining Operations [PDF of Article]

-- Nuclear Regulatory Commission Approves Limerick Nuclear Power Plant Digital Modernization Plan For Safety, Diagnostic Systems; Data Center Proposed Next Door  [PaEN] 

-- PennLive - Charles Thompson: Residents Give Mixed Views On Restarting Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant To Power Microsoft A.I. Data Centers To Federal Regulators 

-- PennLive - Charles Thompson: Planned Restart Of Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant To Power Microsoft A.I. Data Centers Moves Forward Toward More Intense NRC Review

-- Erie Times: Proposal For Underwater Electric Transmission Line From Canada To Erie County Seeking Government Approvals 

-- Utility Dive: PJM Board Approves $11.8 Billion In Electric Transmission Line Expansion Projects; $1.7 Billion NextEra/Exelon PA Project Opposed By PA Consumer Advocate

-- NextEra Energy/Exelon Welcome PJM Board Approval Of 220 Mile Electric Transmission Line

-- Eastern PA Coalition For Abandoned Mine Reclamation: Report On Repurposing Flooded Abandoned Coal Strip Mines For Cooling Purposes, Heating Storage, Solar Development

-- Utility Dive: American Council For An Energy-Efficient Economy Says Energy Efficiency, Demand Flexibility Can Meet Growing Data Center Loads - And Do It Cheaper Than Gas Which Is 2 to 5 Times More Expensive 

-- Financial Times: President’s A.I. Data Center Push Fuels Revolt In MAGA Heartlands

-- In Case You Missed It: A.I./Data Center Articles - NewClips From Last 2 Weeks - February 16 & 23   [PaEN] 

-- 12th Annual Pennsylvania Renewables Summit Set For March 16-17 In Harrisburg Area  [PaEN]

-- Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader: Clean Energy Roundtable Focuses On Electricity Supplies, Rising Utility Bills, Data Centers 

-- POWER Interfaith Hosts Feb. 22 In-Person People's Hearing On Community Based, Affordable, Clean Electricity Congregation Rodeph Shalom, Philadelphia

-- Green Building Alliance: Masano Auto Park Adaptive Reuse And Sustainability Innovations Tour March 4, Reading, Berks County. Noon to 2:00 p.m.

-- Philadelphia Solar Energy Assn: March 5 Webinar - Energy Affordability - How Plug-In Solar Energy Can Help  [PaEN]

-- NYTimes: 24 States Weigh Legislation To Allow You To Make Your Own Electricity With Small, Plug-In Solar Power Systems

-- Reuters: Solar Energy On The Rise In Gas-Rich Pennsylvania  

-- WESA - Rachel McDevitt: Appliance Energy, Water Efficiency Standards Save Pennsylvanians Money, But Establishing New Ones May Be Difficult 

-- PennDOT Announces $100 Million In Federal Funding Available For Public Electric Vehicle Chargers In PA

-- Post-Gazette: PennDOT Begins $100 Million Federally-Funded Plan To Add Electric Vehicle Charging Stations In Neighborhoods Statewide 

-- PUC Chairman DeFrank Leads National Effort To Support Federal Funding For The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program 

-- PUC Commissioner Zerfuss Leads National Effort To Recognize Renewable Natural Gas As A Strategic Energy Resources 

-- WESA - Rachel McDevitt: President’s Tariffs, ICE, Climate Change Raising Prices For Pittsburgh-Area Farms, Restaurants [Warning]

-- Post-Gazette: Pittsburgh-Area Companies Brace For What Comes Next In The President’s Tariff Roller Coaster 

-- TribLive: Tariff Ruling Bolsters US Supreme Court’s Credibility In Eyes Of Duquesne President Ken Gormley

-- AP: President To Raise Global Tariff To 15%, After US Supreme Court Decision  [Warning]

-- Clean Air Council, Earthjustice, EDF, NRDC, Partners Sue EPA For Illegal Repeal Of Climate Protections  [PaEN]

-- AP: President’s Climate Health Rollback Likely To Hit Poor, Minority Areas Hardest, Experts Say 

-- Bloomberg: President Says Climate Repeal Saves $1.3 Trillion; EPA Says It Might Cost Over $1.4 Trillion 

-- Planet Philadelphia Radio Program Feb. 20: What’s Needed To Solve Climate Change? With Dr. Mark Z. Jacobson, 4:00 p.m.

-- WESA - Rachel McDevitt: Pittsburgh’s Poor Neighborhoods Are Hotter Due To More Asphalt, Fewer Trees, CMU Study Finds  

-- Bloomberg: Proposed Ohio Natural Gas Power Plant Backed By President Could Become Biggest US Power Plant Polluter

-- Financial Times: Why Rivers In Northern Alaska, Siberia Are Turning Orange Like Abandoned Mine Drainage [Spoiler: Global Warming] [PDF of Article] 

-- EPA: Finalizes Repeal Of Costly Mercury, Air Toxics Restrictions On Power Generation, Continues To Reverse Democrats’ War On ‘Beautiful Clean Coal’  [Warning]

-- The Allegheny Front: President’s EPA Rolls Back Mercury, Air Toxics Rules For Coal-Fired Power Plants

-- Environmental Defense Fund: EPA Dismantles Protections For Mercury, Air Toxic Emissions From Power Plants 

-- Post-Gazette: How Washington County-based Corsa Coal Company Exec Bribed Egyptian Officials As The Company Collapsed Into Bankruptcy

-- Adirondack Explorer: USGS Study Shows Fish Populations Double In Adirondack Streams Following 40 Years Of Controlling Power Plant Emissions Causing Acid Rain 

-- PennLive: Girardville, Schuylkill County Struggles To Conquer The Curse Of Coal As It Literally Crumbles Away  [Part I] 

-- PennLive: Girardville, Schuylkill County Coal Town A ‘Blank Slate’ For Spanish Speaking  Newcomers From Mexico, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Can They Spur A Rebirth? [Part II] 

-- The Allegheny Front: Study: Air Pollution In Pittsburgh Region Responsible For 3,500 Deaths In 2019 

-- Monday, Feb. 9: DEP Issues Code Orange Particulate Air Quality Alert For Liberty-Clairton In Allegheny County

-- Tuesday, Feb. 10:  DEP Declares Code Orange Air Quality Action Day For Liberty-Clairton Area In Allegheny County, Susquehanna Valley 

-- Saturday, Feb. 14: DEP Declares Code Orange Air Quality Action Day For Susquehanna Valley

-- Sunday, Feb. 15: DEP Declares Code Orange Air Quality Action Day For Susquehanna Valley

-- Monday, Feb. 16: DEP Declares Code Orange Air Quality Action Day For Susquehanna Valley, Lehigh Valley, Southeastern PA

-- Tuesday, Feb. 17: DEP Declares Code Orange Air Quality Action Day For Susquehanna Valley

-- Wednesday, Feb. 18: DEP Declares Code Orange Air Quality Action Day For Susquehanna Valley, Lehigh Valley, Southeastern PA

--Thursday, Feb. 19: DEP Declares Code Orange Air Quality Action Day For Susquehanna Valley

-- AP: After Fatal Explosion At US Steel Clairton Coke [Coal] Works Plant Near Pittsburgh, Community Wonders If They Can Hope For Sustained Departure From Decades Of Disinvestment and Persistent Pollution 

-- The Allegheny Front: After Deadly Explosion, Safety, Environmental Lapses At US Steel’s Clairton Coke [Coal] Works Now Rest With Nippon 

-- TribLive: US Steel Fined $118,000 By OSHA For Safety Lapses In Clairton Coke [Coal] Works Fatal Explosion 

-- WESA/AP: OSHA Flags Safety Shortcomings That ‘Exposed’ Workers To Explosion At US Steel Clairton Coke [Coal] Works

-- Inquirer - Frank Kummer: Philadelphia Launches Real-Time Public Air Quality Monitoring Network [Limited Pollutants]

-- WHYY - Sophia Schmidt: New Network Of 76 Air Monitors In Philadelphia Provide Detailed Look At Air Quality  [Limited Pollutants]

-- Gov. Shapiro: PUC Votes To Update Railroad Safety Regulations For First Time In More Than A Decade And 3 Years After The Norfolk Southern Train Derailment Disaster [PaEN] 

-- Post-Gazette: As East Palestine Grapples With Norfolk Southern Train Derailment’s Toxic Aftermath, A US House Bill Threatens To Gut Some Protections 

-- Altoona Mirror Editorial: Open Talks With Railroads On Safety Important

-- The Guardian: President’s Order Seeks To Protect Roundup Weedkiller At Center Of Barrage Of Lawsuits [Warning] 

-- AP: Bayer Agrees To $7.25 Billion Proposed Settlement Over Thousands Of Roundup Cancer Lawsuits

-- Lycoming College Environmental Justice Symposium Hosts Series Of Lectures March 4, March 17, April 11 On Environmental Impacts, Justice Issues

-- National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, EPA Award $44.2 Million In Chesapeake Bay Innovative Nutrient/Sediment Reduction, Small Watershed Grants; Over $19 Million In PA  [PaEN] 

-- Chesapeake Bay Program: Pay-For-Success Projects Reduce Nutrient, Sediment Pollution As Part Of the Conowingo Dam Watershed Implementation Plan In York County [PaEN]

-- Master Watershed Steward Stephen Hinds Helps Restore Riverbanks In Delaware County  [PaEN] 

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal: Proposed Chesapeake Bay Program Restructuring To Meet Revised Cleanup Goals Expected By Summer 

-- USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service-PA To Hold 10 Local Working Group Meetings From Feb. 23 to April 3  [PaEN] 

-- EPA Region 3 Administrator Highlights Energy, Water Infrastructure Investments On Visit To Wilkes-Barre, Scranton

-- Bipartisan Ohio River Restoration Act Introduced In US Senate By Fetterman, Young  [PaEN]

-- Foundation For PA Watersheds Now Accepting Applications For New Round Of Grants; Feb. 18 Webinar  [PaEN] 

-- Columbia Gas Of PA Now Accepting Applications For 2026 Environmental Action Grants  [PaEN]

-- Coldwater Heritage Partnership Now Accepting Applications For Coldwater Conservation Grants; Energy Transfer/Sunoco Pipeline Penalty Funding  [PaEN] 

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal: Overshadowed By PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals;’ PCBs Remain A Toxic Threat To Chesapeake Bay Watershed Waters

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal: Permanent Fix For Huge Sewage Spill Into Potomac River Still Months Away

-- The Allegheny Front/WESA: PA Agriculture Officials Try To Stem Spike In Bird Flu Cases; 7 Million Birds Died In Recent Weeks 

-- Penn State Extension Hosts Mid-Atlantic Agroforestry Conference June 4-5 In Huntingdon County  [PaEN]

-- Registration Open For 5-Part Ag Water Webinar Series Starting March 2; Penn State Extension Watershed News  [PaEN]

-- Penn State Extension Ag Conservation News: Multifunction Riparian Buffers; Grazing Management; Online Learning

-- Penn State Extension Hosts March 18 In-Person Seeds To Saplings Saving Streams Workshop In York County  [PaEN] 

-- Carol Parenzan, Environmental Engineer, Author, Launches The Water Healer™, Debuts 'From the Rivers to the Bay,' a New Chesapeake Bay Watershed Education Series [PaEN]

-- Chester County Press: Octoraro Watershed Assn. Photo Contest Seeks Entries  [Chester, Lancaster Counties]

-- Help Wanted: Chesapeake Bay Foundation PA Streams & Schoolyards Manager, Field Educator  [PaEN]

-- House Environmental Committee Told Water Quality Restoration Efforts Need To Be Better Targeted; Important ‘Emerging Contaminants’ Need To Be Addressed; Cuts In Federal Funding Slowing Progress  [PaEN] 

-- Post-Gazette: DEP Report Finds Southwestern PA Streams Among 37% In State That Are Water Quality Impaired

-- Three Rivers WaterKeeper Announces Intent To Sue US Steel, Irvin Works Plant For Oil Discharges Into The Monongahela River  [PaEN]  

-- The Allegheny Front/WESA: Three Rivers WaterKeeper Says ‘Alarming’ Levels Of PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ From Pittsburgh Airport Are Being Discharged Into Montour Run Watershed

-- Spotlight PA: Gov. Shapiro Warns President’s ICE Wastewater, Water And Other State Approvals For Proposed Detention Centers May Not Qualify For Needed Permits  [Warning]

-- Spotlight PA: President’s ICE Memo Reveals Timeline, Scale Of Warehouse Plans To House Detainees In Berks, Schuylkill Counties  

-- AP: President’s ICE Quietly Buying Warehouses For Detention Centers And Leaving Local Officials Out Of The Loop [Includes PA Cases]

-- Spotlight PA: PUC Judge Recommends Sale Of Troubled Rock Spring Water Company In Centre County To PA American Water

-- PUC Approves Smaller Rate Increase Than Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority Requested

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: 15% Higher Pittsburgh Water Authority Bills Coming Next Month

-- Republican Herald: Shenandoah Boro Declares Disaster Emergency After Aqua Pennsylvania Shuts Down Drinking Water Plant Due To Water Leaks Without Warning

-- WNEP: Shenandoah Residents Struggle Without Water For Days After Aqua Pennsylvania Main Break 

-- WNEP: Aqua Pennsylvania Lifted Boil Water Advisory After Nearly A Week In Shenandoah

-- TribLive: Westmoreland Water Authority Says Harsh Winter Increased Breaks, Leaks 60% Over Last January 

-- Post-Gazette: Boil Water Advisory Lifted For PA American Water Customers In Allegheny, Washington Counties  

-- PennLive: PA American Water Issues Mandatory Conservation Order For 42,000 Customers After Treatment Plant Problem In Cumberland County

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Essential Utilities, American Water Clear Shareholder Hurdle On Merger As Regulatory Reviews Ramp Up

-- PennLive: List Of PA Counties Under Flood Watch Due To Potential For Ice Jams

-- WTAE: Flood Watch Issued In Western PA Due To Dangerous Ice Jams

-- TribLive: Ice Jams Cause Flooding Risks Along Allegheny River 

-- The Derrick: Evacuation Possible In Emlenton, Venango County Due To Record Rise Of Allegheny River  [PDF of Article] 

-- The Derrick: ‘Soft Evacuation’ Takes Place In Oil City; Ice Jam Releases To Open Channel, End Emergency [PDF of Article]

-- WPXI: Beaver County Officials Closely Monitoring Connoquenessing Creek Levels As Ice Jams Cause Flood Risk

-- WTAE: Ice Jams In Lawrence County Prompt Road Closures, Potential Flooding

-- DEP: 16 More Counties Now In Drought Warning; 11 More Counties In Drought Watch  [PaEN] 

-- Morning Call: Lehigh County Authority Customers Asked To Reduce Water Use As Drought Warning Declared

-- DEP Linkedin: Dam Safety Division Achieves Major Inspection Milestones In 2025 While Strengthening Public Protection [PDF of Article] 

-- Post-Gazette: Decades After Betrayal, Displacement, Seneca Nation Seeks A Voice In The Future Of Kinzua Dam 

-- Post-Gazette: New Initiative Aims To Keep Pittsburgh’s Riverfronts Clean And Accessible 

-- The Allegheny Front: A New RiverLife Initiative Will Maintain Pittsburgh’s Riverfront Trails And Parks

-- The Derrick: Venango County To Host Electronics Waste Recycling Event Feb. 28

-- Manada Conservancy Announces New Kittatinny Landowner Stories Video Series On Land Conservation [PaEN] 

-- Pennsylvania Invests Nearly $7.1 Million To Protect 1,905 Acres Of Farmland On 25 Farms In 17 Counties  [PaEN] 

-- PA Invasive Replace-ive Program To Encourage Replacing Invasive Species With Native Plants To Continue, Expand In 2026  [PaEN] 

-- PA Interfaith Power & Light Launches Roots, Branches & Hands Initiative To Plant 55,000 Native Trees And Shrubs  [PaEN] 

-- Forests For The Chesapeake Bay News: Hobbyist’s Guide To Maple Sugaring; Upcoming Events 

-- Penn State Extension Feb. 24 Webinar - Growing With Master Gardeners Program, Noon

-- Farm & Dairy: PA To Conduct First-Ever Statewide Firefly Inventory 

-- Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader: North Branch Land Trust To Host Dinner/Auction March 25

-- Penn State Extension Hosts April 7 Webinar On Grazing Sheep At Solar Energy Facilities  [PaEN] 

-- Lehigh Valley’s Wildlands Conservancy Highlights March Experiences, Educational Programs 

-- DCNR Unveils Master Plan For New Big Elk Creek State Park In Chester County  [PaEN] 

-- DCNR To Host Feb. 25 Virtual Public Meeting To Discuss Presque Isle State Park, Erie Bluffs State Park, Tom Ridge Environmental Center Master Plan In Erie  [PaEN]  

-- DCNR Grants News: 340+ Grant Projects Completed In 2025; ATV/Snowmobile Grants Open; Trail Education Grants; PRPS Conference; PA Land Conference

-- DCNR Resource News Highlights Governor’s Budget; Conestoga River Of The Year; Grant Opportunities Open  [PaEN]

-- PA Organization For Watersheds & Rivers Now Accepting Applications For Grants To Support Local River Sojourns  [PaEN]

-- DCNR Linkedin: Recognizing Roots In New Growth: Ralph Brock’s Impact - Present And Future - New StoryMap [PDF of Article] 

-- DCNR Names Emma Isaacson Assistant Manager Of Ridley Creek State Park Complex In SE PA

-- Erie Times: Presque Isle Beaches Lacking Federal Funding For Sand For 2nd Year  [Warning]

-- PA Wilds Center Seeking Partnerships For Paid, Story-Driven Creator Placements Focused On Outdoor Recreation, Small Towns, Authentic Experiences Across The PA Wilds

-- Warren Times: Public Input Sought For Northwest PA Outdoor Recreation Study 

-- TribLive: Panhandle Trail Extension Receives $850,000 Boost In Allegheny County  

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: Extending Panhandle Trail To Carnegie Would Provide Benefits For All

-- LancasterOnline: Lancaster’s Philip Witmer Becomes One Of Few To Complete 8,000 Mile Border-To-Border Triple Crown Hiking Challenge In Calendar Year

-- Altoona Mirror: Altoona Water Authority, Motorcycle Group OK Deal To Build Off-Road Trail Network On Authority Land Despite Opposition From Neighbors

-- Inquirer: Historic Chester County Bridge Will Be Rehabbed To Extend A Scenic Trail

-- The Derrick: Seneca Rocks Audubon Society Hosts March 11 ‘Leave No Trace’ Program In Clarion

-- ABC27: New Juniata River Canal Driving Trail Features 125 Miles Of History  

-- Tribune-Democrat: National Park Service Interpretation Brings Johnstown’s Canal History To Life

-- WHYY: Activists Celebrate The Return Of Slavery Exhibit At Philadelphia’s President’s House, Despite President’s Administration Appeal Of Court Order 

-- Inquirer: President’s Administration Appeals Federal Court Ruling Ordering Restoration Of Slavery Exhibits In Philadelphia

-- Inquirer: History, Conservation Groups Suing President’s Administration Over Censorship At National Parks

-- PennLive: PA’s Game & Fish Commissions Spent More Than They Took In; Study Seeks Answers

-- PennLive - Claudia Dimuro: Bats, Terns And Other Species You Might Not Realize Are Endangered In PA 

-- Republican Herald: Bald Eagles Set A Record At Hawk Mountain Sanctuary

-- York Daily Record: Bald Eagle Found In York County Dies From Apparent Lead Poisoning, Raven Ridge Wildlife Center 

-- Republican Herald: Red Creek Wildlife Center Helping Animals Struggling To Survive Winter

-- York Daily Record: Bobcat Rescued From Car Grille In Adams County, Donations Needed For Rehab, Raven Ridge Wildlife Center 

Visit the PA Environment Digest website to learn more.

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[Posted: February 22, 2026]   PA Environment Digest