PA Environment Digest Blog

A fun, fee-free day on Saturday, September 28 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Grey Towers National Historic Site, Milford, Pike County, will feature an Open House of the historic mansion, a special historic exhibit and a re-creation of Gov. Gifford Pinchot’s annual ice cream social with free ice cream from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.

In lieu of a fee, visitors are asked to bring a non-perishable food item for donation to a local food pantry. Families are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, blankets and a picnic to enjoy on the estate grounds.

Sponsored by the US Forest Service with support from the Grey Towers Heritage Association, the events are held to commemorate National Public Lands Day and to show appreciation to the community for support throughout the year.

The free ice cream social is a re-creation of the ice cream socials that Gov. Gifford Pinchot and his wife Cornelia offered for the community at Grey Towers when they lived here in the 1920’s and 1930’s, The re-creation is just one of the many programs that carry on the traditions and legacy of the Pinchot family at their ancestral home.

It’s rare that the public can see all three floors of the Grey Towers mansion. From 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. visitors can wander through the museum rooms and the upper floors, free of charge.

A special exhibit featuring artifacts that illustrate the social activist life of Cornelia Pinchot, with an emphasis on her involvement with the suffrage movement, will be available for part of the day.

Visitor films will be shown from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and visitors may especially appreciate the film of President John F. Kennedy’s visit to Grey Towers on September 23, 1963.

The events are rain or shine. For information please call 570-296-9630 or send email to: greytowers@fs.fed.us.

For more information on programs, initiatives and other upcoming events, visit the Grey Towers Heritage Association. Click Here to sign up for updates from the Association, Like them on Facebook, Follow them on Twitter, visit their YouTube Channel, become part of their Google+ Circle and follow them on Instagram.

Also visit the Grey Towers Historic Site website and the Pinchot Institute for Conservation website for information on its conservation research and policy programs. Click Here to sign up for the Institute’s regular updates.

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A report issued by the Center for Rural Pennsylvania found the number of “very heavy precipitation” events has increased by 71 percent over the last 54 years in the Northeast and Pennsylvania putting the 831,000 people living on floodplains in the state at even more risk of flooding.

Not to mention the threats to Pennsylvanians from tropical storms and hurricanes.

On August 27, the PA Emergency Management Agency is encouraging citizens to take steps to prepare for emergencies by participating in September’s 30 Days/30 Ways preparedness event.

“We tend to think about emergencies as large-scale, catastrophic events that affect a large number of people,” said PEMA Director Randy Padfield. “But you are much more likely to be affected by smaller incidents that can disrupt your daily routine for a shorter period of time, so those are the types of things you need to be thinking about too.”

Anyone who wants to participate can register to get weekly updates with helpful hints and tips to get them started on their journey to preparedness.

The information in the weekly updates can easily be shared with family, neighbors, and loved ones.

At the end of the month, participants who fill out a brief survey about their experience will be entered to win a random drawing of a wind-up radio, flashlight or phone charger.

This year’s theme for National Preparedness Month is “Prepared. Not Scared.” Much like a fire drill, knowing what to do in an emergency makes the situation a little less frightening for everyone.

The goal of NPM is to increase the overall number of individuals, families, and communities that engage in preparedness actions at home, work, businesses, schools, and places of worship.

Padfield said there are simple things you can take now to prepare your family and help your community after an emergency:

-- Take a basic first aid or CPR class;

-- Create a family emergency plan so loved ones know who to contact and where to go in an emergency;

-- Have a small kit of emergency supplies in your home and car;

-- Know how to turn off utilities safely in your home;

-- Review insurance policies and coverage to ensure it is adequate for the hazards you may face;

-- Purchase flood insurance; and

-- Build up an emergency fund.

Click Here to register for 30 Days/30 Ways.

More information about how to prepare for an emergency, including specific information for people with access and functional needs or pets, is available on PEMA’s ReadyPA webpage.

Also visit DEP’s Storm and Flood Recovery webpage for more information on recovering private water supplies, debris management and much more.

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