5 Pennsylvania conservationists you need to know

March is Women’s History Month and we thought we’d celebrate the occasion by highlighting five women from across Pennsylvania who boast impressive achievements in conservation. You’ll notice that each woman we’ve highlighted resides in a different part of the commonwealth -- a testament to the diversity of environmental and conservation issues in the state as well as the dedicated leadership of its citizens.

1. Caren Glotfelty

Pittsburgh, PA

Caren Glotfelty currently is the executive director of the Allegheny County Parks Foundation, a position she’s held since August 2014. Prior to this role, Caren spent more than a decade as Senior Program Director of the Heinz Endowments Environment Program, where she promoted its mission by directing funds toward projects in community revitalization, land use and conservation, and environmental health. Glotfelty also served as the Maurice K. Goddard Chair in Forestry & Environmental Resources Conservation at Penn State University, specializing in issues related to natural resources policy and state and local environmental. In addition, she served as the Deputy Secretary for water management in the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources under Gov. Robert P. Casey.  

Best known for: Holding positions in government, the philanthropic community, the nonprofit sector, and academia relating to land use and water quality.

2. Secretary Cindy Dunn

Harrisburg, PA

Cindy Dunn was appointed the sixth secretary of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources under Gov. Tom Wolf. Prior to her appointment, Dunn has held various other leadership positions in the agency. Dunn is the immediate past president and CEO of PennFuture and the recipient of the 2015 Celebrating Women In Conservation Award. In addition, she served as executive director of Audubon Pennsylvania and as the Pennsylvania program director for the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay.

Best known for: Connecting with the natural places and spaces she works tirelessly to protect as a birder, hiker, angler, and canoer.

3. Barbara "Bonnie" Smith

Thornhurst, PA

Barbara "Bonnie" Smith, president of the watershed protection group North Pocono CARE (Citizens Alert Regarding the Environment), a non-profit organization in Northeastern Pennsylvania working to protect the Lehigh River and its tributaries for future generations. Smith is also a member of PennFuture's board of directors and was a recipient of Chatham University’s Distinguished Alumnae award in 2015.

Best known for: Petitioning successfully to have the Lehigh River classified as “exceptional value,” the highest protection under the law, protecting over 219 stream miles of the Lehigh’s headwaters and tributaries in the Pocono Plateau.

4. Carol Collier

Philadelphia, PA

Carol Collier joined the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University as its senior advisor for watershed management and policy in 2014 after retiring from her role as executive director of the Delaware River Basin Commission, a post she held for more than 15 years. Prior to that, Collier was the executive director of Pennsylvania’s 21st Century Environment Commission and regional director of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection - Southeast Region. She also spent time in the private sector as vice president of environmental planning with BCM Environmental Engineers, Inc.

Best known for: Promoting the strengths and addressing the challenges of the Delaware River Watershed for decades.

5. Sister Pat Lupo

Erie, PA

Sister Pat Lupo, OSB has long been a champion of the environment and conservation in Pennsylvania. Pat is a member of the Benedictine Sisters of Erie and a science educator who taught elementary and high school levels for more than 20 years. She has also worked for non-profit environmental organization, Environment Erie, where she served as education director. Pat currently works at the Erie Neighborhood Art House (NAH), a ministry of the Benedictine Sisters of Erie, which provides classes in the visual, performing, and literary arts to at-risk children in Erie.

In particular, Pat has worked tirelessly to mitigate climate change and to transition the commonwealth away from fossil fuels toward clean energy. She has been interviewed about her advocacy work, penned numerous opinion pieces, and presented testimony before various bodies on climate change.

Best known for: Articulating the importance of conservation through her faith perspective and the moral obligation to protect the planet from harm.

PennFuture is honoring Sister Pat this month with the Celebrating Women in Conservation Award for her commitment to environmental activism and her achievements in conservation in Pennsylvania. 

The event is Wednesday, March 23 at 10am at the Erie Art Museum. The event is open to the public but registration is required by Friday, March 18. The event is co-sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation and the Erie Art Museum.

More information

Katie Bartolotta is southeastern Pennsylvania outreach coordinator for PennFuture and is based in Philadelphia. She tweets @KatieBartolotta.

DCNR Acting Secretary Cindy Dunn honored by National Wildlife Federation

Cindy Adams Dunn, acting secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), was honored on March 12 by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) for her contributions and achievements in the environmental field. Her work to reduce carbon pollution, promote clean energy, and protect wildlife and their habitats from the risks of climate change has made her a recipient of the Women in Conservation Award, given to those deserving women that have shown exceptional leadership and dedication to conservation and climate action.

Dunn follows in the footsteps of other strong women who have had significant roles in the conservation movement, including fellow Pennsylvania native, Rachel Carson. Carson, most famously known for her book, Silent Spring, brought the environmental movement to mainstream America during the 1960s. Present-day environmental leader Gina McCarthy, the current Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has taken the necessary steps forward to protect people and wildlife from the effects of climate change by proposing the agency’s Clean Power Plan, a standard to reduce industrial carbon pollution.

“Cindy is a true asset to the conservation community,” said Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. “We at NWF believe that highlighting and bringing women into the environmental story is important to reach the common goal of protecting all people, communities, landscapes and our precious wildlife from the impacts of climate change.”

PennFuture is proud to be the Pennsylvania affiliate of the National Wildlife Federation.

Jennifer Quinn is central Pennsylvania outreach coordinator for PennFuture and is based in Harrisburg. She tweets @QuinnJen1.

Finding the green

The Pennsylvania Growing Greener coalition has a great new guide to assist in identifying funding opportunities. 

As funding programs are being reduced or eliminated altogether, it is becoming increasingly difficult for non-profits and local governments to access much needed resources.  

The purpose of their single-source guide is to provide an overview of funding opportunities that may be of help to you. The guide contains a thorough listing of state funding programs for conservation, preservation and recreation projects, including the more recent funding made available from Act 13 of 2012.

In addition to a list of specific grant opportunities, you’ll find tips on how to apply and where to go for more information.

The guide is available for download on Growing Greener's website and will be updated regularly as new information is gathered so be sure to check back often. 


Andrew Sharp is PennFuture's Director of Outreach and is based in Philadelphia. He tweets at @RexBainbridge. 

An interview with John Norbeck, PennFuture's new vice president and chief operating officer

John Norbeck was announced as PennFuture’s new vice president and chief operating officer on January 6. Norbeck served as Pennsylvania state parks director from 2006 to 2012, and before that served for 29 years in the Maryland state park system. Under Norbeck’s tenure at the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), the Pennsylvania state park system received a national gold medal as the best-managed park system in the United States.

PennFuture policy director Steve Stroman recently sat down with John for an interview, which we are delighted to share with you today.

Q: John—It has been great having you on board at PennFuture!  What are your impressions so far of the organization?

A: The staff at PennFuture are some of the brightest, most dedicated people I have had the pleasure of working with. Contrary to what some may think, there are no ‘pat’ answers. We strongly deliberate each issue to ensure we are doing what is right for the environment, community and economy. It simply works.

Q: Most of your career has been spent in state government, managing state parks in Pennsylvania and Maryland.  How are you enjoying working in the advocacy world for a non-profit?

A: It is challenging and liberating at the same time. PennFuture is on the cutting edge of issues, so the path is not as clear is it might be in other sectors of work. I enjoy the opportunity to develop new ideas and approaches that make a difference. The liberating part is that as part of the team, we formulate positions, messages and policies and carry them out swiftly. To remain relevant, your work needs to be fast paced and on target. That is PennFuture.

Q: Where did you grow up and go to school?  What were some of the formative experiences of your younger days, especially pertaining to the environment and the outdoors?

A: I grew up in a rural/agricultural section of Maryland. As kids, my brothers, cousins, friends and I spent a vast majority of our time out in the woods and fields doing what kids do, and that is where I started to develop a love for the natural world that I carry today. I went to school at Roanoke College in Virginia. There, I studied biology and continued my interests in outdoor, nature-based recreation. I spent most of my free time hiking, camping, spelunking and paddling.

During my trips home from college, I noticed that the place I had once called home was being swallowed by sprawl. That experience helped me develop a better understanding of what is really important in the world we live in. We can’t stagnate but, at the same, time our development should not forever change the sense of place.

Q: For six years, you managed Pennsylvania’s state park system that includes 120 state parks, environmental education centers, and conservation areas. What were some of the most rewarding aspects of that job?

A: First and foremost, working with the men and women in the Bureau of State Parks and DCNR was really rewarding. The professional staff there is absolutely awesome. I also enjoyed the fact that we provided top-notch public service to the citizens and visitors to Pennsylvania. Even with declining budgets, we were able to focus our work on what was important. We were honored for that work, and received the national Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Management.

There were a number of programs we developed that I am proud of but two stand out. We were able to advance an already good environmental education program to a level of excellence. Last, but certainly not least, we started a Green Parks program that was well on its way to reducing our carbon footprint by 20 percent over five years.

Q: You mentioned that under your leadership, the Bureau of State Parks unveiled a Green Parks program to measure and reduce each park’s carbon footprint, conserve water, reduce pollution, use green energy and green buildings, etc. Can you tell us more about that initiative?

A.: State Parks are like small cities in many ways. We gave a number of educational programs talking about reducing the carbon footprint and being efficient, but we were not really walking the walk. So, we set the goal as noted before, to reduce our carbon footprint by 20 percent in five years, and to conserve our natural resources where we could.

We looked at every aspect of our work, from park design to the way we (and visitors) used the parks, to how we heated and cooled buildings. The main goal was to conserve natural resources and reduce our footprint, but we also wanted to show you could do it and save money at the same time. We performed energy audits to point us in the right direction. We reduced our energy use through the use of alternative energy including geothermal, solar, and wind. By taking a critical look at our maintenance program, we reduced how much area we mowed, switched to using propane mowers instead of gas or diesel, installed soft start motors in the sewage treatment plants. The list goes on. The first park enrolled in the program was Yellow Creek; they exceeded the 20 percent goal in a short three years. You can be green, clean and efficient -- you just need to want to do it.

Q: You mentioned that in 2009, Pennsylvania’s state park system under your direction was awarded the National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management by the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association. Please tell me more about this award. What were some of the factors that impressed the judges?

A: It is an award that is given out every two years at most, to a state park system that demonstrates excellence in park management. It is a peer group that judges the applicants. I believe what made Pennsylvania stand out in the program is that we were being progressive in our approach to managing parks while paying homage to our core state park values. Our approach was to look at the parks as being a part of the local community and developing ties that both advanced our mission and that of the communities. The Green Parks program was certainly a program that was well received and, in part, emulated by a number of our park systems. Our approach to strongly supporting environmental education even during declining budgets was seen as forward thinking and acting. We were preparing for the future. Another large factor was our collaborative work with other government and non-governmental organizations. A simple proposition that is rarely acted upon. DCNR, Bureau of State Parks did. We worked to leverage each other’s resources to the collective benefit of the region.

Q: What are some of your favorite state parks in Pennsylvania? What are some of the hidden gems of the park system that may be unfamiliar to some of our readers, but definitely worth a visit?

A: Cook Forest State Park and the Cathedral Forest is probably my most favorite place. Not a hidden gem, but one that needs to be conserved and preserved at all cost. World’s End State Park is another favorite place. Nestled in the Loyalsock State Forest, it is a great place to hike. Ohiopyle for its over the top, nature-based recreation. Gifford Pinchot because it is MY local park. Pine Grove Forest, my other local park. Now that I think about the question more, they are all my favorite parks and all have hidden gems. I have visited every Pennsylvania state park and they all have great value worth experiencing.

Q: What do you see as some of the top environmental and conservation challenges now facing Pennsylvania?

A: Without a doubt, the natural gas boom in Pennsylvania is the top environmental and conservation challenge, and opportunity, of the century. We have a chance to manage this resource boom differently, and more effectively, than we did for the timber and coal boom. There is a gold rush mentality surrounding the issue that is pitting economy against environment, brother against brother. The rush to get every last molecule of gas out of the ground as quickly as possible is leading to environmental degradation that may be far worse than what we experienced in the previous booms. In addition, water, our most precious resource, is being compromised at a level that is hard to fathom. There is a better way.

Q: What are some of your goals and priorities in your new position at PennFuture?

A: As chief operating officer, I have several major objectives. As a quick highlight, I will be co-leading a strategic planning process for the organization with our President/CEO Cindy Dunn, which will bring a stronger focus to our work and set the stage for us in the coming years. The work at PennFuture is detailed and fast moving; to meet that head-on, we will be updating our internal and external technology functions. In addition, we will be launching a new public lands campaign designed to enhance the protection and conservation of public lands in the Commonwealth.  

Q: What are some of your hobbies and interests outside of work?

A: I enjoy outdoor, nature-based recreation such as hiking and paddling. Recently, I have combined my long-term love of woodworking and paddling into a new hobby for me, wooden canoe restoration. For years, I have dabbled in antique vehicle restoration (Willys and Jeeps), and have also gotten into rock crawling using one of my builds. Lastly, I am starting to build my own electric vehicle. Again, I will combine two interests, Jeeps and conservation into one hobby, building an electric Jeep.