Pennsylvania Legacies

Most people in Philadelphia know Wissahickon Creek as a bucolic setting for outdoor recreation, easily accessed via the city's Fairmount Park. But the real story of the Wissahickon begins 23 miles upstream in Montgomery County, where the picture isn't always so pretty. Repairing years of damage to the stream will be a massive and complex challenge, but communities and organizations throughout the watershed are teaming up to do just that. in the first part of a series examining this collaborative effort, we take a tour of the creek with our friends at the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association.

The campus of Pittsburgh's Phipps Conservatory is home to some of the world's greenest buildings -- in more ways than one. We learn about Phipps's 124-year evolution from public botanical gardens to R&D lab for sustainable building and design. Plus: your monthly update on bald eagle news from across PA.

The history of Pennsylvania's public lands is closely intertwined with African American history. Before they were state parks and forests, many of these areas were crisscrossed with Underground Railroad routes, and dotted with abolitionist strongholds and communities of freed slaves. This month, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is honoring that legacy and recognizing some of the Black Pennsylvanians who've played a role in preserving it. But spokeswoman Chris Novak says DCNR still has work to do when it comes to diversifying its workforce.

Governor Tom Wolf's 2017-2018 budget includes no substantial funding increase for the Department of Environmental Protection, an agency that's been understaffed for more than a decade. As budget season gets underway, we look to former DEP Secretary David Hess for context.

Millions of dollars from the federal Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund could soon reach Pennsylvania, if Congress approves the bipartisan RECLAIM Act this year. The legislation is about to be reintroduced, and its backers are excited about the prospect of funding for reclamation projects throughout coal country. Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds director John Dawes explains why in this week's episode.

The state's Conservation Landscapes program is poised to expand in 2017 with the creation of a new landscape area in western PA. We'll learn about the new "Glacier's Edge" landscape from program manager Marla Papernick on this week's show.

Lindsay Baxter sets the 2017 agenda for PEC's energy & climate program: deep decarbonization, low-impact hydropower, and rethinking sustainability.

Our 2017 preview series continues with a focus on trails. This week, Davitt Woodwell looks at the year ahead with PEC program manager for trails & recreation Frank Maguire.

We start the new year with a look ahead to some of the issues we're working on in 2017. PEC Legal & Government Affairs VP John Walliser is first up with a preview of DEP's forthcoming permit proposal for unconventional gas production.

A roundup of PA environmental news headlines, and insights on deep decarbonization from Dr. Greg Reed, director of the University of Pittsburgh Center For Energy. Note: This is our final episode of 2016 -- we'll be taking a short break for the holidays. Pennsylvania Legacies returns on January 6, 2017.

A recap of the week's PA environmental news, and a preview of PEC's upcoming conference on deep decarbonization with keynote speaker M. Granger Morgan of Carnegie Mellon University.

John Dawes: This week’s guest is John Dawes, Executive Director of The Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds.

This week’s guest is Evan Griffin, working with The Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds.

A research partnership between Google and the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) is using specially outfitted Google Street View cars to map methane leaks in underground pipelines. PEC's Josh Raulerson rides along.

This week’s guest is Hannah Hardy, Chief of Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention at the Allegheny County Health Department.