Event information: South-Central PA Regional Watershed Workshop, June 20, Dickinson College
ALLARM, in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC), the Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers (POWR), and Capital RC&D hosted the Southcentral Pennsylvania Watershed Roundtable on June 20, providing a space for all of the water organizations and stakeholders in water quality throughout our local region to share their work and ideas. Much of the day-long meeting was spent discussing the challenges faced by different communities as well as the various services offered by provider organizations. After lunch, ALLARM presented along with Lori Glace, from the Cumberland County Conservation District, on our year-long collaboration, the Conodoguinet Creek Snapshot, and shared information about our role as a monitoring coordinator in the region.
The most interesting part of the meeting was building relationships with the people seated around me. Specifically, I spoke to a community member during lunch who lives on an isolated lot of land frequently sought after by energy companies. She single-handedly fights against these entities in order to preserve the health of her neighboring stream and protect it from pollution. It was fascinating to hear about her struggles and drive to educate herself on what resources might be available to her. Additionally, it was empowering to see photos of her handmade signs, protesting the actions occurring in her area, which she posts outside of her house. Members of the Antietam Watershed Association were also sitting at my table and excitedly recognized me from when I trained them on water chemistry parameters last November. This was a wonderful moment and demonstrated to me one of the foundational elements of ALLARM’s work: community.
52 people from 22 organizations joined us for the South Central Watershed Workshop!