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11 More Reasons To Support The Refunding Of A Refocused Growing Greener
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The Renew Growing Greener Coalition Friday published a list of 11 more reasons to support the refunding of a refocused Growing Greener Program--
1. Keep our drinking water clean
2. Protect the air we breathe
3. Preserve our working farms and food supply
4. Enhance our local and regional economies and the Commonwealth tourism industry
5. Help local communities control flooding
6. Enhance our large conservation landscapes like our heritage areas and major greenway corridors
7. Reverse the scars left by coal mining and reclaim abandoned minelands
8. Enhance state and local outdoor recreational opportunities
9. Turn brownfields into useable spaces primed for economic development and growth
10. Beautify our downtowns and urban areas
11. Protect and preserve the Commonwealth’s wildlife habitat
Here’s what 11 of our supporting organizations have to say:
“Growing Greener has helped to foster the Clarion River as a spectacular outdoor recreational destination in Northeastern Pennsylvania and has helped to conserve our state’s rich natural resources offering a wealth of opportunities and drawing millions of visitors to our state.” -- Cynthia Carrow, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy
“Growing Greener provides essential funding for riverfront trails and greenways like Schuylkill Banks. These greenways greatly improve quality of life in our region by creating beautiful park space for the community to walk, run, bike, fish and relax along rivers that were inaccessible for generations. They also connect diverse neighborhoods, help protect our rivers from stormwater runoff and establishvaluable wildlife habitats.” -- Joseph R. Syrnick, President & CEO, Schuylkill River Development Corporation
“As more and more of the Pennsylvania Wilds, the Endless Mountains, and our state forests and game lands are developed for gas extraction and production, it is more crucial than ever to ensure that our Commonwealth's Growing Greener program is funded.
“If the current rush to drill continues at its present rate, and if Growing Greener's alternative energy and reclamation initiatives do not receive crucial funding, there will be far fewer places available for all Pennsylvanians to get out and enjoy the outdoors, fresh air, clean streams and the natural world. Growing Greener programs are vital to our present and future quality of life.” -- Ralph Kisberg, Robbie Cross, Janie Richardson, Barb Jarmoska, Mark Syzbist, Jen Slotterback, Board of Directors for The Responsible Drilling Alliance
"Our 24,000 Pennsylvania members enjoy a variety of outdoor recreational activities, including hiking, biking, fishing, hunting and bird watching. Growing Greener funding has been important for acquiring more state and local public lands that are open for these healthful outdoor pursuits.
“As our population keeps growing, and development paves over more land every day, the need for these public spaces becomes more important. And the need for Growing Greener funding is critical, as well." -- Jeff Schmidt, Director, Sierra Pennsylvania Chapter
"Growing Greener from its inception has benefited MuddyCreek Trout Unlimited in our efforts to restore severely eroded reaches of our home watershed in York County. Our organization; MCTU independently and through partnerships with local municipalities and sponsoring watershed groups werefortunate enough to garner over $885,000 in grant monies to restore over 2.2miles of our watershed. These "full floodplain" restorations have succeeded in creating more and immediate flood storage as well as the "lock up" of millions of tons of Legacy Sediments so damaging to the Chesapeake Bay Ecosystem.
“For these reasons we feel that Growing Greener has been a huge success and we would like to see it continue. Our organization could never have made these strides toward coldwater conservation were not for this program.” -- Maurice Chioda, Past President, Muddy Creek Trout Unlimited #575
“Throughout Pennsylvania, our dedicated volunteers run over 750 outdoor recreational trips every year anddepend on the Growing Greener program to ensure that parks and trails are not just available to everyone, but that they are also open, accessible and maintained.” -- Mark Zakutansky, Mid-Atlantic Policy Manager, Appalachian Mountain Club
“In addition to all the excellent natural resource conservation and recreation projects funded by Growing Greener it can be a very useful source of funding to assist with creation of natural greenways and trails as a reuse of Flood Buyout Properties and restoring developed floodplain lands to riparian buffers can help counties to achievecompliance with the Chesapeake Bay TMDL standards imposed by EPA.” -- Jerry S. Walls, AICP, Professional Planner
“Growing Greener provides essential funding for riverfront trails and greenways like Schuylkill Banks. These greenways greatly improve quality of life in our region by creating beautiful park space for the community to walk, run, bike, fish and relax along rivers that were inaccessible for generations. They also connect diverse neighborhoods, help protect our rivers from stormwater runoff and establishvaluable wildlife habitats.” -- Joseph R. Syrnick, President & CEO, Schuylkill River Development Corporation
“Growing Greener made it possible for Countryside Conservancy to protect and open to the public a fantastic stretch of stream at Little Rocky Glen for fishing, hiking, scout activities and more in Wyoming County, one of the few Pennsylvania counties that has no state park.” -- Mary Felley, Interim Executive Director, GreenSpace Alliance
“Growing Greener has helped fund the Pennsylvania Senior Environment Corps, senior volunteers serving the Commonwealth in various ways from monitoring the condition of their local, monitoring abandoned mine drainage, stenciling storm drains, mapping abandoned oil and gas wells, eradicating invasive weeds, networking and working with watershed associations, and educating the public on topics such as radon and recycling. Since 1997, these trained volunteers have dedicated over 2 million hours to protecting and restoring the commonwealth’s environment. In one year alone, the PaSEC's dedication to the Commonwealth can be estimated at approximately $3,051,428.57.” -- Melinda Hughes-Wert, President, Nature Abounds
“Growing Greener funds helped Hawk Mountain to acquire and protect hundreds of acres of land critical to raptors and other wildlife. Funds also helped to complete a land management plan, a guiding document that drives all Hawk Mountain land use, conservation and management work.” -- Jerry Regan, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Association
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11/14/2011 |
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