In-Person Lake Erie Environmental Forum Features Native Plant Conservation Experts
June 26, 2025 | 1:00 – 3:30 PM Eastern
Beach 1 Pavilion, Presque Isle State Park, Erie, PA
(ERIE, PA) – Successful native plant conservation efforts in local, regional, and statewide Pennsylvania watersheds will be the focus of the next Pennsylvania Lake Erie Environmental Forum (PA LEEF), hosted in-person on June 26, 2025, at 1:00PM Eastern at the Beach 1 pavilion on Presque Isle State Park, in Erie, PA. The forums are hosted by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) and Pennsylvania Sea Grant. Participation is free and walk-ins are welcome but registration is preferred.
Participants will gain insight into native plant conservation efforts across the commonwealth. Native plants are attractive, require minimal maintenance, and provide food, shelter, and nesting habitat for birds, wildlife, pollinators and insects. Native plants are also used to stabilize streambanks, improve water quality, and increase biodiversity. While native plants have evolved to exist in their local ecosystem, their continued existence is threatened by land-use practices, habitat destruction and fragmentation, pollution, and the introduction of invasive species.
Invited speakers include staff from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation of Natural Resources (DCNR) who will discuss the Pennsylvania Invasive Replace-ive Program, which incentivizes homeowners to remove invasive tree and shrub species and replace them with native species, provided by DCNR at no cost. Representatives from Ernst Conservation Seeds, located in Meadville, will share the story of their success using native seeds to increase biodiversity and restore habitat in Northwest Pennsylvania and beyond. Presque Isle State Park staff will discuss ongoing invasive species removal and the successes and challenges of replacing invasive species with native species at the highly visited park. Finally, the Pennsylvania Native Plant Society (PNPS) will provide an overview of local and statewide initiatives and opportunities to get involved.
All attendees will receive free resources including the recently published Choose Native Guide, developed by Pennsylvania Sea Grant and Penn State Extension.
Register today for this unique opportunity to come together and discuss native plants in conservation efforts. The Forum agenda and links to previously recorded sessions are available online. For additional details or questions, contact Amber Stilwell, Pennsylvania Sea Grant’s Lake Erie Coastal Outreach Specialist at ars26@psu.edu.
The Pennsylvania Lake Erie Environmental Forum is made possible with funding through the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, U.S Environmental Protection Agency, and the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.
Pennsylvania Sea Grant is supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Penn State University, and through federal, state, and local funding.
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May 28, 2025
