Great Lakes Updates – Tim Bruno, PA Department of Environmental Protection. Tim Bruno serves as the Chief of the Office of the Great Lakes at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. In his role, he represents Pennsylvania to multiple interstate and international Great Lakes water quality and water use governmental entities, as well as forms partnerships and administers funding for the protection and restoration of Pennsylvania’s Great Lakes Basin.
Introducing the Pennsylvania State Water Planning Process – Mark Matlock and James Horton, PA Department of Environmental Protection. James Horton EIT is a senior engineer at the PA Department of Environmental Protection, where he provides technical assistance in the State Water Plan Section of the Compacts and Commissions Office as well as supporting the Drought Coordinator in all drought related activities. Mark Matlock is an Environmental Group Manager at the PA Department of Environmental Protection, where he oversees the State Water Plan Section of the Compacts and Commissions Office which contains the areas of drought management, Water Use Data System, and the State Water Plan.
Special Focus: Public Drinking Water – the State of the System & Contemporary Challenges in Public Drinking Water – Craig Palmer, Erie Water Works. Craig Palmer has worked in Erie County in the Water & Wastewater Utility Sector since 1998. In 2006, he became Senior Manager of Engineering Services for the Erie Water Works (EWW). He directs the operations of the Engineering Department and implements an aggressive Capital Improvements Program. He has overall responsibility for the Cross Connection Control Program, Service Area Expansion, Water Service Applications, Permits, facility and asset records, and a state-of-the-art Geographic Information System.
Special Focus: Rising to the Public Health Challenge by Using Wastewater to Aid in COVID-19 Detection – Dr. Howard Nadworny, Infectious Diseases specialist at Saint Vincent Hospital and COVID medical advisor to the Erie County Department of Health. Howard Nadworny is an Infectious Diseases specialist who has been in practice at Saint Vincent Hospital since 1984. He was the director of the Infection Control Program there for 30 years in addition to his clinical practice. He has been a member of Erie County Board of Health and was its chairman for 5 years. He currently volunteers as the COVID physician advisor to the Erie County Department of Health.
“Our Water, Our Future” – a PennFuture campaign – Sarah Bennett, PennFuture. Sarah Bennett is PennFuture’s Campaign Manager for Clean Water Advocacy in the Lake Erie Watershed of Pennsylvania. Sarah served as Chairperson of the Biology Department and Co-Director of the Environmental Science program and Sustainability Officer at Mercyhurst University. Sarah has organized many beach litter and illegal dump site clean ups and conducted a cigarette litter reduction project at Presque Isle State Park. She is an advisory committee member of Keep Erie County Beautiful.
Community Resilience Action Network of Erie Updates – Sara Stahlman, Pennsylvania Sea Grant. Sara Stahlman is the extension lead for Pennsylvania Sea Grant and vice chair of the Community Resilience Action Network of Erie (CRANE). She manages and coordinates statewide extension programs that protect coastal resources in focus areas such as climate change, water quality, and invasive species. She earned her bachelor’s in biology with a minor in psychology from Penn State Behrend, and her master’s degree in biology from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania.
Harmful Algal Bloom Monitoring – Updates – Amber Stillwell, Regional Science Consortium at Presque Isle State Park. Amber Stilwell is the Research Coordinator at the Regional Science Consortium. She has had extensive research experience gained throughout her academic and professional career focusing on Harmful Algal Blooms, bacteria monitoring, flow cytometry, and restoration projects on Presque Isle State Park. Amber is well equipped in public speaking and enjoys educating people of all ages about science and the environment.
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