(In alphabetical order)
American Hiking Society
Founded in 1976, American Hiking Society is the only national organization that promotes and protects foot trails, their surrounding natural areas, and the hiking experience. As the national voice for hikers, American Hiking Society recognizes that foot trails and hiking are essential to connect people with nature, conserve open space, provide biological corridors for diverse plants and wildlife, and for the health of Americans and our natural environment. American Hiking Society organizes and coordinates National Trails Day.
American Trails
American Trails is the only national, nonprofit organization working on behalf of all trail interests, including hiking, bicycling, mountain biking, horseback riding, water trails, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, trail motorcycling, ATVs, snowmobiling and four-wheeling. American Trails members want to create and protect America’s network of interconnected trails.
Appalachian Audubon Society
Appalachian Audubon is a local chapter of the National Audubon Society serving the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania area. We serve Dauphin, Cumberland, Perry and part of York Counties.
Appalachian Trail Conservancy
he Appalachian Trail Conservancy is a volunteer-based organization dedicated to the preservation and management of the natural, scenic, historic, and cultural resources associated with the Appalachian Trail, in order to provide primitive outdoor-recreation and educational opportunities for Trail visitors.
Audubon of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Audubon’s mission is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth’s biological diversity in Pennsylvania.
Central Pennsylvania Conservancy
Central Pennsylvania Conservancy’s mission is to conserve natural resources and open space for the benefit of current and future generations through the acquisition and protection of land in the Central Pennsylvania Region.
Conservation Education Opportunities
DCNR provides conservation education programs and opportunities for people of all ages from all regions across Pennsylvania to create awareness and improve understanding about the environment, conservation, and recreation in Pennsylvania.
Cumberland Conservation Collaborative
The Cumberland Conservation Collaborative (CCC) is a non-profit partnership of community organizations, business leaders, educational institutions, governmental agencies, and citizens united in voice and action to enhance the quality of life in Cumberland County by restoring, enhancing and protecting our natural resources.
Cumberland Valley Rails to Trails Council
The Cumberland Valley Rails-to-Trails Council (CVRTC) is an all-volunteer, non-profit, charitable corporation dedicated to conservation, historic preservation, recreation and alternative transportation in the Cumberland Valley of Pennsylvania through the development of multi-use trails along former railroad corridors and other areas.
DCNR Employment Opportunities
Pennsylvania state parks hire lifeguards and other staff to support park operations.
Earth Day Network
The first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, activated 20 million Americans from all walks of life and is widely credited with launching the modern environmental movement. The passage of the landmark Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act and many other groundbreaking environmental laws soon followed. Growing out of the first Earth Day, Earth Day Network (EDN) works with over 22,000 partners in 192 countries to broaden, diversify and mobilize the environmental movement. More than 1 billion people now participate in Earth Day activities each year, making it the largest civic observance in the world.
Explore Pennsylvania Trails
Explore Pennsylvania Trails is Pennsylvania’s community resource for searching, mapping, and sharing trails information statewide. More than 11,000 miles of Pennsylvania trails have been mapped, and made available for sharing on the Web site. Explore Pennsylvania Trails is an interactive site, where people can find and share information, photos and new discoveries. The site offers a changing “featured” trail, a search option for finding trails, and a calendar of trail-related events.
Get Outdoors PA
Get Outdoors PA strives to connect citizens with outdoor recreation activities to increase their appreciation and active use of parks, forests and public spaces while imparting a message of environmental stewardship and healthy living. Did you ever try fishing, nature photography, target shooting, hiking, or mountain biking? Get Outdoors PA is a way for you and your whole family to learn or advance these recreation activities through active, outside, fun programs. There is something for everyone year around so keep an eye on the calendar.
Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Association
The mission of Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Association is to conserve birds of prey worldwide by providing leadership in raptor conservation science and education, and by maintaining Hawk Mountain Sanctuary as a model observation, research and education facility. Hawk Mountain is a wildlife sanctuary open to the public year-round and one of the best places in northeastern North America to view the annual autumn hawk migration.
Hike It Baby
Hike it Baby is a new parents group in over 150 cities around the country dedicated to getting families together and out into nature with newborns and little ones. Hike it Baby has a wide variety of hikes and urban strolls and the best part is all of their hikes are free! Hike it Baby’s goal is to support you and your family in stepping outside at least once a week for a walk in nature with their new baby. Hikes are led by volunteers.
iConservePA
iConservePA is a Web site managed by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, whose vision is to inspire citizens to value their natural resources, engage in conservation practices and experience the outdoors.
Keystone Trails Association
Keystone Trails Association, a volunteer-directed, public service organization is a federation of membership organizations and individuals dedicated to providing, preserving, protecting and promoting recreational hiking trails and hiking opportunities in Pennsylvania, and to representing and advocating the interests and concerns of the Pennsylvania hiking community.
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
The mission of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is to increase the sustainable use and conservation of native wildflowers, plants and landscapes. The Wildflower Center conducts innovative native plant research, develops comprehensive educational materials, and consults on landscape development projects of all sizes to capitalize on the ability of native landscapes to improve communities.
Mid-Atlantic Center for Herpetology and Conservation
The Mid-Atlantic Center for Herpetology and Conservation (MACHAC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation and study of amphibians and reptiles through advocacy, education, and execution of research by professional herpetologists and ecologists in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States. Major partners and funding sources for programs include the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Natural Resources Conservation Service (US Department of Agriculture), United States Fish & Wildlife Service, and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
National Environmental Education Foundation
Chartered by Congress in 1990 to advance environmental knowledge, the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) provides knowledge to trusted professionals who, with their credibility, amplify messages to national audiences to solve everyday environmental problems. Together, we generate lasting positive change.
National Public Lands Day (NPLD)
NPLD is the nation’s largest hands-on volunteer effort to improve and enhance the public lands Americans enjoy. NPLD began in 1994 with three sites and 700 volunteers. It proved to be a huge success and NPLD became a yearly tradition, typically held on the last Saturday in September. Since the first NPLD, the event has grown by leaps and bounds. In 2011, 180,000 volunteers worked at over 2,010 sites in every state, the District of Columbia and in many U.S. territories.
Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art
The Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art was founded in 1993 to celebrate the life and works of its namesake, the nationally recognized wildlife artist, naturalist and writer Ned Smith. The mission of the Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art is to merge the arts and the natural world and foster a celebration of both. The center provides common ground where people of many backgrounds meet in celebration of the arts and the natural world. The center serves as a unique bridge between these two domains, and thus our stakeholders are varied, reflecting the diversity of those involved with nature, the arts, science, the environment and education.
Outdoors Alliance for Kids
Outdoors Alliance for Kids (OAK) is a national strategic partnership of organizations from diverse sectors with a common interest in connecting children, youth and families with the outdoors. OAK’s members are brought together by the belief that the wellness of current and future generations, the health of our planet and communities and the economy of the future depend on humans having a personal, direct and life-long relationship with nature and the outdoors.
Penn State Master Gardeners in Cumberland County
Penn State Master Gardeners are volunteers trained by Penn State Cooperative Extension. Their mission is to support Penn State Cooperative Extension by utilizing research-based information to educate the public on best practices in consumer horticulture and environmental stewardship.
Pennsylvania Amphibian and Reptile Survey
The Pennsylvania Amphibian and Reptile Survey (PARS) is an important state-sponsored atlas project launching in 2013. PARS will determine the distribution and status of all amphibians and reptiles throughout Pennsylvania, building upon previous atlas efforts and combining modern technology with an army of citizen scientists known as “herpers” (herpetology is the study of amphibians and reptiles, and herps is slang for amphibians and reptiles). PARS needs volunteers, from skilled professional scientists to the most amateur naturalist, to create an army of citizen scientists to help tell us about the status and locations of Pennsylvania’s herps. Visit our website for more info and sign-up to volunteer today.
Pennsylvania Biological Survey (PABS)
The Pennsylvania Biological Survey (PABS) is a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization whose purpose is to increase knowledge of, and foster the perpetuation of, the natural biological diversity of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Among other tasks, the Survey is responsible for determining the status (endangered, threatened, etc.) of wild species of animals, plants and other organisms in the state Its roughly 150 members are scientists from throughout Pennsylvania, representatives of state and federal agencies concerned with natural resource management, representatives of Pennsylvania’s major natural history museums and scientific institutions, and other interested and knowledgeable individuals.
Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks
If you want to explore Pennsylvania’s great outdoors, this is the Web site to visit. You can find information for planning a one day picnic or hiking trip, a weekend getaway, or a vacation.
Pennsylvania Game Commission
For more than 100 years, the Game Commission has managed the Commonwealth’s wildlife resources for all Pennsylvanians. With the help of more than 700 full-time employees and thousands of part-timers and volunteers, the agency provides a host of benefits to wildlife, state residents and visitors.
Pennsylvania Land Trust Association
The Pennsylvania Land Trust Association seeks to protect Pennsylvania’s special places and landscapes for today and for generations to come. To increase the quality and pace of land conservation, PALTA helps conservation practitioners improve their effectiveness, builds public understanding, and advocates for better governmental policy.
Pennsylvania Native Plants Society
The Pennsylvania Native Plants Society (PNPS) advocates conservation of native plants and their habitats and promotes the increased use of native plants in the landscape.PNPS is a general-membership native plant organization, which is now a Pennsylvania Non-Profit Corporation with headquarters in State College, Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program
The Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program (PNHP) is a member of NatureServe, an international network of natural heritage programs that gather and provide information on the location and status of important ecological resources (plants, vertebrates, invertebrates, natural communities and geologic features). Our purpose is to provide current, reliable, objective information to help inform environmental decisions. PNHP information can be used to guide conservation work and land-use planning, ensuring the maximum conservation benefit with the minimum cost.
Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation
Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation (PPFF) began in 1999 as a statewide nonprofit organization to provide a voice for the Commonwealth’s 120 state parks and 2.2 million acres of forest land. With PPFF, citizens can donate or bequeath money to state parks and forests, become active and involved volunteers in the park and forest system, and find some fun and educational opportunities. PPFF’s status as a registered charity allows chapter friends groups to operate on our public lands for the benefit of everyone.
Pennsylvania Recreation and Parks Society
The Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society (PRPS), founded in 1935, is the principal organization promoting quality recreation and park opportunities for all citizens of the Commonwealth through education, training, technical assistance and other support to local, county, state and federal recreation and park providers.
Project BudBurst
Project BudBurst is a network of people across the United States who monitor plants as the seasons change. It is a national field campaign designed to engage the public in the collection of important ecological data based on the timing of leafing, flowering, and fruiting of plants (plant phenophases). Project BudBurst participants make careful observations of these plant phenophases. The data are being collected in a consistent manner across the country so that scientists can use the data to learn more about the responsiveness of individual plant species to changes in climate locally, regionally, and nationally.
South Mountain Partnership
The South Mountain Partnership is a unified group of private citizens, businesses, not for profit organizations and governmental officials working to protect, preserve and enhance the South Mountain Landscape in Central Pennsylvania.
Strawberry Hill Nature Preserve
Located in South-central Pennsylvania (Adams County), Strawberry Hill Nature Preserve and Environmental Center is a non-profit education and conservation organization located on 609 acres in the beautiful foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The 609-acre preserve offers outstanding opportunities for you to discover and explore the natural world. The preserve contains diverse habitats, including wet and dry woodlands, three ponds, two mountain streams, and much more. Ten miles of trails meander through the property and lead to unique rock formations, scenic vistas, and secret glades.
The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy is the leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people.