"Plant a seed in someone, a young person you know, that this is an opportunity, conservation careers exist, that there's opportunities for you to get involved."

Our host, Marci Mowery, sits down with Ali Bowling, who joined Pennsylvania's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) three and a half years ago. Before that, she worked in wildlife rehabilitation in Oklahoma, corporate sustainability, and environmental advocacy through Audubon Pennsylvania.

Now serving as executive advisor for climate and sustainability, she coordinates the NextGen Advisory Council, a diverse group of approximately 20-25 young people shaping Pennsylvania's conservation future.

The council ensures that younger perspectives inform DCNR's work across outdoor recreation, climate action, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging initiatives.

“Conservation can be an answer to a lot of community issues,” says Ali, “but we have to understand what the issues are.”

Unlike traditional advisory boards, this council recognizes that meaningful engagement starts in steps as small as intentionally stepping outside for longer periods throughout the day. Tiny decisions like these, says Ali, can snowball into deeper connections with nature, fostering understanding of how the natural world sustains human health and wellbeing.

The council's approach reflects a broader shift in conservation thinking: that sustainability means pausing before making choices, asking "Is this necessary?" and recognizing that protecting Pennsylvania's wild spaces requires hearing from those who will inherit them.

Through this work, DCNR acknowledges that conservation is about cultivating relationships between people and place, more than simply managing land!

Key Topics:

1. Ali's Background and Path to DCNR (01:30)
2. What the NextGen Advisory Council Is (03:01)
3. Origins of the NextGen Council (07:34)
4. Conceiving Projects (12:29)
5. Barriers to Conservation (15:36)
6. About DCNR’s Think Outside Program (22:37)
7. Plant a Seed! (29:09)

Resources:

1. DCNR NextGen Advisory Council website: Apply to Serve on the NextGen Advisory Council | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
2. DCNR Climate Change and Adaptation Plan
3. DCNR Think Outside Program
4. Pa Outdoor Corps
5. DCNR...

“The more you get to use state parks and see what they have to offer, the more you’re going to want to make sure they continue in perpetuity.”

When Greg Sassaman arrived at Leonard Harrison State Park in 1978, he found a rundown facility with a chain-link fence and a trail barely worthy of the name.

What followed was a decades-long labor of love that transformed Pennsylvania's Grand Canyon into the destination it is today!

The Turkey Path rehabilitation stands as Greg's crowning achievement.

Without modern battery-powered tools or motorized wheelbarrows, his crew relied on manpower and, remarkably, horsepower. Working with naturalist Greg Hornsby, they convinced Harrisburg to hire a draft horse to haul timbers, concrete, and stone down the treacherous canyon trail using a wooden stone boat!

The innovation worked. Youth Conservation Corps and Pennsylvania Conservation Corps teams built platforms and steps that have endured over 40 years, reducing injuries while protecting the natural landscape from erosion caused by shortcuts.

Greg championed interpretation, helping visitors understand what they were seeing, and fought to preserve the area's wild character. He believes that Pennsylvania offers far more than its cities. The remote sections, the wild places, deserve protection and advocacy.

Once state parks, always state parks.

Key Topics:

1. Condition of Park in 1978 (01:18)
2. Turkey Path Trail Development (02:57)
3. Changes in Park Interpretation (07:26)
4. Bald Eagles Return to the Area (13:37)
5. Train Fires in the Canyon (14:58)
6. Camping Evolution at Colton Point (19:18)
7. Bear and Porcupine Encounters (22:08)
8. Advocacy for PA's Wild Spaces (24:20)

Resources:

1. Leonard Harrison State Park
2. Colton Point State Park
3. Pine Creek Rail Trail
4. Turkey Path

🎧 Listen to the Think Outside Podcast on Spotify, Apple, or your favorite app while on the go! New episodes drop bi-weekly on Mondays, and you may occasionally find a bonus episode, as well!

The Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation inspires...

“It's kind of amazing to think that almost any challenge that you have, there's some brilliant, intelligent person out there doing the research to come up with a solution to it.”

Our host, Marci Mowery, sits down with Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation Membership Coordinator Pam Metzger. When Pam’s husband Bill was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, staying active became his lifeline. After cycling thousands of miles on traditional bikes, he transitioned to a three-wheel hand cycle.

That adaptive equipment opened new possibilities but also revealed gaps in accessibility.

The Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation is working to close those gaps through innovations like accessible kayak launches, colorblind-correcting viewers, and more.

Beyond mere accommodations, they're examples of universal design that benefit everyone, from parents pushing strollers to hikers using trekking poles for knee support.

Pam recalls the moment Bill used an accessible kayak launch at Laurel Hill State Park. Just like that, he’d rediscovered an activity he thought was lost forever! "He still talks about it," she shares, describing how the launch works seamlessly for wheelchair users and non-wheelchair-using visitors alike.

True inclusion requires partnerships. The Foundation collaborates with AARP, friends groups, occupational therapists, and local organizations to identify needs and test solutions. Their latest initiative equips libraries across Pennsylvania with borrowable recreation equipment. Effectively, they’re removing financial barriers alongside physical ones!

Key Topics:

1. Bill's Adaptive Recreation Journey (02:12)
2. Accessible Kayak Launch Experience (06:45)
3. Colorblind Viewers Bring Colors to Life (09:57)
4. Library Equipment Lending Program (11:14)
5. Universal Design Benefits Everyone (18:07)

Resources:

1. PPFF Outdoors for Everyone
2. Friends of Laurel Hill State Park
3. Friends of Nockamixon State Park

🎧 Listen to the Think Outside Podcast on Spotify, Apple, or your favorite app while on the go! New episodes drop bi-weekly on Mondays, and you may occasionally find a bonus episode, as well!

The Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation inspires stewardship of YOUR state parks and forests through volunteerism, education, recreation, and philanthropy.

Learn more, find events, download outdoor resources, and get involved!

👉 Sign up for our...