Coming Soon....

Stay Tuned: the 2013 Funding Round of the South Mountain Partnership's Mini-Grant program will be launched in the coming weeks. The application materials and process is receiving a final review and will soon be finalized and opened to applicants. Application deadline will be Wednesday July 31, 2013 at 5:00 p.m.

All questions should be directed to Jon Peterson at the Appalachian Trail Conservancy: jpeterson@appalachiantrail.org or 717 258 5771.

2012 Mini-Grant Recipients Recognized at the Partnership's 2nd Annual "Power of the Partnership" Celebration

On January 25, 2013 the South Mountain Partnership hosted its second annual "Power of the Partnership" celebration. Partners and friends had a chance to reflect back on the many successes of the 2012 year, and also look ahead to the exciting projects upcoming for the 2013 year.

As part of this celebration, the Partnership highlighted the wonderful projects that were awarded Mini-Grants in the fall of 2012. These projects are on-going and are scheduled to be completed in 2013. Projects that were awarded Mini-Grants were:




 

Developing Equity in the Food System, Capital RC&D

Developing Equity in the Food System: Techniques and Strategies to Serve All Residents Program will provide an opportunity for partners, supporting organizations and businesses within the South Mountain region to address the issues surrounding equity and inclusion in their services and programming with specific emphasis on our regions food system.

The primary purpose for the training is to provide the necessary information and guidance to ensure that underrepresented communities (socio-economic, racial, cultural, gender, etc.) are included in both voice and representation in the efforts of participating groups including South Mountain Partners (SMP) focused on agriculture, agritourism, and those whose recreational activities rely on the regions agriculture. Additional participants will include organizations, businesses and individuals in the region that have begun meeting as the South Central PA Food System Alliance (SCPA-FSA).

The program will be held at Wilson College in February 2013 and will provide one-day training with a facilitator focused on increasing participant capacity to review and improve their programs, services and businesses to welcome input and participation by underrepresented communities.

 

Goddard Leadership Institute, Central Pennsylvania Conservancy

The Goddard Leadership Legacy Institute is a week-long summer residential program designed to engage 25 promising early level high school students in natural resources stewardship learning and training in leadership and civic engagement. In addition to being led by environmental educators, the program incorporates professional leaders in a variety of fields and challenges teamwork and problem solving throughout the week through an ongoing team project and individual action projects. The Central Pennsylvania Conservancy is launching the Institute in July 2013.

Lessons in ecology will be coupled with an understanding of threats to sustainability and how effective leadership and citizen engagement can resolve them. The post-program experience will be enhanced by offering volunteer service projects, online interaction of teachers and students, and recruitment into the Conservation District’s Envirothon program.

The Goddard Institute takes inspiration from Maurice K. Goddard’s legacy which includes a commitment to professionalism and civil service; leadership on environmental and watershed scale approach to water management; and dedicated funding for natural resource conservation. A brochure for the Institute is currently available from the Central Pennsylvania Conservancy.

 

 

Simply Moving, Cumberland County Planning Department

The Cumberland County Planning Department (CCPD) in partnership with the Carlisle Area Health & Wellness Foundation (CAHWF) is in the process of updating its popular park and trail guide, Simply Moving.

Simply Moving is a comprehensive guide to public outdoor recreation in Cumberland and Perry counties. The guide serves a dual purpose: first, to generate awareness about the parks and trails within both Counties as a means of promoting nature-based tourism; and second, to encourage health and wellness by promoting these recreational facilities as great places for free, close-to-home physical activity. A printed version will be widely distributed, and will be supplemented by a web-based electronic version as well.

 

Gettysburg Inner Loop Greenway Mater Plan, Healthy Adams Bicycle/Pedestrian, Inc (HABPI)

Healthy Adams Bicycle/Pedestrian, Inc.(HABPI) is a non-profit group of volunteers who are working to develop walking and bicycling trails or paths in Adams County for recreation and transportation. This project will create an essential Greenway Master Plan for the section of the Gettysburg Inner Loop (GIL) from the Gettysburg Post Office on Buford Avenue to the new Bus Hub on Carlisle Street. The most critical question that will be answered is the precise alignment/trail type/greenway description on West Railroad Street. Creating a master plan of this segment now will enable timely construction as it will answer critical questions in our approach to shovel ready status.

 

South Mountain Birding Guide, Audubon PA

The Audubon PA looked to develop a web-based and printed guide for watching birds within and around the periphery of the entire South Mountain in Pennsylvania. The guide will include general information about the value of South Mountain to nesting and migrating birds. It will also identify (via map and text) specific birding sites, directions, and interesting or unique species found at each site by season.

A web version of the trail will be featured as a regional focal area within the existing state-wide Pennsylvania Birding Trail website. A printed version will also be produced as a two-sided map that folds down to an an easy-to-carry brochure size.