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  The
scenic banks of the Loyalsock Creek in Montoursville
are the site of a Susquehanna River study by Lycoming
College's Clean Water Institute. Funded by a $20,500
Growing Greener Grant, this project brings a Pennsylvania
community together to solve its environmental problems.
"This grant is making possible
our study of 75 miles of the West Branch Susquehanna
River and its major tributaries," says Dr. Zimmerman,
Lycoming College Biology Department Chair. "The
data will be made available to citizens so they can
take better care of their watersheds. The institute
will assist townships, watershed groups and others trying
to obtain and interpret water-quality information."
Dr. Zimmerman envisions community involvement
to identify areas along the river where opportunities
for maintaining an improving the river exist. Taking
advantage of the resources available, Dr. Zimmerman
is working toward the restoration and protection of
Pennsylvania's environment.
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  Presenting
the need to preserve our natural resources in an interactive
and fun way is the challenge to Tim Eichner, director
of the Keystone College Water Discovery Center in Lackawanna
County.
The Water Discovery Center is an innovative
community water and watershed study center. Having received
a $31,430 Growing Greener grant, Tim plans to take advantage
of new technology available to improve the center's
services.
One such improvement is a Water Discovery
Trail Virtual Field Trip on CD-ROM. This advanced technology
takes you on a step-by-step, multi-media tour of Keystone's
Water Discovery Trail and water resources. The center
also loans sampling equipment for those interested in
doing their own water quality teaching.
Through the center, Growing Greener
and people like Tim give the public the tools to take
action on water-related issues and watershed activities.
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 The
Stream Team: Pennsylvania's version of an environmental
dream team. Sixty community volunteers and 120
students from six schools make up the Stream Team
that has monitored 100 stream sites along the
Kiski-Conemaugh River Basin.
With Tom Grote coaching, the Stream
Team will be expanding its monitoring program
throughout the basin with a $5,675 Growing Greener
grant. The Stream Team will locate sites not currently
being monitored, purchase monitoring equipment
and begin a public education campaign.
"By adding more monitoring
sites, the Stream Team can better plan remediation
projects throughout the river basin and continue
to improve water quality." says Tom, the
project coordinator of the Kiski Basin and Environs
Initiative.
To Growing Greener, the Stream Team will always
be winners.
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 In
protecting Pennsylvania's lush resources, we ensure
a cleaner and greener environment for generations
to come. Twelve-year-old Kimberly Mann proves
that you are never too you to start, and 68-year-old
Arthur Sconing proves that you are never old enough
to stop.
 "I
am sure that you don't want the next generation
to live in a world that has no real outdoors.
I know I don't," says Kimberly.
Now she and her schoolmates from
Allen Middle School will have the opportunity
to make a difference. So will Arthur Sconing,
a member of the Capital Region Senior Environment
Crops.
Through a $19,000 Growing Greener
grant, Lower Allen Township, Cumberland County,
formed the Yellow Breeches Watershed Alliance
to perform a comprehensive assessment of that
watershed. Volunteers like Kimberly and Arthur
will take an active role identifying priority
water quality projects.
"We need programs like Gov.
Ridge's 'Growing Greener' to help our work and
create alliances," says Sconing. Following
their lead, we can ensure that Pennsylvania grows
greener for years to come.
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Imagine
a place with towering trees, beautiful meadows,
lush wetlands, and flourishing gardens. Certainly
a place like this could only exist in the far
reaches of the imagination... or Pennsylvania.
The Awbury Arboretum in Germantown reminds visitors
just how precious our environment can be.
The 55-acre urban arboretum serves
the community not only as a beautiful vista, but
also as an outdoor classroom. Nicki Toizer gets
to be the teacher.
She is the education manager for
the Awbury Arboretum Association,
offering environmental education to more than
6,000 children and families a year. Growing Greener
has taken the opportunity to aid their efforts
with a $13,000 grant.
With Growing Greener funding,
Nicki and the association are able to implement
a new watershed-protection education initiative.
This project will greatly increase the public's
awareness of the Frankford-Tacony Watershed, a
heavily urbanized watershed that flows through
some of  Philadelphia's
most deprived neighborhoods.
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