Two from county among honorees
The South Branch Tunkhannock Creek Watershed Coalition and Dorrance Belin, both of Lackawanna County, will be included among honorees at an upcoming gala.
The South Branch Tunkhannock Creek Watershed Coalition is being honored for its activities to protect and maintain the South Branch Tunkhannock Creek Watershed.
The 21st annual Environmental Partnership Awards Dinner, “An Evening for Pennsylvania’s Environment,” will be held Oct. 27 at 5 p.m. at the Woodlands Inn & Resort, Route 315, Wilkes-Barre.
The South Branch Tunkhannock Creek Watershed Coalition is being honored for its activities to protect and maintain the South Branch Tunkhannock Creek Watershed.
Belin will be awarded the 17th annual Thomas P. Shelburne Environmental Leadership Award. For the past 40 years, Belin has been a constant presence in environmental protection in the area, and is also a founding member of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Chapter of the Nature Conservancy and the Countryside Conservancy.
Overall, there are seven honorees, also including Earth Conservancy of Luzerne County, Joseph Orlowsky of Schuylkill County, SEEDS of NEPA, Robert Skulsky of Luzerne County and Bonnie Smith of Luzerne County. The winners are chosen via a nomination process.
The dinner, which usually draws about 300, begins with an hour and a half networking reception, to give attendees time to mingle with the award recipients, speakers and other individuals and organizations working for the environmental benefit of the region and also examine the displays about local projects, said Janet Sweeney, of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council.
Emceed by Thomas Makowski from Borton Lawson, the dinner will include Keynote Speaker Secretary Michael Krancer from Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, commentary from Richard Allan, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and awards.
“Now in its 21st year, the regionally acclaimed Environmental Partnership Awards program pays tribute to those organizations and individuals of Northeastern Pennsylvania that have achieved environmental protection or conservation through partnering with others. By presenting these awards, we hope to encourage others in the community to emulate the methods and achievements of the honorees,” said Sweeney.
According to Sweeney, the awards were first established in 1990, as an Earth Day project of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Environmental Partners. “In the time since, the awards have become a highly coveted honor. Their intent now, as it was then, is to salute those who bring diverse groups and individuals together to solve problems of common interest and to recognize those who use partnering as their primary method to achieve environmental progress,” she added.
The Thomas P. Shelburne Environmental Leadership was established in 1995, after Shelburne who “was a highly respected community leader, who devoted himself, over four decades, to the protection and improvement of Pennsylvania’s environment. Each year, this award honors an individual who has devoted a large part of his/her life to environmental protection and has proven to be an inspiring leader and a champion of partnering,” said Sweeney. This year, Belin will accept this honor.
Tickets can be obtained by calling the NE Office of PEC at 570.718.6507. There are tickets available, beginning at $50 .
To become involved with the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, contact 570.718.6507 or visit www.pecpa.org