9:00 – 11:45 am | Spring Partnership Meeting
1:00 – 5:30 pm | South Mountain Science Summit
Twice annually (Spring and Winter), the Partnership holds a Partnership-wide meeting for all partners and any interested individuals or organizations to come together and build relationships and collaborations around the promotion and preservation of our region’s landscape resources. This event includes breakfast snacks and coffee. These meetings are a chance to:
➔ Connect or reconnect with the Partnership, learning more about initiatives and on-going projects
➔ Build and strengthen our network of people and organizations working throughout the region
➔ Spark conversation and collaboration across political and sectorial boundaries
➔ Engage 50+ partners in on-going work throughout the region
➔ Involve partners in defining the direction of the Partnership
The same afternoon we are excited to host our third South Mountain Science Summit. The summit will feature presentations of important research conducted here in the South Mountain Landscape. This is also intended to be a gathering where students, faculty, land managers, planners, and land use professionals can meet, network, and envision the future of science and research in South Mountain.
About the Event
Our Spring Partnership Meeting will include a welcome and update from our host Cumberland County. Stay tuned for updates on their Comprehensive Plan update and specifically their Land Partnerships Plan. Other topics of interest include hearing an update on the Highlands Conservation Act and what new boundaries may mean for our region. We will also launch our first State of the Region implementation project during this meeting and hear from the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy on their planned update of the Natural Heritage Inventory (including surveys for protected plants and animals) in our four-county area!
Over lunch enjoy a walk on the Cumberland Valley Rail Trail or visit Shippensburg University Fashion Archives and sign up for a paid lunch, or bring a bagged lunch to enjoy. Everyone is welcome to participate in the lunch regardless of which events you are attending.
The South Mountain Science Summit will feature a welcome from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and then will dive into research projects from students and land managers in the region. We will end with a discussion on research priorities for the region. Finally, we will have a networking reception following the event to connect student researchers, organizations, and land managers.