Clean Water Conversations

Send us Fan MailWe continue our theme of education in the conservation world with this Conversation with Lancaster County's three formal institutes of higher learning. Franklin & Marshall College, Millersville University, and Elizabethtown College each provide robust environmental studies programs, complemented by hands-on and extracurricular experiences that deepen student learning. Beyond campus, all three are actively involved with local K–12 students through outreach efforts, partnerships, and educational programming.Together, these efforts highlight a shared priority across Lancaster County’s higher education institutions: not only educating students about environmental stewardship, but fostering a broader culture of responsibility and care that extends to future generations.Watershed Education Training Institute

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we talk with Diana Oviedo Vargas and Melinda Daniels, Research Scientists from Stroud Water Research Center about what brought them to water science, the impact Stroud is making in helping to positively affect our waterways, and we play a game of Hiking Trivia.

Send us Fan MailSeason 5 of Clean Water Conversations is all about environmental education and who better to talk on the subject than Tom Ackerman, the Vice President of Education at Chesapeake Bay Foundation? We talk with Tom about the challenges and rewards of getting students outside of the classroom, the current curriculum, and saving Abraham Lincoln. We also play a round of National Park trivia. 

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we are talking with Mr. Brandon Bixler, Agriculture and Environmental studies teacher and FFA staff advisor at McCaskey High School and Valerie Gray, student and president of the FFA Chapter at McCaskey High School. We discuss FFA in an urban school setting, how to explain Lancaster County farming to Floridians and how a stuffed bird can make a good booth-minder.   Learn more about McCaskey High School's FFA Chapter

Send us Fan MailSeason 5 is all about conservation education from the ground up; from kids to adults, from conservation entusiasts to conservation professionals.  We celebrate the people and programs that share the knowledge that makes a difference to our waters.   Season 5 of Clean Water Conversations is sponsored by RK&KWe begin season 5 with a conversation with Angie Martin, the Director for Community Engagement at the Edible Classroom.  We discuss teaching kids about growing and cooking their own food through hands-on experience, regenerative conservation, and kunekune pigs.  Then we play a deceptive, literary game of trivia.  You just might learn something while having fun!Referenced links in this episode:The Edible Classroom - https://theedibleclassroom.org/Read more about the Ebible Classroom in Alliance for the Chesapeak Bay's newsletter 

Send us Fan MailWe wrap up season 4 by talking to Drew Robinson, Communications Director for the Choose Clean Water Coalition and Chair for the Development and Communications Committee at Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake>  We discuss Conservation Communications and storytelling, the updated Bay Agreement, The Choose Clean Water Conference coming to Lancaster in May, and more! We also play a round of trivia that Drew just knocked out of the park!   Links discussed in this episode:Choose Clean Water ConferenceCause CampVote for River of the YearMusic credit:"Over There" (1917), George M. Cohan (Public Domain)

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we celebrate Lancaster County Conservation District's 74th anniversary with Assistant District Manager, Matt Kofroth.  We talk about the history of the Conservation District, some of the amazing work being done now, and where the future may lie.  We also play a game of "75th" Trivia.You can find more about Lancaster County Conservation District at https://lancasterconservation.org/

Send us Fan MailOn this episode, we talk with Bess Langbein, partner of Due East Partners, about networking, the Common Agenda, hometown fun, and coming home when the streetlights came on.  Because she is so involved in her kids' activities, we played a round of Youth Sports Trivia.To learn more about Due East Partners, go to https://dueeastpartners.com/

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we talk with Jenn Fetter, the Water Resources Team Leader at Penn State Extension and Director of the Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training (CACAT). We discuss groundwater, educating students, from children to adults, and growing up Gen X.  And for the theme park fan and self-described "connoisseur of eating", we played an exciting round of trivia about theme park food.

Send us Fan MailThe newest episode of the Clean Water Conversations podcast is available now!   In this episode, we talk with Dr. Patrick Fleming, Associate Professor of Economics and Public Policy, Program Chair of Public Policy at Franklin & Marshall College, Co-Director of the Chesapeake Watershed Institute.  We talk economics, local clean water projects, and his job as a farmer at Verdant View Farms.We play a round of goat trivia and a bonus round of G.O.A.T. trivia.

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we talk with Scott Peiifer, the recently retired Manager of Quarryville Borough, hiker, gardener, and surfer.  He is truly a Renaissance man with a passion for his community, helping the next generation, and going above and beyond expectations.This episode is brought to you, in part, by our Contributing Sponsor, Native Nook Nursery and Nature Shop.

Send us Fan Mail We are back with season 4 of the Clean Water Conversations podcast.  In the latest episode, we talk with Emily Broich.  Emily serves as the Green Infrastructures & Forest Projects Coordinator at the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay.  We discuss her past at the Conservation District and US Fish & Wildlife Service, green infrastructure, and birds.  We also play a wild round of trivia!  The copyright for the song "Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)" as performed by The Byrds resides with Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment.

Send us Fan MailWe are wrapping up season 3 from the NFWF Crescendo in Collaboration celebration at Ascension Lutheran Church.  We give some of the highlights from season 3, talk with Ryan Hill from Chesapeake Conservancy, and give a little sneak peak into what you can expect for season 4.Thank you to Chesapeake Conservancy for sponsoring this season and most of all, thank you to you, the listeners, for joining us for this exciting adventure towards clean and clean water here in Lancaster by 2040.

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we talk with Ryan Foltz and Sam Son, two of the owners of Pour Man's Brewing and St. Boniface Brewing.  We hear about how they got their start, the importance of clean water to brewing and all about their special Water Week Beer, Ripple Effect along with Our Town Brewing.Head to Our Town Brewery or Pour Man's Brewing Company to get a Ripple Effect pale ale today, or look for it at your local beer distributor. And join us for over 60 events during Lancaster Water Week from June 6-14! For more information on Pour Man's Brewing, go to:Website - https://pourmansbrewingco.com/home/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100045363736476#Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/pourmansbrewingco/For more information about St Boniface Brewing, go to:Website - https://stbonifacebewing.comFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/StBonifaceBrewing/For more information about Lancaster Water Week, go to:https://www.lancasterconservancy.org/water-week/

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we speak with Director of High Impact for the High Foundation and Executive Director of the Partners for Environmental Stewardship, Diana Martin.  World traveler, adventurer, organic farming enthusiast and Lancaster City advocate, Diana tells compelling stories and shares exciting plans for the Sunnyside project!The logo for Partnership for Environmental StewardshipThank you, as always, to our podcast sponsor: Chesapeake Conservancy

Send us Fan MailIn this episode we are talking with Natalie Johnson and Mike Hudson from Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake.  We discuss the amazing work being done by local congregations, growth within the organization under the leadership of the new Executive Director, the power of collaboration and we play a trivia around called For the Birds, For the Beach.To find IPC's list of upcoming events, go to: https://www.interfaithchesapeake.org/eventsThank you, as always, to our podcast sponsior: Chesapeake Conservancy

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we are talking about the Blue-Green Connector project, Lancaster Science Factory and learning through the Covid years with the Director of Education & Environmental Strategy at the Little Conestoga Creek Foundation through the Steinman Foundation, Emily Landis.  She is a fun guest, an excellent storyteller and plays a mean game of mixed-bag trivia.The logo discussed for the Blue-Green Connector can be seen at https://lancastercleanwaterpartners.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/BGC_Secondary_FullColor_GDC_24.jpgThe new, updaterd website for the Blue-Green Connector is here!

Send us Fan MailOn January 28, 2025, a memorandum was released from the White House Office of Management and Budget that,“Federal agencies must temporarily pause all activities related to the disbursement of Federal financial assistance.” Although that edict was rescinded, some funding sources remain unavailable.In this episode, Allyson and Kenn discuss the ripple effect of this decision, how it affects our partners and how we, as a collaborative network, can lean on each other for support, wisdom and encouragement to keep pushing toward our shared goal of clean and clear by 2040.Resources mentioned in this episode:https://www.choosecleanwater.org/fundingfreezehttps://collectiveimpactforum.org/resource/defending-and-advancing-democracy-and-equity-in-collective-impact-work/ 

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we are chatting with Brian Gish, the Senior Watershed Planner at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF).  He discusses CBF's focus on local waterways, tells some great personal stories,  avoids acronym buzzers like he's walking through a minefield and tells us about the local legend of the Albatwitch.This episode is sponsored by Chesapeake Conservancy.

Send us Fan MailSeason 3 kicks off with a chat with Jenna Mitchell Beckett, Pennsylvania State Director and Agriculture Program Director at the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay and is also the current Chair of the Lancaster Clean Water Partners Board of Trustees.  She discusses her beginnings at Lancaster County Conservation District and her work in collaboration with some pretty conservation-minded corporations and plays a "mother" of a round of trivia.We are also delighted to welcome our first sponsor; Chesapeake Conservancy, working to conserve and restore the natural and cultural resources of the Chesapeake Bay watershed for the enjoyment, education and inspiration of this and future generations.  

Send us Fan MailThank you for a great first year!  In this finale of both season 2 and our first year, Allyson and Kenn talk about their list of awesomeness for the year of the show, play highlights, give updates have a little fun and, of course, dodge acronyms.   

Send us Fan MailThis week, we talk with Mike Lasala, the CAP Coordinator Team lead.  He is also a Specialist/Analyst and Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Program Manager from LandStudies, Inc.  He discusses the Countywide Action Plan, the team's purpose, steps beyond 2025...and darn near breaks our acronym buzzer!

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we talk with Hilary Harp Falk, the President and CEO of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) about the Bay, network building, Lancaster's reputation and spaghetti pizza.  This is an amazing opportunity to learn a few things from the founder of Choose Clean Water Coalition.  If you're not careful, you may learn a thing or two.

Send us Fan MailIn This episode talk with Dave Koser and Kim Shorter from Lancaster County Community Foundation about the ExtraGive to be held on November 22.  It is an informative, entertaining, laughter-filled, acronym buzz-fest!  A 24-hour opportunity of giving to benefit organizations (CBOs) that enhance our lives in Lancaster County, the ExtraGive is a community celebration of giving inspiring thousands of individual donations and shining a light on the work of our community benefit sector. Since they launched the first Extraordinary Give in 2012, our community has raised more than $100 Million for regional organizations.

Send us Fan MailOn this episode, we chat with Acting Deputy Secretary, Office of Water Programs at Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Jill Whitcomb.  This was a really fun episode as we discuss the successes of the collaborative network, her past at the Lancaster County Conservation District and her hometown that was named after a bar.

Send us Fan MailWe are doing something a little different to celebrate the middle of season 2.  This is a short but sweet episode. We are introducing the backbone organization aka, our awesome internal team here at Lancaster Clean Water Partners!  

Send us Fan MailWe sat down with Terry Kauffman and Justin Sauder, two of the partner leads in East Earl Township.  What a great story about collaboration with landowners, foresight by leadership and a municipality making a difference!  We also played the most mixed-bag round of trivia.For information about the Clean Water Fund Awardees, go to https://lancastercleanwaterpartners.com/clear-water-fund-small-implementation-grantees-announced/For more information about the work East Earl Township is doing, go to https://www.eastearltwp.org/

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we're talking about Lancaster Watershed Leadership Academy with Matt Royer, Associate Director of Partnerships & Engagement at Penn State, a        member of the Board of Trustees for Lancaster Clean Water Partners and co-founder of Lancaster Watershed Leadership Academy and Cathleen Anthony, Pennsylvania Projects Associate, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay and a graduate of the 2023 Lancaster Watershed Leadership Academy class.To apply, nominate a potential scholar or to learn more about Lancaster Watershed Leadership Academy, click here. 

Send us Fan MailWe are back and kicking off season 2 with a doozie! Lauren Beal is the Executive Director of the Lancaster STEM Alliance, the Associate Director of Educational Partnerships at IU13 and a member of the Board of Trustees at Lancaster Clean Water Partners.  She talks about the amazing programs available to students through Lancaster STEM Alliance and IU13, tells us who she would add to Mount Rushmore and celebrates getting an acronym buzz!Links to programs and events mentioned in the episode:Workforce 2030 Summit: https://www.lancasterstem.org/workforce-2030/Inspire Lancaster: https://www.lancasterstem.org/inspire/

Send us Fan MailThis season finale is a celebration of the stories, the guests and the fun of our first season.  This episode was recorded live on Facebook from Stauffer Run in Lancaster, PA, so the audio is not as clear as it normally is.  To see the video, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzPBBWdoq2A.  Special thanks to Christina Martin, who served as our technical director during the live recording.Thank you to everyone who made season 1 a success.  We will be back in September with season 2!

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we talk with Carly Dean, the Director of Chesapeake Tributary Initiatives for Chesapeake Conservancy.  We hear from Carly about the Chesapeake view of the work being done in Lancaster County, the Conservancy's work with GIS (Geographic Information Systems) mapping and her favorite Halloween costume .  You can see the character on which it was based at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/15YNpxpP0DgJV7a1RwHUgcGkFmxQV5es1. It was a blast having Carly on the show!

Send us Fan MailWe are back with part 2 of our Lancaster Water Week conversation with Kelly Snavely and Keith Williams of Lancaster Conservancy.  The 8th Annual Lancaster Water Week will be held June 7-15, 2024!Special thanks to the event sponsor, High Foundation.For more information and event schedules, go to LancasterWaterWeek.org

Send us Fan MailLancaster Water Week is June 7 - 15, 2024In part 1 of 2, we are talking with Kelly Snavely and Keith Williams from Lancaster Conservancy.  Along with a team of volunteers, they are planning this year's celebration, which boasts over 60 events all across Lancaster County.  We find out more details about Lancaster Water Week, find out the titles of Kelly and Keith's autobiographies and play half a round of trivia.Thank you to Lancaster Water Week presenting sponsor the High Foundation, and all other sponsors and partners for making this celebration of our streams and rivers possible. Learn more and register for Water Week events happening June 7-15, 2024 at www.lancasterwaterweek.org.

Send us Fan MailWe hit the big time with this episode's guest!  Adam Ortiz is the Regional Administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency!  He talks about collaboration, the work being done in PA and tests the limits of the acronym rule.  He also "phones a friend" during trivia (that's new)!  What a treat to have him on the show!Don't forget to tell us what you like most about spring.  We will pick a random response and give the sender a prize!  [email protected]

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we talk with Steve Campbell, the Director of Public Works for the City of Lancaster and a member of the Board of Trustees for Lancaster Clean Water Partners.  We hear from Steve about the Combined Sewer Overflow, green infrastructure and his very interesting backstory.  Kenn gets buzzed for using an acronym and Allyson is rendered speechless by Steve's icebreaker answer.

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we talk with Molly Deger, the Deputy Director of Public Works in the Sustainability & Environment Division for the City of Lancaster.  We discuss the City's combined sewer overflow, neighborhood engagement and the Climate Action Plan.  We even have a debate over the number of sleeping bag shapes!  If you know the correct answer, please let us know at [email protected].

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we talk with Digital Operations Marketing Director for LNP Media Group and 2023 Lancaster Watershed Leadership Academy graduate, Sally Reynolds. We learn about her take on news coverage of clean water, her involvement with Lower Susquehanna Riverkeepers and what a bubblegum welder is.  And, of course, we play a round of trivia.

Send us Fan MailThe train keeps a' rollin'!In this episode, we chat with Lamonte Garber; Watershed Restoration Coordinator at Stroud Water Research Center, conservation rock star, and Good Natured Pennsylvanian!  We talk about streamside buffers, what makes Pennsylvania special in the water world and how a Swiss army knife differs from a jogging light.And we play a tricky round of conservation lightning round trivia!Picture of Swiss Army Knife and running lightFor more information about Stroud Water Research Center, click here.

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we chat with Monique Dykman, the MS4 Environmental Specialist at Londonderry Township (and yes, she explains what MS4 is).  We discuss the Conewago Floodplain Restoration Project, how Allyson and Monique met...and Kenn's love of a good meadow.  And, of course, we play another round of lightning round conservation trivia!  For more information about the Conewago Creek Restoration Projects, go to https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/c3a1e7e257f54ad59b237e1d40417fa9

Send us Fan MailIn our premiere episode, we talk with Chris Thompson, the District Manager of Lancaster County Conservation District, about the origins of Lancaster Clean Water Partners.If your organization would like to become a partner, please go to https://lancastercleanwaterpartners.com/partner-sign-up/

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