Go Local for Health: September 18th, 2012

Join Us at Go Local for Health on September 18th, 2012

 

Join us at the Gettysburg Hotel for the Go Local for Health Summit, featuring a South Mountain Speaker as the keynote event. As keynote speaker, Gina Calhoun of the Copeland Center will discuss the link of mental health to healthy eating, exercise, and access to the outdoors. Gina's keynote will commence at 8:30 a.m. REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. To register click here

Go Local for Health is a regional summit, to be held in September 18, 2012, uniting community leaders, stakeholders and the general public on the issues of affordable and accessible healthy eating and recreation opportunities in south central Pennsylvania. Rates of chronic diseases and related risk factors continue to increase locally and a comprehensive approach is needed to address them.

Go Local for Health attendees will be educated on current community efforts and national best practices, and participate in planning dialogues about promoting health regionally.

To learn more about the whole day summit, visit
http://golocal4health.blogspot.com/

News for Immediate Release: Keeping Fruit Healthy

News for Immediate Release
Sept. 4, 2012
DCNR: Next South Mountain Lecture to Focus on the Challenges of Keeping Fruit Healthy

 

Harrisburg – Efforts to keep fruit healthy in the orchards around the southcentral region will be the topic of the next lecture in the South Mountain Speakers Series on Saturday, Sept. 8, at the Penn State University Fruit Research and Extension Center at 290 University Drive, Biglerville, Adams County.

 

At 1 p.m., David Biddinger, biocontrol specialist and researcher at the PSU Fruit Research and Extension Center, will discuss some of these challenges, followed by a tour of the FREC outdoor research facility.

“Fruit growers are constantly encountering new invasive species and diseases that threaten the health of the numerous orchards that dot the South Mountain area,” said Allen Dieterich-Ward, an associate professor of history at Shippensburg University and the chair of the South Mountain Partnership committee on the speaker series. “Participants will find out how scientists and growers combat these threats to the South Mountain fruit belt, and learn more about research programs during a tour of the center’s grounds.”

Head to the South Mountain Speakers Series Blog to read the full Press Release, here.

Or, download your own copy of the Press Release, here!

 

Keeping Fruit Healthy: Join Us on Saturday, September 8th, 2012!

 

What does it take to keep fruit healthy?

 

Fruit growers are constantly encountering new invasive species and disease that threaten the health of the numerous orchards that dot the South Mountain area. David Biddinger, biocontrol specialist and researcher at the PSU Fruit Research and Extension Center, will discuss some of these challenges. The brown marmorated stink bug has caused considerable crop losses for fruit growers, and populations of native pollinators have experienced massive declines.

 

Find out how scientists and growers combat these threats to the South Mountain fruit belt, and learn more about research programs during a tour of the Fruit Research and Extension Center’s grounds in Biglerville, Adams County.

Stink Bugs, Other Challenges Focus of Fruit Lecture

South Mountain Speakers Series continues with a new lecture Saturday in Biglerville

It's not easy getting apples and cherries and other locally grown fruit to roadside stands and grocery stores.

Just keeping the fruit healthy as it grows through the warm summer months in the orchards around Adams County and the South Mountain region comes with its own set of challenges, and many growers can attest there seem to be more and more of those challenges every year.

The difficulties fruit farmers face and how researchers are working to combat those problems will be the focus of a lecture 1 p.m. Saturday at the Penn State Fruit Research and Extension Center.

At the next lecture in the South Mountain Speakers Series, biocontrol specialist and researcher David Biddinger will discuss the latest crop of challenges, ranging from the stink-bug infestation that has caused considerable crop loss, to the decline of native pollinator populations.

 Light refreshments will be served, and his lecture will be followed by a tour of the research facility.

"Fruit growers are constantly encountering new invasive species and diseases that threaten the health of the numerous orchards that dot the South Mountain area," said Allen Dieterich-Ward, chairman of the South Mountain Partnership's speaker series committee. "Participants will find out how scientists and growers combat these threats to the South Mountain fruit belt, and learn more about research programs during a tour of the center's grounds."

Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources spokeswoman Christina Novak said this is the third year of the speaker series, hosted by the partnership, and more than 1,000 people have attended lectures, held throughout the region.

The series was inspired by the 19th century talks given by forest-management pioneer Joseph Rothrock, who worked to preserve and restore Pennsylvania's forests and natural landscape.

The next lecture in the series is set for Tuesday, Sept. 18 at the Gettysburg Hotel when Gina Calhoun of the Copeland Center will discuss the mental-health benefits of healthy eating, exercise and access to the outdoors.

The South Mountain Partnership is made up of various organizations and citizens that work to protect the region's natural and cultural resources.

For more information about the series, visit http://southmountainspeakers.blogspot.com, or call the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, 717-258-5771.

You can check out some previous lectures at www.youtube.com/user/SouthMtnSpeakers.

IF YOU GO The next lecture in the South Mountain Speakers Series is set for 1 p.m. Saturday at the Penn State Fruit Research and Extension Center, 290 University Drive, Biglerville. Biocontrol specialist and researcher David Biddinger will discuss the challenges local fruit growers face. The lecture will be followed by a tour of the outdoor research facility.