Pine Grove Lecture to Kick off South Mountain Speaker Series in Cumberland County

HARRISBURG, Pa., May 14, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The third season of an innovative series of speakers will begin Sunday, May 20 at Pine Grove Furnace State Park. The series is intended to engage citizens in conserving the South Mountain region's natural landscapes by exploring lessons from the past.

The discussion, entitled "Pine Grove: Connecting Geology and Human History," runs from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Furnace Stack Pavilion at the park and is free and open to the public.

The lecture will be given by Helen Delano, senior geologist with the DCNR Bureau of Topographic and Geologic Survey, and Noel Potter, retired Earth Sciences professor at Dickinson College.

"The geology and topography of this South Mountain location provide all the necessary raw materials and an excellent setting for iron making," Delano said.  "With charcoal from the local forests, Pine Grove Furnace was a self-contained, very successful industrial facility for more than 100 years. This is a nice example of the ways in which geology and human history are interrelated."   

The entire event runs from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Participants are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and a picnic lunch or purchase lunch at the Pine Grove General Store.

There will be history talks; walking tours; music; guided tours of the Ironmaster's Mansion including a new historical society exhibit; activities for children; tours of the Appalachian Trail Museum and more. 

This is the third year for the South Mountain Speakers Series, envisioned as a revival of the talks given by Joseph Rothrock in the late 19th century as part of his work to preserve and restore Pennsylvania's forests and natural landscape. His educational mission became a catalyst for lasting change in the state's environmental history.

This lecture is sponsored by the Cumberland County Historical Society, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, DCNR and the South Mountain Partnership.

The next talk in the series will be "Bank Barns of Cumberland Valley" on July 19 at the Community Center at Norlo Park, Fayetteville. 

The partnership is a group of citizens, businesses, non-profit organizations and government representatives in Adams, Cumberland, Franklin and York counties, working together to protect and enhance the landscape.

The South Mountain Partnership was sparked by DCNR's Conservation Landscape Initiative -- an effort to engage communities, local partners, state agencies and funding opportunities to conserve the high-quality natural and cultural resources while enhancing the region's economic viability.

South Mountain is at the northern end of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Communities in the 400,000-acre region have thrived off fertile limestone agricultural lands, the timber that fed iron furnaces, plentiful game and wildlife, and abundant pure spring water that is captured by the mountains' permeable soils and released into the valleys. A rich cultural heritage exists in communities like Gettysburg, Chambersburg and Carlisle, and many smaller communities.

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

Some of the earlier lectures in the speaker series can now be found on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/SouthMtnSpeakers.

Media contact: Christina Novak, 717-772-9101

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

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