Community Outreach

The Center’s public engagement and outreach ensures that our research is connected and communicated to decision makers and stakeholders in a high priority region of Pennsylvania.
By engaging key decision makers at all levels, the Center’s outreach and engagement facilitates a greater understanding and opportunity to overcome barriers to widespread adoption of green infrastructure approaches to stormwater management in Pennsylvania and beyond.

Click here to download the poster.

Community Partners Council (CPC)

The Community Partners Council (CPC) is the stakeholder advisory committee for the Center. Members represent a diversity of stormwater decision makers and stakeholders within the target region. The CPC provides advice and guidance for research approaches and objectives, ensuring that CNS’ research is relevant to decision makers and transferable.

  • John Bingham, East Hempfield Township (Lancaster Co.)
  • Matt Bonanno, P.E., HRG, Inc.
  • Andrew Gavin, Susquehanna River Basin Commission
  • Michael LaSala, LandStudies, Inc.
  • Steve Letavic, Londonderry Township (Dauphin Co.)
  • Fritz Schroeder, Lancaster County Conservancy
  • Shiela Warluft, North Lebanon Township (Lebanon Co.)
  • Shannon Williams, P.E., Capital Region Water

Science Advisory Committee

The Science Advisory Committee is composed of scientific experts in relevant fields of stormwater management. The SAC provides the Center’s research team advice and guidance on programmatic matters and priorities for research, integration, outreach and engagement and evaluates the merit, value and contribution of the Center’s research and engagement.

  • Michele Adams, P.E., Meliora Design
  • Harry Campbell, Chesapeake Bay Foundation
  • Kelly Gutshall, LandStudies, Inc.
  • Paul Leisnham, Ph.D., University of Maryland
  • Ken Murin, PA Department of Environmental Protection

2013 Green Infrastructure Forum: A Dialogue About Dealing with Stormwater in the Lower Susquehanna

On June 26, 2013 the Center held a “Green Infrastructure Forum” at the Penn State Harrisburg campus. A diverse group of over 40 invited stakeholders and decision makers involved in stormwater management (including CPC members) attended the event. The forum allowed researchers to describe the overall research and engagement objectives of the Center, CPC meetingpresent research plans, and receive feedback from attendees. Sessions were also held in which research team members led small group facilitated sessions to learn about local green infrastructure successes and challenges, identify and explore barriers and suggest potential solutions for overcoming those barriers. Results from the forum have helped provide feedback to the research teams and have helped shape research plans and approaches moving forward.

Click here to view the full report.

2017 Chesapeake Stormwater Summit: Overcoming Barriers to Green Infrastructure Solutions

On October 27, 2017 the Center held a “Chesapeake Stormwater Summit” at the Penn State Harrisburg campus. A diverse group of over 65  stakeholders and decision makers involved in stormwater management attended the event.  Municipalities, state agencies, non-profits, engineering firms, landscape professionals, and Penn State Extension were all represented. The results of the research projects were shared during the morning of the event. This set the stage for afternoon small-group discussions that addressed the questions of:

  • How do we increase understanding of and public support for green infrastructure projects and how can projects be adapted to better address public concerns?
  • Collaboration and watershed-based approaches are often cited as important strategies for successfully managing stormwater. What strategies have you seen that have led to successful collaborative approaches? Alternatively, what barriers exist to collaboration and how can they be overcome?
  • How does technical capacity for planning, designing, installing, and maintaining green infrastructure need to improve? What resources are needed?
  • What funding strategies are needed to meet Chesapeake Bay and local water quality goals for stormwater? How would these strategies best overcome barriers or resistance to funding green infrastructure stormwater approaches?Click here to view the full report

Meetings

(click to download agenda and minutes)

SAC Meeting Sept 22, 2014

Future Activities

Future activities include: a stormwater conference to bring stakeholders together and discuss opportunities for collaboration and innovation in meeting stormwater water quality objectives in Pennsylvania’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed; community workshops to share research results and recommendations and facilitate greater adoption of green infrastructure approaches.