Governor David L. Lawrence of Pennsylvania Signing His Proclamation of National Wildlife Week, at a ceremony in His Office at Harrisburg, February 6, 1959, with heads of State Conservation Departments and The Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs.

Seated:
Left to Right: Dr. Maurice K. Goddard, Secy. of the Department of Forests and Waters, The Governor, Seth L. Myers, PFSC Chairman for National Wildlife Week, Merton J. Golden.

Standing:
Left to Right: Everett G. Henderson, first Vice Pres. PFSC, Leslie W. Scoy, second Vice Pres. PFSC, John F. Laudadic Chair, PFSC Legislative Comm., H. R. Stackhouse Secretary, Penna, Fish commission, Charles E. Templeton, Mercer County Chairman, National Wildlife Week Committee of Pensylvania.

The Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs, Inc.
Its Founding Fathers
by Larry J. Schweiger

The twentieth century was in its first third and trying to get over the Great Depression. Most Pennsylvanians were just recovering from an economic frenzy and were scrambling about in an effort just to keep their homes and put food on the table. It was in this chaotic atmosphere that the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs was born. On the eleventh of February, 1932, a handful of men with vision and purpose formed the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs.

Ross Leffler, Judge Grover C. Ladner, Dr. John M. Phillips, Colin McF. Reed and John C. Youngman, met at the Pennsylvania Hotel in New York City and decided to move ahead with the statewide sportsmen's organization. This distinguished group of men were well-known conservationists throughout America.

Judge Ladner was later to become the Federation's first President and to go down in history as "a great parliamentarian and organizational statesman and an ardent conservationist." He was also well recognized as an outstanding Judge serving on the bench of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Ladner hailed from the North Liberty section of Philadelphia and graduated with high honors from the Northeast Manual Training School in 1902. Having completed his studies at the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1906, Ladner was admitted to the bar.

In a decisive move during his first year as President of an organization just learning to walk, Ladner wrote to all candidates for Governor with the following questions:

1. Stream Pollution.

Stream Pollution has reached a point where it threatens to destroy not only many industries which must have pure water for their processes, but endangers the comfort, health, and very lives of the people. It is apparent that measures so far adopted have not kept pace with the alarming increase of this evil. The problem is too huge to be remedied or even controlled by a single State Board at Harrisburg. Therefore, the aid of local communities must be enlisted.

Do you favor legislation empowering local communities to bring actions in the name of the Commonwealth for abatement of stream pollution, without being required to first obtain permission of the Attorney General or Sanitary Water Board?

2. Game, Fish, and Forestry Commissions.

The Game, Fish and Forestry Commissions of this Commonwealth have in the past been models of the nation. Their success has been due entirely to the fact that their personnel has been kept out of politics. Recently, politics has been beginning to creep into the Game Commission.

Will you pledge yourself to keep politics out of these important Commissions and oppose any effort to curtail the present discretionary powers of these Boards?

3. Hunting and Fishing License Funds.

The hunting and fishing license funds are composed of voluntary contributions by the sportsmen of the State and are not in any sense a tax. For this reason they have in the past been wisely segregated from other revenues of the State so that they could be used solely for the purposes for which they have been contributed.

Will you pledge yourself, if elected, to oppose any efforts that may be made to divert or merge these funds with other revenues of the State?

4. State Forests

The State Forests have demonstrated their inestimable value in protection of sources of water supply and water power, in flood control, in insuring an adequate supply of lumber for the future, in protection for wildlife and in providing suitable recreation or playgrounds for the people.

Are you in favor of extending State Forest areas by reforestation and purchase of more forest lands, and the appropriation of $1,000,000 annually, either out of current revenues or by bond issue provided for that purpose?

5. Fish Laws.

Under the present Fish Laws a fisherman who violates the law by catching a fish undersized or out of season, is punished by a penalty imposed upon him per fish. On the other hand, a stream polluter who kills fish by the thousands is punished merely by the imposition of a fine of $100.

Will you pledge yourself, if elected, to support a Bill such as House Bill #1027 (of the 1933 Session) which puts both on the same basis, that is, requires the stream polluter to pay the same penalty per fish as is imposed on the illegal fisherman?

One of Ladner's special concerns and the area for which he was well recognized was the restoration of water to a clean condition throughout the Commonwealth. In 1935 through 1937 for example, Ladner served as Deputy Attorney General of the Commonwealth and drew up the initial "Pure Streams Act." This Act, the Clean Streams Act, when passed in 1937, made it illegal to discharge raw sewage into the waters of the state.

Ladner was also responsible for other progressive pieces of legislation including the State Authority Act, which opened the way for acquisition of needed state property, Municipal Authority Act, Flood Control Act, and important revisions to the Magistrates Act in 1937. Ladner, as one of the founding fathers of the Federation and its first president was later elevated to the respected title of Honorary President.

Ross Leffler of New Florence began his career as a timekeeper at the Duquesne Works of the Carnegie Steel Company in 1910, and stayed with U.S. Steel until retirement as Assistant to the Executive Vice President of Operations. His interest and influence in Pennsylvania's conservation history spanned nearly a half century and left its indelible mark on the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Leffler, as State Secretary, attempted to bring all parties together into a "complete and harmonious understanding." This in itself was a great challenge as several organizations had been formed in recent years and were each attempting to develop a statewide sportsmen's organization. Organizations attempting to develop a statewide base included the Pennsylvania Wildlife League, the Pennsylvania Sportsmen's Council, and numerous areawide, multiclub units had already formed. Leffler's steadfast determination and commitment to the goal as well as his ability to communicate with various factions enabled the sportsmen to meet as a body. For instance, he made several commitments in a letter to interested sportsmen at that time to resolve their fears including:

1. "Every club shall retain its identity and freedom of expression.

2. "Every director shall truly represent the County he's elected from.

3. "The organization is to be free from any attempts at political control.

Leffler also affirmed a basic premise that a statewide organization of this character should be free from any dictation from any state official "as much as (it) may be necessary at times to criticize the acts of state officials and of course constructive criticism should always be welcome."

Another of Leffler's arguments for statewide organization was that with county and division organizations, "it is possible to have such incomplete understanding of somewhat intricate problems of the Fish and Game Administration." Leffler's appeal to sportsmen across the state ended with the following words, "kindly let me have a letter from you expressing your views on the above subject and whether you would be able to attend this meeting as I feel confident that such meeting would make conservation history."

Leffler served as a Game Commissioner for twenty-nine years, sixteen as its president. His first term with the Commission ended in a conflict ironically with conservationist Governor Gifford Pinchot who attempted to run the Commission from the Governor's office. (This was one of the strong motivations behind the sportsmen's organization into the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs).

Leffler was instrumental in organizing the world-famous Game Commission Training School for all field personnel and later went on to be appointed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to serve in the newly-created position of the Fish and Wildlife Service.

Leffler served as the President of the then young National Wildlife Federation, The International Association of Game, Fish and Conservation Commissioners, Vice President of the very powerful Boone and Crockett Club, and Director of the World Wildlife Fund.

Leffler also volunteered his time generously assisting Boy Scouts of America and was Life Member of the National Executive Board, founder and chairman of the Conservation Committee and a recipient of scouting's three highest awards -- the Silver Beaver, Silver Antelope, and the Silver Buffalo.

John M. Phillips was also a distinguished sportsman, very active in scouting, a member of the Boone and Crockett Club and The American Game Association. As a key member in the American Game Association's Game Preservation Committee, Phillips pushed hard for the treaty between the United States and Great Britain for the protection of migratory birds in the United States and Canada. (Duck Stamp Program). He was recognized nationally for his efforts. He was also selected to head the Committee on Game and Fur Bearing Animals at the National Recreation Conference opened by President Coolidge. Phillips was a founder and a subscriber to the Hornaday's permanent wildlife protection fund. As a hunter, he was an effective critic of some of the hunting abuses that he saw occurring in his earlier days. He was blunt with slob hunters and outspoken for wise use.

At one federation meeting, he appeared as a member of the Game Commission looking for a hunting license increase and said: "Boy Scouts pay five cents a week dues into their organization which amounts to $2.60 a year, and go out and help feed game in winter, plant trees and do other conservation work, while their fathers can go out in the woods for $2.00 and kill everything off."

John Macfarlane Phillips was a member of the Game Commission from 1905 to 1924 and was the prime mover behind the acquisition of Game Lands. The first acres of Game Lands were acquired June 15, 1920. He is considered by many to be the Father of our million-plus acres of wildlife areas. The sportsmen later erected a marker in his honor on the first Game Land tract acquired.

John C. Youngman is the last surviving founder of the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs. He was born January 25, 1903, in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and was educated at the public schools in Williamsport. He received a B.S. in economics in 1924 and his law degree at Harvard Law School in 1926. During the early years of the federation, Youngman served as the chairman of the very important Legislative Committee and helped to hammer out the Clean Streams Law of 1937. On the floor in 1939, Youngman was nominated and elected as the second President of the federation, replacing Judge Grover C. Ladner, who served seven years as the federation's first President.

During Youngman's term, the Federation took action calling for the first codification of the fish laws. The sportsmen also paid for and installed the Kalbfus Memorial Plaque on the wall of the State Capitol Rotunda. This plaque cost the Federation thirteen-hundred dollars. Also, during Youngman's term, the sportsmen were having apparent difficulties with a Fish Commissioner and adopted a resolution calling for Governor James to investigate charges against this Commissioner. This led to a lot of controversy within the organization. Beginning with Youngman's term, a couple sportsmen obviously ignorant of parliamentary procedure and apparently bent on sidetracking the federation's important work, succeeded at times in bogging the delegates down in endless trivia and complaints. With the help of Judge Ladner, President Youngman patiently and skillfully navigated through seemingly purposeless confrontation after confrontation.

One of the great things that came out of this term was the federation's adoption of its first and far-reaching position on "conservation education" as follows:

WHEREAS; the welfare and security of America are basically dependent upon our ability to wisely use and conserve our natural resources; and

WHEREAS; we believe that through the instrumentality of our democratic educational systems we provide our people with the necessary power and desire to enable them to accomplish their objectives; and

WHEREAS; we feel that the subject of conservation is of much imperative importance as to compel the people of Pennsylvania to become acquainted with its various aspects and problems so that they might the more intelligently use and conserve their natural resources, among which are soil, water, wildlife, forests, minerals and plant life -- aquatic as well as terrestrial; and

WHEREAS; the findings of the Committee on Conservation Education of the Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs of Pennsylvania show that the majority of our teachers are neither adequately trained nor properly equipped to teach conservation from a comprehensive point of view; and as it is related to the social sciences as well as the natural; and

WHEREAS; there is sufficient factual evidence to show that the mechanical obstructions which may have formerly prevented the teaching of conservation have been removed, and that there is a desire on the part of the public for such education;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED; that the Department of Public Instruction of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania be requested to institute a course in Conservation in the curriculum of all the teachers' colleges of this Commonwealth, the aim of the course being to prepare teachers for the teaching of conservation in public schools.

THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED; that the President of the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs forward a copy of this resolution to the heads of all civic and service groups, and request that they in like manner draw up and have approved a similar resolution to the effect that the Department of Public Instruction shall institute in the Teachers' Colleges, a course in Conservation Education, the aim being to prepare teachers for the teaching of Conservation in the public schools, and have such resolution forwarded to the Department of Public Instruction and such other persons and Departments as may be suggested by the President of this Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs.

In addition to being involved in the federation, Youngman personally was a strong advocate of pure streams and the Chairman of the Williamsport Sanitary Authority since its creation in 1952. He also served as legal advisor to the central division from its origin and many years later.

On September 19, 1975, John Youngman became the first and only founding father to be inducted into the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs Hall of Fame.

Colin McF. Reed was an important part of the "founding fathers" team. He often acted as a detail man, chairing numerous key committees over the years and serving as delegate to the National Wildlife Federation. He served through the various chairs in the Federation over a period of twenty years. Reed became President of the Federation during the final war years of 1945 and 1946, serving well during this difficult period.

M.C. Merrits described best the mood of the time as follows: "Fellow sportsmen, as we open this convention, we open it under conditions that never existed before in the history of this federation and I hope that each and every one of you can appreciate and realize the position that we as sportsmen and citizens are placed in this country. This is the first time this Federation has ever met in war times. We have at the present time a war and a war to win. I hope that we can all fully appreciate just what is before us. It is not going to be an easy matter. It is an all-out program to win the war. You and I as sportsmen are to be asked to give up a lot of things. You saw it start. Some of those things have been taken away from you now, and I do hope that you are going to hold onto the ideals and principles for which we fought these past wars. We would have to hold onto everything, and have to be alert every minute or we will be pushed into the discard in the hustle and bustle now going on. We will not be able to relinquish for a minute our vigil. As we go into this convention, I hope we can all go into it and have a spirit of harmony and unity prevail among us. I am sure each member should remember his obligation as a sportsman and if we do that, I think we'll come out of this meeting and feeling that it is one of the best we have had for some time. Let us try and expedite matters as far as possible, let our remarks be pointed and to the point."

The war years were difficult for the sportsmen. Before having conventions they had to receive approval from the Defense Travel people and were limited to fifty attendees. The sportsmen generally believed during these years, that it was important for them to maintain vigilance over fish, game, and forest and water resources to prevent destruction. These were difficult times.

One major project that sportsmen were asked to participate in and did so in many counties, was the Farmer Sportsmen Labor Program where sportsmen would help farmers harvest crops during war years. The sportsmen were to contact the County Agricultural Defense Committee to arrange with farmers for work times. Secretary, Dr. C.A. Mortimer described the reasons for the federation's meeting during war years as follows: "In my opinion, our justification for existence (during this period) is in the sportsmen's greater effort in his part to cooperate with the state and federal agencies whenever we are needed most. Another reason for our continuing existence in wartime is due to the fact that during war there are insidious movements to either merge the various commissions or grab the funds of the sportsmen to put into the General Fund. I well remember during the last war, the various bills which came before the legislature and the sportsmen had to keep eternal vigilance that they did not tear down the things which we had built up. During the Depression, the cry was that there was no money for these various activities and during the wartime, they used the excuse of emergency. We must maintain our Fish and Game Commissions and see that they operate efficiently and are given the support of the sportsmen. We must also keep our eye on waters to maintain watch against the polluter."

Colin McF. Reed, as president, helped hold the sportsmen's position during the time when young hunters and fishermen were away holding back the enemy. In addition to the many hours of labor for sportsmen, he also served nationally as the Vice President of National Wildlife Federation.

These five great sportsmen/conservationists were a firm foundation upon which a might organization was built. We as sportsmen, can confidently face the future, be proud of past performance, and learn from their commitment and dedication for future generations and be eager ourselves to serve the future people of this great Commonwealth.

JOHN YOUNGMAN: PFSC FOUNDER RECALLS EARLY YEARS

February 11, 1932 five men concerned with the increased pollution in Pennsylvania's waterways and angered over political meddlings in the Fish and Game Commissions' activities met in New York to found the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs. The five were Grover C. Ladner, Ross Leffler, John M. Phillips, Colen McF. Reed and John C. Youngman.

Federation history begins before the crash of 1929. Williamsport native, John Youngman was invited to a cottage and private stream in the Loyalsock Creek watershed owned by Youngman's cousin, Newton Heilman. The cottage was located along a trout stream that flowed into Big Bear Creek and emptied into the Loyalsock. Youngman was then 26 years of age.

"I had not met Grover Cleveland Ladner, but had heard about him," recalled Youngman in a 1990 interview. Ladner was also a guest at the cottage for the first day of trout season, which was stocked with foot-long brook trout the fall before. "There was no feed, these trout had gone into little branches, and they looked like pickerel!" remembered Youngman.

That evening the two lawyers, Youngman and Ladner sat before the fireplace and discussed the issue of water quality. Youngman said, "I had graduated in 1924 from the Wharton School of Finance and Commerce at the University of Pennsylvania, then graduated from Harvard Law School in 1927. Ladner started in on the law of pure streams. I'd been a pure stream man from the time I was a child, but he briefed me on the law." The Attorney General of Pennsylvania under Governor Gifford Pinchot told the Governor that the Clean Stream Act was unconstitutional and that the problem was a legal one.

"Cleve" Ladner was later appointed to the Supreme Court by Judge Jim Duff. Ladner turned around and wrote the opinion holding the Pure Stream Law of constitutional. "I don't know if that would be allowed today, but he did it!" Youngman laughed.

Youngman discussed two early sportsmen's clubs that had formed in Lycoming County, the Newberry Sportsmen's Association and the Lycoming County Sportsmen who later consolidated in 1932 to become the Consolidated Sportsmen of Lycoming County so that they could join the state federation. "The idea was to get the sportsmen of Pennsylvania, on a county basis, to form a federation. Then they could have an annual meeting and have resolutions. I was made first chairman of the resolutions committee because I was capable of taking a boondoggle resolution and rewriting it so you could understand the resolution and then vote yes or no. We didn't dare change the spirit of the thing; you had to get what the fellow was driving at. It was my job to just get into language that could be put before the body, and let them understand what they're voting for. You've probably read resolutions that include so many "whereases" that you wonder when they'll quit," Youngman commented.

When asked why the federation was formed in New York, Youngman replied, "I don't know!"

"In those days you'd have delegates and they'd have resolutions that they'd be willing to back. So, we had some lawyers there, but we also had some fellows who wanted to be lawyers but never got to be lawyers," Youngman continued. "When they got to the floor, they'd try to tell the body what they wanted. I remember an amusing story. Colen Reed was what we'd call a big shot in the federation. He had a favorite resolution he wanted to get passed. It was that if a dog with rabies bit a human being in Pennsylvania, the government should cover the costs of treatment of that person. I felt that the majority favored that. A person who got bitten might not have money, and if they didn't get treated, they might die."

"So Colen got up and started talking about why he felt this was important. But he used the word "rabid dogs." And a lot of those guys thought he was saying "rabbit dogs." And he'd go on and on. Not being a lawyer, he wouldn't know when to quit. So at first, the body would be for it, but then as he went on, and more men were confused and thought he was saying rabbit dogs, well, he just lost that fight. And that didn't happen just once, it happened four or five times," concluded Youngman. Asked if rabies was a big problem at that time, Youngman quipped, "well it was to him!"

"Ross Leffler was the brains. He got the Pennsylvania Game Commission School for Game Wardens started, you know. They named it after him. He was encouraging to all of us because what the Game Commission wanted to do was get the sportsmen to act intelligently. They wanted to know what the sportsmen wanted, but wanted to be able to know that that was indeed what the sportsmen wanted, through resolutions."

Grover Cleveland Ladner was the first president of PFSC. "While he was in charge, we made a very important decision in that Philadelphia County and Sullivan County each had one vote. Philadelphia, with all its millions, and Sullivan, out in the woods -- each one would have one vote," Youngman remembers. "They decided that the people upstate were taking care of the game and the fish, so they were entitled to just as much of a vote as the bigger area of population. And that's made the strength of the federation. There have been arguments, but this decision has stood."

When asked to describe federation conventions, Youngman stated, "Our conventions started with a general meeting in the morning, and the resolutions in the afternoon. It gave the Game Commission something to depend on. Sportsmen would pass the resolutions, and the Game Commission would know. So we could all talk to the press sensibly on how we took a stand and why."

"We'd have a good big crowd," Youngman recalled. "I'd say about 1,500 men. If you were interested in game and fish, to go to one of those meetings was just ideal. I can't say how many counties we had then, but we had big groups from Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and the coal regions. Wherever they had an organized sportsmen's club."

"In the early days, all the fellows that came to the meetings were paying their own way. These sportsmen's organizations didn't have enough to pay to put them up in a hotel. We had what we called a truth meeting. We met in the Esquire Room in the old Penn Harris Hotel. There were 12 or 15 of us seated around a round table. The question was, "'why are you coming down here and spending your money year after year? What's your motive?'" The deal was they had to tell the truth. They called on one guy and he said, "'Well, to tell you the truth, I'm after a job." A man from the coal regions said, "'I'm trying to have decent hunting and fishing for my boy."' When Youngman was called upon he said, "'When I was a child, I could remember when the dead fish piled up along the river banks at Williamsport. That would have been about 1907-1908, along in there. The dead fish were killed by mine acid. We learned later that it was largely from abandoned coal mines. But i said that I wanted to do whatever I could to get that mine acid out of that river in Lycoming County. I said, the real motive I have is my father has a cottage on Antes Creek, a private limestone stream that goes into the river near Jersey Shore. So I knew that if they got the mine acid out of the river, you'd have trout coming up there, and when they got to that good-tasting limestone water, they'd come on up there!" finished Youngman.

John met Dr. John Phillips at Clarion when the Clarion River was badly polluted by a paper company. "Dr. Phillips was talking at the meeting and they had me there to talk about the law," Youngman recalled. "Phillips came to me after that and said, "'you're a blessing from Heaven."' I told them how these things were constitutional and legal, and how they could clear the stream up."

"If you could see that river, it was horrible. It went right through the Cook Forest, which was virgin timber. It hadn't been touched by the hand of man. But that river was horrible! They cleared up the first fork of the Sinnemahoning River, well, really the Lord did that. He washed the paper company out that was there!" Youngman quipped. The Sinnemahoning flows into the West Branch of the Susquehanna River.

Youngman explained that when low water conditions existed in August storms would come along and flush out abandoned coal mines in Clearfield County, and the acid would come down the river. "Finally, it got bad enough that the acid would go all the way to Millersburg, and even Harrisburg," remembered Youngman. "But the proof of cleaning efforts is that now you have very good fishing out here at the Hepburn Street (Williamsport) dam.

When asked why pollution issues are so important to him, Youngman responded, "We had a man in this county by the name of John Meixell. He was a farmer, but didn't wear overalls or get out there with a plow. He was also a banker. In his earlier days, he'd been a lumberman. When he was 31 years old, he had an attack on his heart, and there wasn't a moment after that (and he lived into his 80's) when he couldn't have died with a snap of the finger."

He told me this, '"You're fighting the pure streams thing, and I hope you count. There on my farm I like to hunt squirrels, and I have it posted. But those deer eat my corn, so in doe season, I write on the sign, "Everybody Welcome!" He told me more. "'When we were young, we had a sawmill, and naturally we get a pile of sawdust. The spring flood would come along and wash the dust downstream, and then the fishermen would get after us, and complain that the sawdust was ruining the fishing. And we would ask them where would be a good place to put the sawdust pile? And we'd agree to put the pile in a certain place. But it was still in the flood area. But the injunction said that it was where we were supposed to put it. I'm going to teach you. Don't you ever agree how to keep pollution out of the stream? Just agree that they have to keep it out. Just don't agree how. They know how. Now remember that,"' he told me. "'We always got them to agree to what we did, and when it didn't work, it was their tough luck."'

Another issue of concern to sportsmen during the 1930's was the doe season. "I personally favored reducing the deer herd because I had seen the effects of too many deer," recalled Youngman. "The larger deer work their way up a tree, and then they can stand on their hind legs and clean out the greens, and there's none for the smaller deer."

"In the winter of 1935-36, there was a little stream up near the Coudersport Pike. It came out near Trout Run. There are many trout runs in Pennsylvania, but this one is near here. Anyway, there were 80 dead deer found there, so I was definitely in favor of reducing the deer herd. The hotelkeepers in Susquehanna Township and northeastern Pennsylvania found that deer bring guests. So they didn't want doe killed. Doe brought trade. A lot of sportsmen didn't want doe killed, either. That became a big political issue."

In 1939 Grover Ladner decided after a few terms that he would not run for re-election for federation President. Arthur James had been elected Governor of Pennsylvania and Ladner made up his mind that Youngman should be president because he was a Democrat and I was a Republican. He thought it made sense to have a president that was a Republican federation President if you had a Republican State Governor.

Youngman remembered that, "the nominating committee did their work in the morning of the convention. Then we'd adjourn for lunch, and vote in the afternoon. They were supposed to nominate me, but they didn't. They nominated a labor man from Johnstown or Altoona, the old-timers who wanted to kill deer went out during the noon hour and electioneered, and in the afternoon, I won the vote."

PFSC HELPED SUPPORT AND ENACT THE FOLLOWING LANDMARK ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION:

1937 Pennsylvania Clean Streams Act

1937 Act 217 establishing Soil and Water Conservation Districts

1945 Act 177 removing previous exemption of acid mine drainage from pollution control

1956 Federal Water Pollution Control Act (P.L. 660)

1960 Pennsylvania Air Pollution Control Act

1963 Bituminous Open Pit Mining Act

1965 Act 194 - $70 million bond issue to acquire lands for outdoor recreation

1967 Project 500 - $500 million bond issue known as the Land and Water Conservation and Reclamation Fund for construction of sewage treatment facilities, elimination of sources of acid mine drainage, refilling and reclamation of strip mined areas, and development of historical and outdoor recreation sites

1968 Amendments to Air Pollution Control Act of 1960 for control and abatement of air pollution and prevention of pollution by smoke, dust, fumes, gases, odors, vapors, mists, pollens, and similar materials

1969 Amendment to Pennsylvania Constitution to provide every citizen with a Conservation Bill of Rights

1970 Amendments to Clean Streams Act

1971 All-Surface Mining Act

1971 Legislation creating the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources Additional efforts include:

Only non-governmental intervenor in shad restoration litigation on the Susquehanna River

Passage of Pennsylvania's Environmental Education Act

Passage of Key '93 Bond Issue

Passage of law and subsequent court decision (Duff Decision) declaring that the Pennsylvania Game Commission is the singular law of the land regarding hunting.

Passage of law and subsequent litigation (Soja vs Factoryville) dealing with noise pollution from shooting ranges

Current litigation on Lehigh River (Luzerne Co.) to protect the citizen's right to access public resources. (Little Lehigh Fishing Club vs Andrejewski)

Current legislation to establish a Youth Hunter/Trapper License Plate with funding to pay for youth conservation education programs.