The Audubon Council of Pennsylvania (ACP), working in cooperation with Audubon chapters in Pa., sponsored a core group of women this spring in a 3-week event to draw attention to Pennsylvania's environment. The event, "the Women's Expedition for the Environment," or WE2, took place from April 18 - May 11, 1997. WE2, timed to coincide with the return of migratory birds to woodlands, meadows, and wetlands in the state, brought together people, young and old, female and male, interested in a variety of issues and took them on a 492-mile journey through the state. WE2 examined the benefits of protecting diverse habitats for bird species as well as human beings.

The participants came from a variety of occupational, economic and geographic backgrounds. They took a southeastern tack across Pa. from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia, hiking (6 total miles), backpacking (70 total miles), biking (370 total miles), and paddling canoes (46 total miles) along pre-selected routes and stopping at prearranged sites. Routes featured important natural and cultural sites; site stops featured discussions, facility tours and public programs on topics ranging from bird-banding to plant and animal life, to the impact of the state's thirty-six hydroelectric dams on river habitats.

Participants sought to develop an historic perspective of Pennsylvania's environment while celebrating the state's environmental assets. Their goals: to promote the economic and health benefits of protecting the environment, to promote non-consumptive outdoor recreation, to draw attention to the consequences of individual decision-making and human population growth, and to provide role models for the young women of the Commonwealth through their visibility, and by recognizing the role that women have played in environmental protection.

For More Info, Contact: Marci Mowery, NAS Population & Habitat Campaign, 1104 Fernwood Ave., #300; Camp Hill, PA 17011; phone: 717/763-4985; fax: 717/763-4981; email: <mmowery@audubon.org>.