Thursday, October 6

TBD

Shippensburg, exact location TBD

In collaboration with the PA Historical Association Annual Meeting, Shippensburg University, Pennsylvania Conservation Heritage Project, and WITF.

The birth of the modern conservation and environmental movements can trace their roots to Pennsylvania – and right to the the South Mountain Region, in many cases. From Gifford Pinchot to Rachel Carson, Pennsylvanians’ passion for protecting the land, water and air arose from conflict — industrialization and destruction of natural resources. In many cases, ordinary people did extraordinary things. They were people who had fallen in love with Pennsylvania’s resources and were willing to devote their lives to creating and preserving resources that we enjoy today. The Mira Lloyd Dock documentary, a collaboration between WITF and the Pennsylvania Conservation Heritage Project, will be screened on opening day of The Pennsylvania Historical Association Annual Meeting. This year’s theme is “Technology, Business and the Environment.”

About the Mira Lloyd Dock documentary:

In 1899, women were seen and not heard. Except Mira Lloyd Dock (1853- 1945), a little known Progressive Era activist. This botanist, forester and preservationist did just as much, if not more, for the city of Harrisburg than her male counterparts. She helped transform the city from a dirty, disease-ridden mess to a clean, manicured and modern destination worthy of Pennsylvania’s capital city.

In 1901, while Dock was working on making Harrisburg a model city, Gov. William Stone appointed her to the state Forest Reservation Commission. She was the first woman ever in the state appointed to a governmental position at a time before women could even vote. During her 12 years of service on the commission, one million acres of forest became reserves. It was through the new school of forestry at Mont Alto that Dock had her greatest influence on forestry. From its first year in 1903 until it was subsumed by the Pennsylvania State College in 1929, she was the professor of botany.