Camp Hill, PA – The natural land and forests are Pennsylvania’s namesake feature. Recreation on and enjoyment of public natural lands including state parks and forests drives the state economy and keeps Pennsylvanians physically and emotionally healthy.
The Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation (PPFF), the only non-profit whose mission is to inspire stewardship of Pennsylvania’s state parks and forests, asks you to share what the preservation of the natural values of Pennsylvania means to you in the form of a haiku poem (3 lines following the syllable pattern 5,7,5).
The haikus are a continuation of PPFF’s yearlong celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Pennsylvania Environmental Rights Amendment.
Everyone is welcome to submit their poems via email to [email protected] or through PPFF’s social media channels using #PAEnviroRights50
Facebook @Pennsylvania Parks and Forests
Twitter @PaPFF
Instagram @paparksandforests
LinkedIn @ Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation
Submissions open April 1 and remain open until April 16. A winner will be selected on April 17, International Haiku Poetry Day. Select submissions will be shared on PPFF’s social media channels on April 22 in celebration of Earth Day.
“Haiku poetry encourages the writer to limit the use of words but express a range of expression at the same time,” said Marci Mowery, President of the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation. “Nature inspires a sense of awe, which has shown to decrease stress and increase creativity. We encourage poets to spend time in nature to find inspiration for their Haiku poem.”
The Environmental Rights Amendment was added to the Pennsylvania constitution in 1971 and reads;
The people have a right to clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic and esthetic values of the environment. Pennsylvania’s public natural resources are the common property of all the people, including generations yet to come. As trustee of these resources, the Commonwealth shall conserve and maintain them for the benefit of all the people.
PPFF is commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Environmental Rights Amendment all year. Follow along using #PAEnviroRights50.
About the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation
Founded in 1999, the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation supports 121 state parks and 2.2 million acres of forest by coordinating volunteers, activities and donations through its more than 40 chapters. The mission of the foundation is to inspire stewardship of Pennsylvania’s state parks and forests. paparksandforests.org @PaPFF