(HARRISBURG, PA)—The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) has named Lane Whigham as its Pennsylvania Outreach and Advocacy Manager.
"We all have roles to play in protecting our rivers and streams," CBF's Pennsylvania Executive Director Harry Campbell said. "With Lane's leadership, CBF's outreach and advocacy programs intend to galvanize citizens and encourage elected leaders to take action in their own backyards and in the halls of government."
Whigham will oversee CBF's grassroots and outreach programs in Pennsylvania, stressing to the importance of clean water through education, participation, and calls to action.
"While we're facing many challenges in keeping local waters healthy, I'm certain that Pennsylvanians are up to the challenge," Whigham said. "I look forward to working with our clean water advocates at many of our upcoming events in Pennsylvania."
Efforts in Pennsylvania and other Bay states have contributed to an improvement in Bay health, as noted in CBF's 2016 State of the Bay report. But work to reduce pollution in the Keystone State is far from finished.
Roughly 19,000 miles of Pennsylvania's rivers and streams are damaged by pollution and half of the freshwater that flows into the Chesapeake Bay comes from the Keystone State. The Commonwealth is significantly off-track in meeting its Clean Water Blueprint goals.
Whigham previously managed CBF's Pennsylvania Student Leadership Program. He coordinated leadership and advocacy activities for students in a variety of school districts and youth organizations in Pennsylvania's portion of the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
From 2011-2015, Whigham worked as a school administrator, managing a special education school in Cumberland County, Pa. During his tenure, he was instrumental in designing the school's first vocational program. Prior to his work as an administrator, Whigham was a special education English teacher.
Whigham also currently works at his family's replacement heifer farm in Carlisle, Pa., and raises organic chickens at his home in Walnut Bottom, Pa.
