The “NCTC Conservation Lecture Series” is our monthly public program from the Byrd Auditorium at the National Conservation Training Center. Today's presentation: This program was recorded in the Byrd Auditorium at the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, WV, on Thursday, January 16, 2025, at 7:00 pm. Dr. Allen Dieterich-Ward will present on his new book Cradle of Conservation: An Environmental History of Pennsylvania. In this sweeping yet succinct account, Allen Dieterich-Ward brings to life Pennsylvania’s environmental history—from the birth of the conservation movement in the nineteenth century to the impacts of changes are currently experiencing. This groundbreaking book is a crucial resource for anyone seeking to understand the people, places, and policies that have shaped—and continue to shape—life in the Keystone State and beyond. Allen Dieterich-Ward is Professor of History and Director of The Graduate School at Shippensburg University. He is the author of Beyond Rust: Metropolitan Pittsburgh and the Fate of Industrial America, which won the Arline Custer Memorial Award for Best Book in Mid-Atlantic History. All programs start at 2:00 PM ET. Please note this event may continue a little longer than 3:00 PM ET. Closed Captions for Program: When the program goes live, click the toggle switch on the lower right to enable automatic captions for your stream. These talks are a part of the NCTC Conservation Lecture Series, which is cosponsored by The Friends of the NCTC - http://www.friendsofnctc.org and by the Potomac Valley Audubon Society - https://www.potomacaudubon.org Previous sessions have been recorded and are available for viewing: https://www.fws.gov/broadcasts. https://www.fws.gov The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the oldest federal conservation agency, tracing its lineage back to 1871, and the only agency in the federal government whose primary responsibility is management of fish and wildlife for the American public. The Service helps ensure a healthy environment for people by providing opportunities for Americans to enjoy the outdoors and our shared natural heritage. We manage the National Wildlife Refuge System with more than 560 National Wildlife Refuges as well as small wetlands and other special management areas encompassing more than 150 million acres. Under the Fisheries program we also operate over 70 National Fish Hatcheries and 65 fishery resource offices. The Ecological Services program has 86 field stations across all 50 states. The vast majority of fish and wildlife habitat is on non-federal lands. Voluntary habitat protection and restoration programs like the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program and the Coastal Program and other partnership programs are the primary ways we deliver habitat conservation on public and private lands. The Service employs approximately 9,000 people at facilities across the U.S. The Service is a decentralized organization with a headquarters office in Washington, D.C., with regional and field offices across the country. Our organizational chart shows structure and also provides information on senior management.