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New Wild Resource Conservation Program director hoping to share her ‘passion’ with the public
Chalk it up to a childhood where the “can do” spirit ruled and negativity never took a seat at the family dining room table. Sara J. Nicholas is used to fighting for the little guy, and she does it well. A tenacious, persistent tone was struck early in her life by her dad, a physician specializing in rehabilitation of the injured and ill. Nicholas likes to think Dad’s approach to adversity is reflected in her environmental career. Rampant development. Superfund sites. Polluted, impeded rivers and streams. She’s tackled them all. “We were brought up with the belief that you can fix anything, and I believe that is true in the environment,” said Nicholas. “One only has to look to the waters of my childhood home—Pittsburgh. Rivers there were almost dead. Now they’re the scene of national bass tournaments. Nature is resilient and it will come back if you just give it a fighting chance.” For more than 20 years, she has been trying to do just that. First, as a news reporter specializing in environmental stories for The Associated Press and two major daily newspapers. With a new university degree came new challenges:
Her latest challenge? Late last month DCNR Secretary Michael DiBerardinis appointed Nicholas as the new executive director of DCNR’s Wild Resource Conservation Program (WRCP). It was a choice hailed by the secretary: “Sara brings to this key administrative post the broad-ranging background, hands-on experience and networking skills needed to lead the WRCP toward a more clearly defined mission with an expanded funding base and more effective operating criteria,” DiBerardinis said. “The program must emerge as the champion of habitat, non-game species and native wild plants, and Sara will be able to guide it to that level with her keen fiscal development skills and extensive knowledge of grants management. She has the educational and employment background that can propel the WRCP to new frontiers.” Nicholas sees both fulfillment and challenge in those new horizons. “I welcome the new position as an opportunity to reconnect to the outdoors and its critters I love,” said Nicholas. “It’s an opportunity to shape the future for rare plants and non-game species and help protect them, and it’s also an opportunity to work closely with a group of dedicated conservationists. I missed that cohesive atmosphere in my prior position which was pretty much a solo office.” With this new team approach comes the challenge of penciling in a lineup that can bring financial strength to the plate. WRCP accomplishments can be achieved only through a strong financial base, the new executive director said, and her game plan hinges on a three-pronged offense: more outreach efforts; stronger education; and improved visibility. “I intend to pursue every possible opportunity for matching grants, and my past positions in both the government and private environmental sectors enable me to know where to look,” said Nicholas, who once teamed up with others to obtain owl program funding from a restaurant chain with a catchy name and clientele known for watching the waitresses—not birds. “There are dollars out there and we just have to bring them to Pennsylvania,” said the new WRCP director who succeeds the retired Dr. Ronald A. Stanley. Housed within DCNR’s Office of Conservation Science, the WRCF directs resources toward endangered and threatened species—both plants and animals—and strives to educate the public on recognition and preservation of Pennsylvania’s most sensitive flora and fauna. It has reintroduced river otters to Pennsylvania’s waterways and ospreys to its skies, while awarding grants to projects studying and protecting plants, birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians and other species. The highly successful otter program, gave the WRCF’s efforts both desperately needed media exposure and funding through the sale of commemorative vehicle license plates. Nicholas said continuing environmental education is needed to convince the public “the liverwort and fungi have a place in the natural scheme of things just as otters and raptors do. “We have a ways to go toward visibility. There always has been a dedicated base of supporters out there, but we have to get the word out to a broader base of the citizenry on just what it is we are trying to do.” From the mother of two who enjoys fishing, boating, hiking “and just about any other excuse to get outdoors” comes a request for participation in supporting WRCP goals, and an invitation to share her “can-do” spirit: “You don’t have to be an academic type or a member of a large conservation agency or group to make a difference and help protect our non-game wildlife and plant species,” Nicholas said. “I would encourage everyone to get out to our great state parks and extensive forestlands and learn what’s out there. Attend our second annual Wild Resource Conservation Festival May 20 at French Creek State Park in Berks County. Outdoors involvement is something I think the public at large has a passion for, and with that comes a willingness to help protect and promote.” Nicholas, 46, earned a bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature from Harvard College and a master’s degree in Environmental Science from Yale University’s School of Forestry and Environmental Sciences. A native of the Pittsburgh area, Allegheny County, Nicholas and her husband live in Mechanicsburg, Cumberland County. They are the parents of two teen-aged girls. For more WCRP details, visit DCNR’s web site at www.dcnr.state.pa.us.
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As an administrator with the American Rivers Mid-Atlantic region she worked with local conservation groups improving waterways through small dam removals, storm water management and watershed protection. She coordinated watershed stewardship efforts for the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, and served as senior advisor for Wetlands and Conservation Education with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. She also edited Environmental Law Institute publications and specialized in policy and publications addressing Superfund issues with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
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