City to contract consultant for school‑focused urban forestry and watershed curriculum; work funded from $2 million USDA award
October 22, 2025 | Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania
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The council's Parks, Recreation and Enrichment committee discussed a proposed professional services agreement Oct. 14 to create an urban forestry and watershed education curriculum for the Harrisburg School District.
Shay Zwerver, the city’s community outreach forester in the Department of Parks and Recreation, said the project would be funded from a $2,000,000 award the city received under the USDA’s urban and community forestry program (identified in the meeting as the Inflation Reduction Urban and Community Forestry Program). Zwerver said most of that grant will pay for tree assessment, hazardous‑tree removal and an inventory of the city’s street and park trees; a portion is earmarked for education and outreach.
The proposed professional services agreement with Ellen Friedman Schultz and Associates LLC is for $25,000 to co‑design a place‑based curriculum that uses Harrisburg’s natural assets — including the Susquehanna River and the urban tree canopy — to teach state science and environmental literacy standards (referred to in the meeting as STEAL standards adopted in 2022). Zwerver said the consultant will lead curriculum design while involving Harrisburg teachers and community organizers as co‑creators; the city hopes the finished digital hub will be publicly accessible.
Ellen Friedman Schultz (present by video) described her prior work with Philadelphia’s Fairmount Water Works and a resource hub used statewide in that region. Council members asked about how the curriculum will be piloted and whether local partners such as Capital Region Water or the city’s environmental advisory structures will be engaged. Zwerver said the project team has been in contact with the school district’s K–12 science supervisor and that the consultant will engage teachers for co‑design workshops.
Action: Council moved Resolution 68 of 2025 to the Parks, Recreation and Enrichment Committee for formal committee action and eventual placement on a legislative agenda. The contract under discussion would be paid from the USDA grant fund and does not require a local match, Zwerver said.
Shay Zwerver, the city’s community outreach forester in the Department of Parks and Recreation, said the project would be funded from a $2,000,000 award the city received under the USDA’s urban and community forestry program (identified in the meeting as the Inflation Reduction Urban and Community Forestry Program). Zwerver said most of that grant will pay for tree assessment, hazardous‑tree removal and an inventory of the city’s street and park trees; a portion is earmarked for education and outreach.
The proposed professional services agreement with Ellen Friedman Schultz and Associates LLC is for $25,000 to co‑design a place‑based curriculum that uses Harrisburg’s natural assets — including the Susquehanna River and the urban tree canopy — to teach state science and environmental literacy standards (referred to in the meeting as STEAL standards adopted in 2022). Zwerver said the consultant will lead curriculum design while involving Harrisburg teachers and community organizers as co‑creators; the city hopes the finished digital hub will be publicly accessible.
Ellen Friedman Schultz (present by video) described her prior work with Philadelphia’s Fairmount Water Works and a resource hub used statewide in that region. Council members asked about how the curriculum will be piloted and whether local partners such as Capital Region Water or the city’s environmental advisory structures will be engaged. Zwerver said the project team has been in contact with the school district’s K–12 science supervisor and that the consultant will engage teachers for co‑design workshops.
Action: Council moved Resolution 68 of 2025 to the Parks, Recreation and Enrichment Committee for formal committee action and eventual placement on a legislative agenda. The contract under discussion would be paid from the USDA grant fund and does not require a local match, Zwerver said.
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