A Man of Nature: Larry Schweiger
NWF's President and CEO Speaks to Manhattan Students about Climate Change
Jonathan Stone
Issue date: 10/27/04 Section: Features
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Larry Schweiger is an individual who wants others to realize how important environmental issues are. On Wednesday, October 20th the President and CEO of The National Wildlife Foundation (NWF) explained the problems of the changing climate to Manhattan College students in Smith Auditorium.
Schweiger was born in 1950. Raised in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, he experienced life in both rural and urban areas while growing up. While living with his parents he was in a rural area, and when he was with his grandparents he was in an urban area. Experiencing both ways of life allowed him to realize the importance of nature.
His passion for the environment came from watching the extinction of the blue pike fish in Girty's Run, a lake close to his parents' house. From that moment on, Schweiger vowed to work in the environmental field. He started off in a community college before attending Penn State as a Forestry Major, all the while remaining an activist for clean air and water. Right out of college, he spent ten years on a Pennsylvania legislature working to benefit the environment.
Becoming President and CEO of NWF in March 2004 commenced Schweiger's second stint with the organization. His first was from 1981 through 1995. The positions that he held include being the publisher of magazines, senior vice president for Constituent Development and Conservation Action, and vice president of NWF's affiliate and regional programs department.
Other jobs Schweiger has held include working for The Chesapeake Bay Foundation in which he was responsible for resource protection, land trust activities, and advocacy programs. He also worked for The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC) for eight years, including initiating and endorsing programs such as expanded ecological research. He also made WPC more popular via public advocacy and community garden and greening projects.
He has earned many awards for his efforts, including the Distinguished Service Award for Special Conservation Achievement from NWF in June 1995, and the Conservation Service Award from the Christian Environmental Association in September 1995.
Schweiger was born in 1950. Raised in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, he experienced life in both rural and urban areas while growing up. While living with his parents he was in a rural area, and when he was with his grandparents he was in an urban area. Experiencing both ways of life allowed him to realize the importance of nature.
His passion for the environment came from watching the extinction of the blue pike fish in Girty's Run, a lake close to his parents' house. From that moment on, Schweiger vowed to work in the environmental field. He started off in a community college before attending Penn State as a Forestry Major, all the while remaining an activist for clean air and water. Right out of college, he spent ten years on a Pennsylvania legislature working to benefit the environment.
Becoming President and CEO of NWF in March 2004 commenced Schweiger's second stint with the organization. His first was from 1981 through 1995. The positions that he held include being the publisher of magazines, senior vice president for Constituent Development and Conservation Action, and vice president of NWF's affiliate and regional programs department.
Other jobs Schweiger has held include working for The Chesapeake Bay Foundation in which he was responsible for resource protection, land trust activities, and advocacy programs. He also worked for The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC) for eight years, including initiating and endorsing programs such as expanded ecological research. He also made WPC more popular via public advocacy and community garden and greening projects.
He has earned many awards for his efforts, including the Distinguished Service Award for Special Conservation Achievement from NWF in June 1995, and the Conservation Service Award from the Christian Environmental Association in September 1995.