Harrisburg, PA, February 17, 2006 - Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell today announced plans for the 3rd Annual Great Pennsylvania Cleanup, an ambitious statewide effort to remove litter and trash from the state's roadways, parks, riverbanks and open spaces.

The featured event will take place April 22, in conjunction with Earth Day, although the entire cleanup - with a special emphasis on important bird areas - spans from March 1 to May 31.

"Each year, tens-of-thousands of Pennsylvanians join together to help cleanup our environment and beautify our state," the Governor said. "It is an outstanding statewide volunteer effort that produces positive results, helping us to protect the majesty of Penn's Woods."

This year's cleanup includes a focus on Audubon Pennsylvania and its Important Bird Area program. Audubon Pennsylvania, the state chapter of the National Audubon Society, has identified 82 Important Bird Area sites encompassing more than 2 million acres of the state's public and private lands. The voluntary IBA program combats threats to the most essential and vulnerable bird habitats through proactive habitat conservation measures.

"Reversing the damage litter and illegal dumping do to bird habitats is key to preserving Pennsylvania's natural ecosystems," Audubon Pennsylvania Executive Director Timothy D. Schaeffer told Megan Krot's third-grade class at the Thomas W. Holtzman Elementary School in Susquehanna Township, Dauphin County. "Through efforts such as the Great Pennsylvania Cleanup, we will maintain Pennsylvania's wilderness and urban bird habitats so that one day you can show your grandchildren the white clouds of migrating snow geese as they stop in central Pennsylvania and the peregrine falcons hunting the skies above our downtowns."

For information on the Great Pennsylvania Cleanup, and to find or register a cleanup, visit the new http://www.greatpacleanup.org/ Web site. Interested individuals also can call toll-free at 1-888-548-8372 for more information.

Tim Schaeffer, Executive Director of Audubon PA, discusses birds and Important Bird Areas with Ms. Krot's third-grade class at the Thomas W. Holtzman Elementary School in Susquehanna Township, Dauphin County.