(September 16, 2025) The Upper Hanover Township Board of Supervisors proudly recognizes Dr. Eve M. Puhalla as the recipient of the Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful Community Pride Award, celebrating her unwavering commitment to environmental stewardship and community improvement.

Dr. Puhalla was nominated for her exceptional leadership in advancing sustainability and beautification efforts throughout Upper Hanover Township in Montgomery County and beyond. A Penn State Master Gardener, she has been instrumental in organizing educational workshops, volunteer training sessions, and hands-on restoration projects that have transformed local landscapes and inspired civic engagement.

Township Supervisor Stefan Laessig presented Dr. Puhalla with the Community Pride Award and thanked her for her tireless efforts. "Eve works incredibly hard and is always ready to help advise the Township on special projects and leverage volunteers for intensive work restoring the Camelot Park pond, planting trees, and coordinating free tree giveaways for residents. As busy as she is, she always has time for her home community."

Clearly, surprised, and moved, Dr. Puhalla was quick to recognize and share the award with fellow Watershed Stewards JoAnn Redmond and Sunni Barndt, both present in support. "The team of Master Watershed Stewards and community members who volunteer their time make all this happen, not just me. I may be the ringleader, but the reality is, it takes all of us to do this work. It's important work, especially in the light of climate change. We need to ensure our community is environmentally ready for the changes that are happening and removing invasive plants and planting native trees, and shrubs help with that effort."

Her initiatives include securing grants for tree giveaways and riparian restoration, coordinating volunteer-driven events, and fostering long-term stewardship to ensure lasting impact. Dr. Puhalla has collaborated with numerous Montgomery County municipalities, delivering webinars on topics such as “Zero Waste Living,” implementing streambank restoration, and converting traditional lawns into vibrant native wildflower meadows.

In addition to her project leadership, Dr. Puhalla serves on the Upper Hanover Township Parks and Recreation Committee and volunteers extensively across Township Open Space properties. Her expertise also aids township decisions on flood mitigation, native tree selection, live-stake harvesting, and tree management. She actively mobilizes volunteers for stream restoration and tree planting efforts, working in close partnership with local organizations and community groups. Her impactful work at Camelot Park where she monitors water quality, removes invasive species and dead ash trees, plants native trees, and reinforces pond infrastructure, was recently featured in the Penn State Extension statewide newsletter.

“We are continually inspired by individuals like Dr. Puhalla whose dedication to environmental stewardship uplifts entire communities. Her work exemplifies the spirit of the Community Pride Award, making Pennsylvania cleaner, greener, and more beautiful for all,” said Shannon Reiter, Executive Director, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful.

The Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful Community Pride Award recognizes outstanding environmental stewardship by an individual, school, community organization or civic group that makes an outstanding commitment to litter control, recycling, or general environmental stewardship. The Community Pride Award is available to elected officials to recognize those in the community working to change behaviors at the local level. Elected officials interested in nominating a constituent for a Community Pride Award should visit keeppabeautiful.org and choose grants and awards, then awards, then Community Pride Award for more information. The award is open on a rolling basis.

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About Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful
Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s vision is a clean and beautiful Pennsylvania. Since 1990, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful has worked with hundreds of thousands of volunteers across the state to pick up nearly 162 million pounds of trash from Pennsylvania's roadways, waterways, greenways, vacant lots, forestlands, and other community spaces. Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s core programming focuses on litter and illegal dump prevention, cleanup, community greening, proper waste handling, and sustainable practices. Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful works with many partnering organizations at the state and grassroots levels to accomplish our goal of a clean and beautiful Pennsylvania. Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful is the state affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, Inc., the nation’s largest volunteer-based community action and education organization. To learn more about Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, visit www.keeppabeautiful.org.

Download the press release.

Learn more about the Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful Community Pride Award.