20 under 40 2011: Paul Bechtel
Published: January 6, 2012
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Paul Bechtel's goals are to re-launch the Riverwatch program; to start a “rescue” plant nursery, and to complete restoration projects in the Lackawanna River watershed.
Paul W. Bechtel is an environmental scientist-project manager for Thomas J. McLane & Associates. His duties include wetland delineations, environmental permits and assessments, wetland mitigation design, and ecosystem restoration projects.
He is a board member with the Lackawanna River Corridor Association (LRCA), a nonprofit he said is in “need of more community support.” His goals are to re-launch the Riverwatch program; to start a “rescue” plant nursery, and to complete restoration projects in the watershed.
He has completed multiple presentations/workshops on the benefits of rain gardens, including a community-built rain garden at Lackawanna State Park. He has studied in the Niagara region of Canada, where he prepared a “best management practices” plan for a local vineyard and completed a habitat restoration project for adult and hatchling snapping turtles. He studied Leatherback Sea Turtles in Costa Rica, as an Earthwatch volunteer.
Currently, he is also on the Scranton Iron Furnace Task Force working on preservation of the Iron Furnaces. His community outreach includes: trail design for a community park in the Abingtons; a labyrinth design for Crowley Park in Scranton; a bike park design at Rivers Edge Park in Monroe County; and a park design for Perry Park in Scranton.
He is a strong proponent of volunteering.
"Many community-minded people are also successful professionals. All of my jobs were obtained, in part, due to networking during volunteer efforts” he added.
His parents, Bill and Clare, have been great mentors, as well as his late grandfather, William Bechtel, and his 98-year-old grandmother, Connie Guerrise. “They taught me to respect people and the environment. Additionally, my grandfather, simply noted, ‘don’t embarrass the family,’ and this simple statement really does provide a guide for decisions.”
He and wife, Jessica, have a son, Bryson.
