The Department of Environmental Protection invites municipal, township and borough leaders, county and city planners, redevelopment authorities, community leaders, and economic and industrial development agencies to a seminar, "What All Local Governments Need to Know about Brownfields", on Oct. 23 in Wilkes-Barre.

The free seminar will be from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the DEP Northeast Regional Office located at 2 Public Square, Wilkes-Barre. Lunch will be provided.The half-day seminar will focus on how to breathe life into abandoned and vacant properties. Participants will learn about successful brownfield redevelopment projects in their area, learn the basics of brownfields, find out where public funding is available and how to apply for it, and network with other municipal organizations.Brownfields are properties that are in need of expansion, redevelopment or reuse, but because of actual or anticipated hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants, that work is made more challenging.Pennsylvania's approach to brownfields redevelopment has proved to be a national model for transforming abandoned, idle properties into places of environmental protection and economic opportunity.This workshop is produced in partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. It is funded by a brownfield grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.Space is limited, so registrations will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis. Register in advance, online at

http://rsvp.langan.com/InviteBrownfieldsNorthEast/For more information, contact Kim Hoover at 717-783-1566 or

khoover@pa.gov.