Spring 2011
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MWA TERRITORY
Spring 2011
HOME OF THE YOUGHIOGHENY RIVERKEEPER® Protecting, preserving and restoring the Indian Creek Watershed and surrounding areas.
MWA Awarded Growing Greener Grant for Project Operation & Maintenance •
Save the date! We’ve moved our annual Children’s Fishing Derby to Saturday, September 24, 2011.
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We’ve hired a new Field Technician. See page 7 for details.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Mining Update
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Meeting Scheduled on Donegal South Pipeline
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Our Laurel Landscape
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Baseline Data Gathering Effort Underway
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MWA Receives 1% for the 7 Planet Donation from Nature’s Way Market
This winter the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) announced the latest round of Growing Greener grants. MWA was awarded $179,510 to develop an Operation, Maintenance, and Replacement (OM&R) Plan for the various mine drainage treatment systems and remediation projects within the Indian Creek watershed and to establish a trust fund to cover future operation and replacement costs. In coordination with the development of the OM&R plan, water quality monitoring and macroinvertebrate sampling will be conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of existing remediation projects and to obtain baseline water quality information over the next two years. Development of the OM&R plan will help MWA identify and schedule future maintenance and repair needs for the treatment systems and restoration projects. The trust fund, only the second state funded trust fund for OM&R awarded by PADEP, will provide much needed capital to maintain operation of the treatment systems. We are also accepting donations to this trust fund; your contributions to this fund are tax deductible. Fieldwork is scheduled to start this April. For more information about the project or to volunteer contact Carla.
Did You Sign A Gas Lease? You Still Have Rights. Through our Marcellus Citizen Stewardship Project we’ve held meetings and trainings on Marcellus shale issues throughout southwestern Pennsylvania over the past several months (for more information on the project please see page 4). These trainings are designed to provide citizens with tools and knowledge to responsibly monitor Marcellus shale development to aid in community and environmental protection. One very important group of stakeholders that we are encouraging to participate in our trainings are leaseholders because of their access to the well sites on their properties. One troubling and increasingly common sentiment that we are hearing from leaseholders is that they are not entitled to the protections that Pennsylvania law provides because they have signed a lease. This is not true. Landowners who have signed gas leases are entitled to the same protections as non-leaseholders. If you lease your land and a well is drilled within Continued on page 6...
PO Box 408 via 1414-B ICV Road Melcroft, PA 15462 724.455.4200 Fax:to724.455.4201 www.mtwatershed.com To receive this newsletter email please send your name Phone: and email address Charlotte at charlotte@mtwatershed.com.
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Annual Wildflower Walk April 30, 2011 *Note the departure from our usual date! 1414-B ICV Road PO Box 408 Melcroft PA 15462 (724) 455 4200 www.mtwatershed.com Staff Beverly Braverman Executive Director mwa@mtwatershed.com Krissy Kasserman Youghiogheny RIVERKEEPER® yrk@mtwatershed.com
We have scheduled our annual Wildflower Walk in the Indian Creek Gorge. This free event will take place Saturday, April 30 at 9:00 AM, rain or shine. Our wildflower walk covers about a mile and a half at a very gentle pace, and the terrain is relatively flat. The walk normally lasts until around 12:00 PM. Please note this year’s walk is Saturday, April 30th, and not the second weekend in May as in years’ past. Parking will be at the
entrance to the Indian Creek Gorge off of Route 381 near Mill Run, PA. From Route 381, look for the Camp Christian sign, and turn down the road toward the camp. At the Y, turn right and you’ll see a small parking area on the right. Our Wildflower Walk is led by local naturalist and MWA Board Member Lisa Smith. Bring sturdy walking shoes, water, and an umbrella, if necessary. Come enjoy the beautiful Indian Creek Gorge with us!
Charlotte Shetler Office Administrator charlotte@mtwatershed.com Veronica Coptis Community Organizer veronica@mtwatershed.com Carla Ruddock Field Technician carla@mtwatershed.com Deb Simko Project Coordinator Rather than throwing it away, when you’re finished with our newsletter please pass it along to a friend or neighbor! We welcome submissions of articles and photographs from members, however, we retain editorial discretion. Please mail submissions to the address above or email to yrk@mtwatershed.com.
Clean Water Banquet April 9, 2011 Our Sixth Annual Clean Water Banquet and Silent Auction will be held on Saturday, April 9, 2011 at Brady’s Restaurant on Route 31 in Acme, PA. Auction doors will open at 5:00 PM (please come early if you are bringing items for the auction) and dinner will be served at 6:30 PM. Tickets are $20 for members and $22 for nonmembers, and can be reserved by calling Charlotte at (724) 455-4200, ext. 0# or chalotte@mtwatershed.com. We must receive your reservation no later than close of business on Monday, April 4, 2011. A vegetarian option will be available. Please mention if you are
interested in a vegetarian meal when you call to reserve your tickets. This year’s auction will feature many great items including two front row Pittsburgh Penguin tickets, whitewater rafting packages and a handmade quilt. If you’d like to make a donation, please contact Charlotte. Our banquet is a great time for us to celebrate our accomplishments and our volunteers and to raise money to continue protecting and preserving clean water in the Indian Creek watershed! Please plan to join us!
To receive this newsletter via email please send your name and email address to Charlotte at charlotte@mtwatershed.com.
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Curry, Nicholson III and Henry—Common Threads We are currently following activity on three separate Amerikohl Mining applications for strip mines in and around the Laurel Highlands. Regular readers will be familiar with the Curry Mine proposal which, if permitted, will be located adjacent to Ohiopyle State Park, State Gamelands #51 and the Great Allegheny Passage in the Yough River Gorge, Dunbar Township, Fayette County. Several years ago MWA challenged Amerikohl’s petition for a zoning special exception for this project. With our input, the Fayette County Zoning Board denied the special exception petition. Amerikohl has appealed this decision to the Fayette County Court of Common Pleas; a decision has not yet been made. A d d i ti o n a l l y , t h e Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) originally returned the permit for this project to Amerikohl because of major deficiencies pointed out by our organization. Though Amerikohl resubmitted the permit it has yet to be issued. The Nicholson III proposal is located in Springfield Township, Fayette County, in a steep portion of the Indian Creek Gorge where the surface waters support a healthy bug and fish population. We have objected to this permit application because of the proximity to Indian Creek, the outstanding biodiversity of the
area, and the potential for discharges and erosion and sedimentation impacts as a result of mining. The PADEP mining permit has not yet been issued. The Fayette County Zoning Hearing Board granted a special exception to Amerikohl for this project, and we have appealed. Amerikohl has also submitted a permit application for the ‘Henry Mine’ located in Springfield Township, Fayette County in the Laurel Run sub-basin of the Indian Creek watershed (area fishermen have likely heard of this stream as it’s been rumoured for y ea rs to ha rb o r n a tu ra ll y reproducing native trout). PADEP was well into processing the application when comments submitted by an adjacent landowner raised the issue of the native trout population in Laurel Run. Pennsylvania Fish and Boat C o m m i s s i o n ( P F BC ) s t a f f performed electrofishing in Laurel Run and found that naturally reproducing brook and brown trout are indeed present. Due to the trout population and the fact that the overburden in the mining area has limited capacity to buffer acidity, PFBC has now formally recommended to DEP that the permit application be denied. DEP has yet to make a decision, though DEP Water Quality staff have begun the process necessary to upgrade Laurel Run’s current designation of Cold Water Fishery
(CWF) to High-Quality Cold Water Fishery (HQ-CWF). This increased level of protection will provide additional safeguards should mining take place in the watershed, though unfortunately the designation will not be enough to stop the mining entirely. DEP is seeking citizen input in this redesignation process; for more information please contact Bev. The common thread running through all three of these mine applications—- Curry, Nicholson III, and Henry—- is that they are all proposed in areas with intact forest cover, steep slopes, and significant biodiversity. These issues along with our involvement in these three permit applications have made the application process more demanding, more time-consuming, and more difficult for the applicant. So why does Amerikohl continue to move into more pristine areas throughout the Laurel Highlands? Could it be that the easily accessed coal has been mined already? If so, we are concerned that Amerikohl and other companies will continue to move into more wild and remote areas of the Laurel Highlands, and that organizations like ours—- and input from citizens like you—- will be increasingly important in protecting and preserving our most valuable landscapes and streams from mining. Stay tuned for updates.
For MWA merchandise including t-shirts, decals, notecards and more, please visit www.mtwatershed.com or stop by our office!
To receive this newsletter via email please send your name and email address to Charlotte at charlotte@mtwatershed.com.
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Marcellus Citizen Stewardship Project New Visual Assessment Training Dates Scheduled Our Marcellus Citizen Stewardship Project (MCSP) is in full swing. The project, which is being piloted in the Youghiogheny River watershed but is expected to spread throughout the southwestern Pennsylvania region, provides citizens with tools and knowledge to responsibly monitor Marcellus shale development to aid in community and environmental protection. Through the Marcellus Citizen Stewardship Project we are offering Visual Assessment Trainings. At these workshops, participants learn to use their senses of sight, hearing and smell to identify potential issues resulting from drilling operations; this approach is unique because no technical equipment is necessary. Data gathered through this process is uploaded using simple online
forms and eventually is integrated into FracTracker, an interactive data platform providing citizens with a common place to learn about and share information on Marcellus shale gas operations. Visual Assessment Trainings also provide information on permitting and regulations, air and water pollution, the use of FracTracker, filing a complaint, and safety. After completing a basic training, participants have the opportunity to sign up for further instruction in air or water monitoring. This project is an MWA initiative. Partner organizations include the Center for Healthy Environments and Communities at the University of Pittsburgh, Clean Water Action, Group Against Smog and Pollution, Three Rivers Waterkeeper, Penn Environment, and the Fayette County
Conservation District. Our next training will be held on March 24, 2011 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM. in Uniontown, PA, at the Holiday Inn & Conference Center, 700 W. Main Street. No RSVP is necessary. Additional visual assessment trainings will be held in Westmoreland, Greene and Allegheny Counties– stay tuned for details. For more information about the Marcellus Citizen Stewardship Project or to inquire about scheduling training in your county please contact Veronica.
Donegal South Natural Gas Pipeline Planned for Indian Creek Valley Informational Community Meeting Scheduled for 3/23/11 Longfellow Energy (recently purchased by Williams Energy) has submitted a permit to PADEP to construct a natural gas pipeline through the Indian Creek Valley to connect their wells in Cook Township to the Texas Eastern Line in Mill Run. This proposed pipeline, which has not
yet been permitted, will impact streams and wetlands approximately 54 times in its 16.5 mile length. MWA is holding an informational community meeting at the Donegal Community Center on March 23, 2011 to discuss this project. PADEP will be sending a representative to answer questions.
If you’d like to learn more about this pipeline proposal please consider attending the informational meeting. The Donegal Community Center is located at 113 Community Center Lane (off of Route 31) in Donegal. For more information please contact Veronica.
To receive this newsletter via email please send your name and email address to Charlotte at charlotte@mtwatershed.com.
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Our Laurel Landscape... The Eastern Bluebird The promise of spring in the Laurel Highlands has arrived on the tails of the Eastern Bluebird, one of the earliest migrating birds to return to their breeding grounds in our region in the early spring. The eastern bluebird is a medium-sized bird of the genus Sialia of the thrush family (Turdidae). Their plumage is bright blue with a white belly and a red breast and throat. Male birds are brighter than female though there is often no noticeable difference between sexes. Eastern bluebirds are territorial and generally prefer open grasslands and meadows with trees nearby. Bluebirds often perch on wires, fence posts or tree limbs to scan for prey. They eat insects, fruit and berries though they’ve also been known to occasionally snack on shrews, small salamanders and snakes and tree frogs. Eastern bluebirds are cavity nesters similar to woodpeckers. In our region, they typically raise two to four broods between March and August. Male birds often identify potential nest sites and then use
behaviors like singing and flapping their wings to attract females. Unfortunately for the female bluebirds, this marks the end of the male’s contribution to nest building. Once a female selects a nest site she generally builds the nest and incubates the eggs alone.
By the mid-1970’s bluebirds had declined by approximately 70% primarily due to competition with non-native bird species including house sparrows and starlings. Both of these introduced species also use cavities to nest. Both will take over nesting sites of native bluebirds, smashing eggs and killing young
birds in the process. On a positive note, a recent study from Cornell University’s Laboratory of Ornithology showed that the Eastern Bluebird may be making a comeback in our region. Cornell largely attributed this comeback to the legions of volunteers who now maintain bluebird boxes and trails across the northeast. Laurel Hill State Park in Trent, Somerset County, maintains several bluebird boxes along an easily accessible trail. Take a pair of binoculars and a picnic lunch and you’ll enjoy watching the bluebirds swoop for bugs to feed their young. You can also help to play a role in the comeback of the Eastern Bluebird. Bluebird boxes are fairly common in garden stores, and plans for building a box are easily obtained online. Additionally, the Fayette County Conservation District in Uniontown is selling bluebird boxes for $18 each— for more information call the district at (724) 438-4497. Plan to hang your box on a post with a predator guard between 3 and 6 feet from the ground in an open area with trees nearby.
Join us for the ‘Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’ Road Clean-Up As part of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s 33rd annual ‘Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful Day,’ we’ll be holding a trash clean-up along Route
711/381 here in the Indian Creek watershed. Meet at our office at 9:30 AM on Saturday, April 23, 2011 to help clean up our section of Adopt-a-Highway which runs
from Champion to our office. We’ll supply the gloves, safety vests and bags. Contact Charlotte for more information. Hope to see you on April 23!
To receive this newsletter via email please send your name and email address to Charlotte at charlotte@mtwatershed.com.
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Leaseholders Have Rights Too Continued from page 1.. 1,000 feet of your private water supply the company drilling the well has an obligation to test your water supply prior to the commencement of drilling. Additionally, if your water supply is either lost or contaminated as a result of drilling you have the right to a replacement supply and the company must provide this. Drilling companies are also not allowed to contaminate streams on your property. If the drilling site on your property is over 5 acres, the company is responsible for obtaining and adhering to a permit issued by the PA Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) to control erosion and sedimentation. You have the right to file a complaint with PADEP if you do not believe the company is abiding by this permit. If you believe the air quality
around the drilling site has been compromised as a result of the drilling this is also something you can report to PADEP. As a leaseholder you are entitled to a free copy of any permits that are issued for drilling on your land. Contact the drilling company or PADEP for more information. Additionally, companies are required not only to abide by their PADEP issued permit but also by the terms of the lease you negotiate with them. If you are considering leasing your land for Marcellus shale gas drilling, note that everything (and w e mean everything!) is negotiable. You can negotiate placement of roads and pipelines, water supply protections for you and your neighbors, and the terms of your lease including whether or not it will be
automatically renewed. Your lease can be written in a way that disallows on-site land disposal of pit liners, and you can negotiate the depth of pipelines. You can request that royalties be calculated based on the pre-production cost, and you can prohibit companies from accessing water on your land for fracturing. Consider prohibiting injection storage and restricting drilling to the Marcellus formation. We do not recommend signing the standard lease agreement that many companies are utilizing. Instead, contact a knowledgeable oil and gas attorney. The expense will be well worth it in the end. We can recommend attorneys in the area; for more information please contact Krissy or Veronica.
Healthy Streams Project Anecdotal evidence regarding the health of area streams is easy to come by in this region. With the large numbers of people who participate outdoor recreation, the general condition of streams and rivers across the Laurel Highlands is fairly common knowledge. In order to build on this information, MWA has begun an initiative to establish baseline water quality throughout Indian Creek and the larger Youghiogheny River watersheds. As part of this effort we’ll be conducting macroinvertebrate
surveys; macroinvertebrates like those pictured above are one of the best indicators of stream health. To monitor water quality, MWA recently purchased in-stream dataloggers that will be installed into area waterways to measure water temperature, water level, and conductivity in real time. Information collected from the dataloggers will supplement the water and macroinvertebrate sampling to provide baseline data. With baseline stream conditions documented, we’ll be easily able to determine the impact
of pollution incidents on our streams. Baseline data will provide a snapshot of water quality conditions that can be used to compare and evaluate future restoration efforts, and determine the effects that natural or manmade impacts have on the watershed. It can also be utilized when establishing priorities for current and future restoration efforts. If you would like more information about the project or are interested in volunteering please contact Carla.
To receive this newsletter via email please send your name and email address to Charlotte at charlotte@mtwatershed.com.
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MWA Receives ‘1% For the Planet’ Contribution from Nature’s Way For several years now Natures Way Market, a natural foods grocery in Greensburg, has participated in a world-wide program called “1% for the Planet”. Mountain Watershed Association is proud to be a direct beneficiary of this generosity. The “1% for the Planet” idea was conceived by Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia (outdoor clothing and gear company known for its impressive environmental record) as a way to create a network of companies around the world that share a passion and commitment to protecting the environment by dedicating (at least) 1% of their profits to conservation causes. The program is also mutually beneficial since it not only taps the power of annual donations from businesses to fund “investments” in the environment, but also improves the company’s ability to communicate to its customers and community that it stands for something besides profit maximization -- that it has pledged to convert a portion of its success every year to conserve nature.
Natures Way Market has been serving customers in Greensburg and surrounding areas since 1977. Owner Kitty Tuscano insists on the highest quality natural and organic products. The store at 792 Highland Avenue is also well known for its top notch customer service -- assisting customers as they seek answers to diet and supplement questions and selections of wholesome products to support a healthy lifestyle. Kitty and Natures Way are committed to acting locally to protect our environment in western PA, since while eating healthy is important, we obviously need clean air, water and natural areas to be truly healthy people. In 2005 Natures Way joined “1% for the Planet,” a movement now boasting almost 1,400 companies donating to 2,400 environmental organizations. We at MWA are thrilled and honored that Natures Way Market has chosen our organization for the last several years as one of their key recipients of the 1% for the Planet donations.
MWA was chosen by Natures Way because of its reputation for being a very effective grassroots organization that accomplishes a lot of local environmental protection on a very tight non-profit budget. We are grateful that Kitty and Natures Way value the natural resources of the Indian Creek and Youghiogheny watersheds, and that we are recognized as an environmental force worthy of continued financial support. If you own a local business, or know someone who does, and would like to know more about the opportunity to lever your company success into protection for our local environment by possibly joining the 1% for the Planet program, please contact us. Thanks again Natures Way Market!
Corps. She earned a B.S. in Environmental Science with a concentration on pollution control from California University of Pennsylvania. Carla is from the small town of Homer City in Indiana County, PA where she enjoys spending time outdoors, camping, and volunteering with the Boy Scouts of America.
Carla’s responsibilities at MWA include maintenance of our mine drainage treatment systems and development and implementation of our baseline water monitoring program, among other tasks. Contact her at (724) 455-4200, ext. 3# or carla@mtwatershed.com.
Meet Carla MWA recently hired Carla Ruddock as our new Field Technician. Carla has over 10 years of experience in watershed conservation previously working for the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and as an AmeriCorps volunteer with the Pennsylvania Mountain Service
To receive this newsletter via email please send your name and email address to Charlotte at charlotte@mtwatershed.com.
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Spring 2011
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To receive this newsletter via email please send your name and email address to Charlotte at charlotte@mtwatershed.com.