Thursday, April 30, 2015
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
PECO Environmental Program Receives Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award
Gov. Tom Wolf and the Department of Environmental Protection have recognized PECO with the 2015 Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence for the company’s work to restore the site of a former manufactured gas plant in Norristown, PA.
“It is truly an honor to be recognized by the Commonwealth for a program that has such a far-reaching environmental impact,” said Ellen Cavanaugh, PECO vice president of Support Services. “This voluntary program solidifies the company’s role as an environmental steward and breathes new life into industrial land, paving the way for future redevelopment.”
Between 2011 and 2014, PECO restored the former Norristown MGP, located along the banks of the Schuylkill River. The restoration process included the removal of 103,000 tons of impacted soil and the treatment of more than 11 million gallons of impacted groundwater, which was treated and returned to the environment.
More than $12 million was invested in the remediation work to restore the site and all work was completed in accordance with the provisions of the Pennsylvania Land Recycling Program (Act 2).
MGPs were operated throughout the U.S. during the late 1800s and 1900s to produce gas for heating and lighting purposes. Byproducts of the gas production process, such as coal tar and cinders sometimes remained on site after the plants closed.
As part of PECO’s ongoing commitment to protect and preserve the environment, the company voluntarily restores former MGPs across its southeastern Pennsylvania service territory.
Since the early 1990s, PECO has restored 16 former MGP sites throughout the region, with the approval of the PADEP. The company plans to restore 10 remaining sites during the next few years.
The Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence recognizes companies and organizations that encourage and promote environmental stewardship and contribute to the conservation of Pennsylvania’s environment.
For more information, visit PECO’s Environment webpage.
Wildlife Leadership Academy Seeks Students To Be Youth Conservation Ambassadors
The Wildlife Leadership Academy has opened its exclusive Youth Conservation Ambassador nomination process to the public and is currently seeking referrals of motivated students ages 14 to 17 to become Certified Conservation Ambassadors.
Nominations will be accepted online through May 31.
Nominated students should have demonstrated interest in wildlife and/or fisheries conservation. Accepted nominees will become certified Conservation Ambassadors through attending one of four 5-day residential summer field schools which will focus on white-tailed deer, brook trout, ruffed grouse, or black bear.
Students in each field school will gain extensive knowledge about wildlife and conservation, leadership experience, and communication skills.
Applicants may be nominated by a teacher, school counselor, Envirothon advisor, employer, youth group leader or an adult who knows them well but is not a relative.
As Conservation Ambassadors, students receive a letter of a recommendation for college applications; certification of community service work, and a certificate designating them as Conservation Ambassadors.
Students are also eligible to return to the Academy tuition free the following year, compete for college scholarships, and join an Academy Alumni Network of 100+ wildlife, fisheries, and conservation professionals.
Academy Alumni and Conservation Ambassador Luke Benzinger of Westmoreland County describes his participation in the program as “life changing”.
He shared, “My whole life changed since attending the Wildlife Leadership Academy where I talked to so many knowledgeable adults who wanted to spend time with other teenagers that were there with me. These adults opened my eyes to what I could do to teach everyone else in the world about the passion I have for the outdoors.”
The Wildlife Leadership Academy is a cooperative initiative involving state agencies and conservation organizations and is administered by the Pennsylvania Institute for Conservation Education whose mission is to connect people, nature and community.
For more information, contact Institute Director, Michele Kittell, by sending email to: mkittell@piceweb.org or call 570-245-8518 or Program Coordinator, Katie Cassidy by emailing: kcassidy@piceweb.org or by phone 570-939-5109.
You can also connect with the Academy on Facebook.
2015 PA Abandoned Mine Reclamation Conference Registration Now Open
Online registration is now open for the 2015 PA Abandoned Mine Reclamation Conference on June 24-25 at the Ramada Inn and Conference Center in State College, PA.
The conference will offer more than 20 unique presentations on all kinds of issues related to the reclamation of our abandoned mine-scared lands and waterways. Here is a short list of some of the interesting things you will learn:
-- How monarch butterfly habitat can be incorporated into mine reclamation,
-- How drone technology might be the next thing to help you with your water quality monitoring
-- How refuse bank fires are extinguished
In addition to the great presentations, the AMR Conference also offers some of the best networking available to the PA watershed community.
You have your choice of three activities during the afternoon on Thursday, including a golf outing benefiting EPCAMR and WPCAMR, a sustainability tour of Centre County featuring a stop at a winery, and a film festival showing multiple films collected throughout the state that is sure to spark insightful conversation.
And let’s not forget the banquet dinner and the presentation of the coveted Mayfly Award.
Registration fees remain low! Full registration is $90. Representatives of non-profits may apply for a scholarship of $45. That’s 50 percent off what everyone else pays! Where else are you going to get 2 full days of networking and education for so cheap?
But, bring your wallets along because our silent auction returns this year with all new items. Here are a few items you should place a bid on: beautiful photography from our very own Melissa Reckner; hand-carved walking sticks; a Safelight Auto basket; several homesteading baskets filled with home-canned items, candles, soaps, and a whole leg of Fortiter Farm lamb (courtesy of Andy McAllister); and many more surprises.
Don’t delay. Register now and reserve your room. More information can be found at the PA Abandoned Mine Reclamation Conference website.
(Written by Anne Daymut, WPCAMR Watershed Coordinator, from the Western Coalition for Abandoned Mine Restoration Abandoned Mine Posts. Click Here to sign up for your own copy.)
Gov. Wolf’s First 100 Days, A Review By The Governor
Gov. Tom Wolf Wednesday put out a review of his actions during his first 100 days in office in the form of a memo and video to media. Here’s what it said with respect to environmental issues.
During his inauguration, Gov. Wolf said he does not want to be part of the first generation of Pennsylvanians who have to tell their children they have to go elsewhere to achieve success.
He said that in order to build a better Pennsylvania, his administration will be dedicated to three simple things: jobs that pay, schools that teach and government that works.
Pennsylvania can achieve these three goals, but we need to act now. During his first 100 days in office, Gov. Wolf has taken concrete actions and introduced bold proposals to secure a better future for Pennsylvanians.
-- Gov. Wolf’s Budget - a Blueprint for Pennsylvania: Gov. Wolf’s budget fixes the deficit, makes historic investments in education, rebuilds the middle class by strengthening manufacturing and workforce development, and provides property tax relief to middle-class families and seniors.
“A majority of Pennsylvania voters support Gov. Tom Wolf’s spending plan that aggressively increases education funding, a statewide Franklin & Marshall College poll found. And they agree with the first-year Democratic governor that a natural-gas extraction tax should be imposed and lower property taxes should be swapped for higher state taxes, the new poll shows. The survey found 59 percent of registered voters back the budget proposal.” [LNP, 3/26/15]
-- Making Gas Companies Pay Their Fair Share: Gov. Wolf proposed a severance tax on natural gas so we can fund our schools for a change.
“A severance tax makes sense and is fair — which is probably why a solid 61 percent of Pennsylvanians support it...” [York Dispatch, 2/14/15]
-- Protecting Our State Parks and Forests: Gov. Wolf signed an executive order reinstating a moratorium on new leases for oil and gas development in state parks and forests.
“Abundant natural gas is a great resource for Pennsylvania. But so are the abundant forests for which the Commonwealth is named. Gov. Tom Wolf restored perspective Thursday when he issued a new moratorium on drilling under state park and forest land.” [Times-Tribune, 1/31/15]
-- Gov. Wolf Works to Increase Oil Train Safety: Gov. Wolf is focused on the safety of Pennsylvanians and protecting people from the potential disaster resulting from Bakken crude oil train derailments
“Gov. Wolf has made oil train safety a priority during the first 100 days of his administration.” [StateImpact, 4/28/15]
Click Here to watch Gov. Wolf’s video on the first 100 days. Click Here for the full 100 days message.
Keep PA Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup Of PA Receives Governor’s Award
The Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful Great American Cleanup of PA has been selected to receive a 2015 Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence.
The Great American Cleanup of PA is an annual program empowering Pennsylvanians to make communities clean and beautiful by removing litter and trash along roadsides, streams, beaches, parks, forests and neighborhoods.
Events can also include recycling collections for hard-to-dispose of items like tires and appliances, creating or enhancing green areas through beautification and community greening, removing or painting over graffiti that devalues a neighborhood, and other activities that help beautify any community.
Community and civic associations, schools and youth groups, families and friends, business employees, hunting and fishing clubs, conservation organizations, sports teams, and others organize their members and participate in the annual Great American Cleanup of PA.
Since the inception of this event in 2004, over 1,565,950 million volunteers have picked up 80,575,227 million pounds of litter and waste, 146,259 miles of roads, waterways, shorelines, and trails have been cleaned, and more than 136,300 trees, bulbs, and flowers have been planted. Volunteers also removed over 202,350 tires and 130,218 pounds of scrap metal.
“The Great American Cleanup of PA is successful year in and year out due to its long-term committed industry and state agency partners, municipal and civic event coordinators, and the more than 130,000 community stewards across the state that roll up their sleeves to improve their communities,” stated Shannon Reiter, President of Keep PA Beautiful. “Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful is honored to accept this award on behalf of our partners and environmental stewards who take responsibility for improving their community.”
Each year organizations and companies that encourage and promote environmental stewardship are recognized with the Governor’s Award for Environmental excellence for their accomplishments and contributions to the conservation of Pennsylvania’s environment.
A reception of honorees was held on April 28 at the Harrisburg Hilton Hotel.
For more information, visit KPB’s Great American Cleanup of PA webpage.
Help Wanted: Head Resource Conservationist, Monroe County Conservation District
The Monroe County Conservation District is seeking candidates for Head Resource Conservationist to supervise the District’s Technical Section. Click Here for all the details.
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Sewickley Creek Watershed Partners Celebrate Earth Day In Westmoreland County
Sewickley Creek Watershed Association in Westmoreland County partnered with the City of Greensburg and other groups to conclude a three-year, streambank remediation project and celebrate Earth Day at Lynch Field on April 25.
(Photo: Westmoreland County Commissioner Ted Kopas addresses the Earth Day crowd at Lynch Field.)
With grants from Firestone Building Products, the group finalized the project by installing an education kiosk and interpretive trail signs along Jacks Run, adjacent to the athletic complex.
The kiosk and signs explain the best engineering practices employed to prevent bank erosion and re-direct the flow of the stream. They include stream deflectors, geo-web panels, rip-rap, and a jack dam. Trees, shrubs and grass have also been planted over the past three years to help stabilize the bank.
The tens of thousands of visitors who visit the park annually can learn how similar techniques might be used in their communities and backyards.
The kiosk was designed and constructed by students from the Central Westmoreland Career and Technology Center. At the kiosk dedication ceremony, Gary Kistler, Carpentry Instructor, expressed how proud he was of his students.
“The project was a practical learning experience that our students will be able to showcase to their family and friends for decades to come. The students enjoyed putting their engineering and carpentry skills to work on a real community project!” said Kistler.
Westmoreland County Commissioner Ted Kopas thanked all of the partners, especially Scout Troop 465 from Hempfield Township that has helped Sewickley Creek on Earth Day events since 1995.
“It is through partnerships like this project that we can make the biggest difference in our communities. Each group brings a piece of the puzzle to the table,” said Commissioner Kopas. “It is great to see the City, Firestone, the Career and Technology Center and all of the volunteers pulling together to repair the streambanks, and to use Lynch Field as a demonstration site.”
The scouts installed five interpretive trail signs, planted 80 tree seedlings, and spread mulch prior to the ceremony.
In other related Earth Day events, volunteers cleaned up 42 tires, a sofa, electronics and 40 bags of litter along Shinsky Road in Unity Township. Local residents have adopted this heavily littered roadway through Westmoreland Cleanways, and with the help of Township Supervisors, clean it regularly.
And, 15 employees at Menasha Packaging Company near Yukon celebrated Earth Day by completing their own beautification project at the entrance to their plant. As part of that project, they removed trash, including tires and lawn chairs, from the banks of Sewickley Creek adjacent to the plant.
The Association expresses its sincere appreciation to all of the partners and volunteers who helped bring this three-year project to fruition. Sewickley Creek Watershed Association is a 501 c 3 nonprofit, organization that helps manage the 168 square mile watershed drained by Sewickley Creek in Westmoreland County.
Their primary focus is remediation of abandoned mine discharges. Other projects include building riparian buffers, trail development and environmental education.
For more information about the organization and pictures from the Earth Day event, visit the Sewickley Creek Watershed Association website.
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