Sign Up Now For Delaware Highlands Conservancy Educational Retreat for Women Forest Landowners Sept. 6-9

Women across the mid-Atlantic region who own, care for, or are interested in learning more about forestland are invited to apply now to attend the Women and Their Woods Educational Retreat from September 6-9 at the Highlights Workshop Facility in Boyd’s Mill, Milanville, Wayne County.

The biennial retreat is an in-depth, fun, engaging, and thought-provoking workshop on caring for your woodlands now and into the future.

No matter the size of your woodlands or if you’re not yet an owner, join us for learning, networking, and applying new knowledge about good forest stewardship.

Workshops are led by professionals including Penn State’s Center for Private Forests, cooperative extension, state and federal forest agencies, in addition to local land trusts, private consultants and legal experts.

Attendees gain information on forest stewardship and legacy planning while learning the basics about mentoring other women landowners.

Topics and activities in indoor and outdoor sessions include forest ecology, wildlife habitat improvements, estate and financial planning, measuring the value in your forest, forest plant identification, and more.

The event this year will be held at the Highlights Workshop Facility which provides a spectacular 1300-acre wooded campus complete with historic buildings, streams and hiking trails, comfortable lodging accommodations and five-star meals.

According to Christine Foland, PA Landowner and WaTW Retreat Graduate, “It is hard for me to believe how differently I view my woods after our four days together. In addition to loving my woods, I feel a strong responsibility to care for it in a purposeful way.  The network of support available is wonderful.  I am embarked on a new, beautiful, and heretofore unexpected relationship with my forest.”

Women and Their Woods is sponsored by the Delaware Highlands Conservancy, the U.S. Forest Service at Grey Towers National Historic Site, the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, and the William Penn Foundation.

The cost to attend the four‐day retreat is $300 and covers lodging for the three nights, three meals per day with snacks, and all workshop resources and materials. The application deadline is August 1.

For more information, visit the Women and Their Woods Educational Retreat webpage for an application to attend, send an email to Amanda Subjin of the Delaware Highlands Conservancy at: amanda@delawarehighlands.org, or call 570-226-3164 ext. 2.

For more information on programs, initiatives and special events, visit the Delaware Highlands Conservancy website or call 570-226-3164 or 845-583-1010.  Click Here to sign up for regular updates from the Conservancy, Like on Facebook and Follow on Twitter.   Click Here to support their work.

PA State Police Looking For Equine Donations

The Pennsylvania State Police is once again looking for a few good horses for its mounted patrol unit.

The force’s 26-horse mounted unit is seeking donations of horses to be used statewide for searches, crowd control, security, and patrol operations of remote areas. As a secondary function, the animals participate in parades, demonstrations, and other community events.

Horses must be geldings between the ages of 5 and 15 years old. The horse must stand at least 16 hands tall (5 foot 4 inches at the shoulder) and less than 18 hands tall. Drafts and draft-crosses are preferred. Thoroughbreds and other “hot bloods” are less desirable.

The animals must have quiet, sound dispositions and be free of serious stable vices. Horses will be accepted on a 120-day trial basis to determine their suitability. A veterinary examination will also be performed.

The Pennsylvania State Police maintains a stable at the Academy in Hershey and relies on donations for animals.

To arrange a donation or get more information, please contact Corporal Carrie Neidigh at 717-533-3463 or send email to: cneidigh@pa.gov.

List Of Design Teams Announced For Public Plaza At Hazelwood Green Site In Allegheny County

Hazelwood Green, a former steel mill site that is the City of Pittsburgh’s largest riverfront redevelopment project and last urban brownfield, Monday announced the names of eight design teams that will vie for the opportunity to create the first public plaza at the 178- acre site.

A total of 30 design firms submitted qualifications in response to an RFQ issued in November, with the following teams making the cut:  Gustafson Guthrie Nichol, Seattle; Hood Design Studio, Oakland, CA; Land Collective, Philadelphia; Mithun, Seattle; Quennell Rothschild & Partners, New York; Stoss, Boston; Ten x Ten Studio, Minneapolis; W Architecture & Landscape Architecture, LLC,  Brooklyn, NY.  

All teams have local firms included on their team to provide expertise and local knowledge.

The short list of firms that will go on to submit design proposals were selected by a nine-member advisory committee, including:  Karen Abrams, Program Officer, Equitable Development, The Heinz Endowments; Rebecca Flora, AICP, LEED BD+C/ND, Hazelwood Green Project Director; Raymond W. Gastil, AICP, Director, Department of City Planning, City of Pittsburgh; Nicole Graycar, AIA, Project Manager, Campus Design and Facility Development, Carnegie Mellon University; Don Johnson, Senior Development Manager, Regional Industrial Development Corporation (RIDC); Sean C. Luther, Executive Director, InnovatePGH; Lawrence T. Mangan, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer, C.W. Benedum Foundation; Sam Reiman, Associate Director, Richard King Mellon Foundation; and Tim Smith, Executive Director, Center of Life Chair, Greater Hazelwood Community Collaborative (GHCC).

Spanning two acres, the Plaza will serve as an outdoor public gathering and event space for workers and tenants at the site, for the residents of site’s neighborhood – Hazelwood, and for future visitors to the site for activities and programs.

“The extent and quality of responses from some of the best in the field around the country indicate that we are not the only ones that feel this first public space is a very unique, place-making opportunity for Hazelwood Green and its neighborhood,” says Hazelwood Green Project Director Rebecca Flora.  “We are grateful to all the respondents for their thoughtful responses, and the advisory committee for their contributions of expertise and perspective to this very difficult selection process.”

The space allocated for the Plaza lies south of the Mill 19 building, an expansive former mill structure that will be home to Hazelwood Green’s first anchor tenant – Carnegie Mellon University’s Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Institute, currently under construction.

Mill 19 will open out onto the one of the Plaza’s four sides, with a second side facing Hazelwood Green’s Main Street. The remaining two sides of the Plaza will be developed according to the site’s master plan, and as market interest evolves.

In response to the RFP, each of the eight design firms will be asked to submit a more detailed approach, work plan, and budget for the Plaza.  The Hazelwood Green Plaza Advisory Committee will make a recommendation of firms to be interviewed by Almono LLC, with final selection expected the end of March 2017.

Construction is expected to begin by late 2018 and be completed the following year.

Located in the city of Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood neighborhood and situated along the Monongahela River, Hazelwood Green is envisioned to become a world-class model for sustainable development encompassing a mix of offices, research and development, light manufacturing, housing, retail, public green spaces, trails and transportation.  

With a goal of achieving USGBC LEED for Neighborhood Development Gold certification, the site’s master plan will prioritize reuse of land in urban infill locations; seek to create well connected, walkable communities; and pursue efficient use of resources.  Green infrastructure has already been installed to capture all rainwater on the site.

For further detail on the project, go to the Hazelwood Green website.

To learn more about green innovation in the Pittsburgh Region, visit the Pittsburgh Green Story website.

Wednesday PA Environmental NewsClips

Legere: Senators Push For More Gas Leasing In State Forests

DEP Pushes Program To Help Landowners Plug Abandoned Oil, Gas Wells

Frazier: Activist Groups Want More Time To Review Shell Ethane Pipeline Permits
Op-Ed: Delaware River Basin Commission Should Embrace Fracking, Not Ban It
UGI Revises Liquefied Natural Gas Project Planned For Bethlehem
South Philadelphia Refinery In Bankruptcy Proceedings, Neighbors See An Opportunity For Cleaner Air

Cusick: Environmentalists Want More Action From Gov. Wolf

PPL Goal: Cut Carbon Dioxide Emissions 70 Percent By 2050

Editorial: More Cause For Climate Skepticism
Gasoline Prices Highest Since Hurricane Harvey
Crable: EHB Rejects Challenge To Air Permit For Lancaster Perdue Soybean Plant

Learn How To Be Master Watershed Steward In Berks County Feb. 6

PA Assn. For Sustainable Agriculture Award Recipients Named
Point Pleasant Pump Supplying Water To Delaware Canal

Schneck: Have Bitter Temperatures Killed Ticks In PA?

18 Things You Can Do At Presque Isle In February
Animals Stolen From Schuylkill Center For Environmental Ed Wildlife Clinic In Dispute

Groundhog Day 2018: Punxsutawney Phil Facts
Op-Ed: Lawsuits To Limit Public Participation Can Impact Free Speech, Sen. Farnese

John Baer: The Emerging Story Behind The Story Of PA Gerrymandering

The Feds

Extreme Trump Proposal To Gut Chesapeake Bay Cleanup Program Raises Alarm
Pruitt Says EPA Reconsidering Chesapeake Bay Journal Grant Decision

Dems  Go On The Attack During EPA Chief’s Hearing

Trump Declares The War On Beautiful Coal Over

Trump: We Have To End The War On American Energy

Trump Previews Infrastructure Fix, Touts Energy Boom

Editorial: Stop Offshore Drilling By Making NJ, DE Ugly For Oil
Op-Ed: Threats To Wildlife, Environment Have Never Been Greater

Creditors Claim Westinghouse Owes Them $111 Billion, Company: Closer To $9 Billion

CNX Resources Sees Profit Rise In 2017, Gets Boost From Federal Tax Law

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Brodhead Watershed Assn, PennFuture Intervene In EHB Case To Protect Exceptional Value Streams

The Brodhead Watershed Association and PennFuture Monday submitted a petition to intervene in an appeal before the Environmental Hearing Board, seeking to protect the Exceptional Value water quality of six streams in Monroe County, including Cranberry Creek, Paradise Creek, Devil’s Hole Creek, Tank Creek, Swiftwater Creek, and Tunkhannock Creek.

The Environmental Hearing Board granted the petition to intervene on Tuesday.

The challenge to protecting clean streams, filed by a coalition of unknown landowners and businesses in Monroe County, claims the Department of Environmental Protection erred in its evaluation of the waterbodies as “Exceptional Value,” or EV.  

EV waters have the highest protections under state law, and the water quality cannot be degraded for any reason. BWA and PennFuture intervened in this case to support DEP’s existing use evaluations and the EV status of the creeks.  

“BWA has worked for decades to protect and maintain the exceptional water quality of the waters within the Brodhead watershed. We have undertaken studies and issued reports that support the finding that these creeks are Exceptional Value waters,” said BWA Executive Director Robert J. Heil Jr. “Our members and local recreation-based businesses rely on the pristine nature of these waters for aesthetic and recreational enjoyment, including world-class fly-fishing.”

“The appeal challenges a core protection established by Pennsylvania’s Clean Streams Law and the federal Clean Water Act — that the existing use of our waterways must be protected,” said PennFuture Staff Attorney Abigail M. Jones. “Those unspoiled streams in the Poconos must be protected so that our communities and economy can thrive for decades to come.”

This appeal is EHB Case: 2017-107.

For more information on programs, initiatives and other upcoming events, visit the Brodhead Watershed Association website.  Click Here to sign up for regular updates from the Association.  Click Here to become a member.

Related Story:

Brodhead Watershed Assn. Feb. 24 Who Goes There? Tracking Pocono Wildlife Program In Monroe County

Senate Passes Local Clean Energy Funding Bill To Save Energy, Money

By a vote of 42 to 8, the Senate Tuesday passed Senate Bill 234 (Blake-D-Lackawanna), a clean energy financing bill to enable local government Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy, or C-PACE, programs in Pennsylvania.

“C-PACE financing is a proven tool to help Pennsylvania businesses invest in cost-saving energy efficiency projects, creating jobs and reducing energy costs,” said Julian Boggs, policy director for Keystone Energy Efficiency Alliance (KEEA).

Energy efficiency is booming business in Pennsylvania, accounting for more than 62,000 jobs and growing at 7-10 percent each year. These jobs include a broad array of professionals such as electricians, engineers, trained technicians, financial analysts, construction workers, facility managers, software developers, and other specialists.

The clean energy bill, sponsored by Sen. John Blake and Sen. Guy Reschenthaler (R-Allegheny), allows counties, cities, and towns to set up programs to finance energy efficiency and clean energy projects on commercial properties.

Thirty-three states and the District of Columbia have enabled C-PACE financing since 2007, and C-PACE programs in those states have generated $400 million in investments in energy efficiency and clean energy programs.

KEEA applauded Senators Blake and Reschenthaler for their leadership and urged the House of Representatives to pass can we say pass this legislation, a win-win-win for jobs, consumers, and clean air.

A Senate Fiscal Note and summary is now available.

NRCS-PA: Conservation Assistance Available To Farmers In Centre, Clinton, Lycoming Counties

The U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service-PA Tuesday announced it is now accepting applications to help agricultural producers improve water and air quality, build healthier soil, and achieve other environmental benefits in Centre, Clinton and Lycoming Counties in Pennsylvania.  The deadline for applications is February 16.

Through USDA’s Regional Conservation Partnerships Program (RCPP), NRCS is partnering with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation-PA to assist farmers establish conservation practices to improve soil health, reduce erosion and nutrient loss, and control stormwater runoff to local streams draining into the Chesapeake Bay through the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) programs.

Agricultural producers wanting to enhance current conservation efforts are encouraged to apply for CSP.  Through CSP, NRCS helps private landowners build their business while implementing conservation practices that help ensure the sustainability of their entire operation.

Examples of management practices include continuous no-till planting, diverse crop rotations, integrating grazing with crops, planting multi species cover crops, and Integrated Pest Management (IPM).

These will help to promote soil organisms and biodiversity. Many of these practices improve plant productivity by improving access to soil nutrients, reducing demands for supplemental fertilizer, increasing soil water holding capacity, and protecting from drought and high-volume rain events.

Funding is also available through EQIP to address resource concerns on these farms. Agricultural producers can also apply for the agency’s EQIP program and interested producers should visit their local NRCS service center for sign-up information.

While applications for CSP are accepted year-round, applications must be received by February 16, 2018 to be considered for this funding period and will be accepted until funds are depleted. Producers interested in applying should contact their local USDA NRCS Service Center, listed below--

-- Centre and Clinton Counties: Mill Hall NRCS Field Office, 216 Spring Run Road, Room 102, Mill Hall, PA 17751-9587 or call 570-726-3196, ext. 3

-- Lycoming County: Mountoursville NRCS Field Office, 542 County Farm Road, Suite 204,  Mountoursville, PA 17754-9209 or call 570-433-3902, ext. 3.

For more information on technical and financial assistance available to farm and forest landowners, visit the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service-PA webpage.

Senate Committee Approves Local Stormwater Pollution Prevention Fee Authorization Bills

The Senate Local Government Committee Tuesday reported out a package of four bills to authorize boroughs, townships of the first class, cities of the third class and incorporated towns to adopt local stormwater management fees.  The bills include--

-- House Bill 913 providing for the adoption of stormwater fees by incorporated towns;

-- House Bill 914 providing for the adoption of stormwater fees by boroughs;

-- House Bill 915 providing for the adoption of stormwater fees by first class townships; and

-- House Bill 916 providing for the adoption of stormwater fees by Cities of the Third Class.

Rep. Garth Everett (R-Lycoming) is the prime sponsor of the bills and is one of Pennsylvania’s members and the current chair of the interstate Chesapeake Bay Commission.

These bills are the latest in a series of actions to give local governments the tools they need to better deal with stormwater flooding and resulting pollution, in particular in Pennsylvania’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

In July of 2016, the General Assembly passed and Gov. Wolf signed into law House Bill 1325 (Mustio-D-Allegheny) authorizing townships of the second class to levy stormwater fees (now Act 62).

In July of 2014, the General Assembly passed and Gov. Corbett signed into law Senate Bill 1255 (Erickson-R-Delaware) authorizing municipalities to establish municipal authorities for the purpose of implementing stormwater pollution prevention programs (Act 123).

The bills now go to the full Senate for action.

Sen. Scott Wagner (R-York) serves as Majority Chair of the Committee and can be contacted by sending email to: swagner@pasen.gov.  Sen. John Blake (D-Lackawanna) serves as Minority Chair and can be contacted by sending email to: jblake@pasenate.com.

Chesapeake Bay Foundation Concerned About EPA's Efforts To Roll Back Environmental Protections

Chesapeake Bay Foundation President William C. Baker Tuesday issued this statement following EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt's testimony before the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

"CBF remains deeply concerned about Administrator Pruitt's efforts to roll back environmental protections in the federal Clean Water and Clean Air acts. These federal tools are essential for efforts to restore water quality, not just here in the Chesapeake Bay, but around the country.

"The good news is that Administrator Pruitt acknowledged the progress that has been made by the federal/state partnership working together to save the Bay. He also vowed to support Congress' efforts to fully fund EPA's Chesapeake Bay Program, the federal 'glue' binding the effort together.

“In addition, he noted that EPA is reconsidering funding cuts for the Chesapeake Bay Journal, the region's most comprehensive source of news and information about Chesapeake Bay issues.

"Saving the Chesapeake Bay is on its way to being one of America's greatest environmental success stories. But we won't get there without a strong federal partner. We will be watching closely to ensure Administrator Pruitt stands by his word to continue supporting efforts to save the Bay."

For more on Chesapeake Bay-related issues in Pennsylvania, visit the Chesapeake Bay Foundation-PA webpage.  Click Here to sign up for Pennsylvania updates (bottom of left column).  Click Here to support their work.
NewsClip:
Dems  Go On The Attack During EPA Chief’s Hearing