September 19, 2003
Welcome to the Hellbender Chronicles New Weblog site!
Welcome! We hope you enjoy the new layout for the Allegheny Defense Project's weblog. Let us know if you would like to become a contributor. Otherwise feel free to join in on any of the comment strings.
You may have missed the posts from our previous layout so I have included them here for your reading pleasure (and also because of a silly layout issue that I can't resolve without starting with a lengthy post!).
-jim k
Friday, September 19, 2003
Warren County goes with Guaranteed Payments
According to sources, Warren County Commissioners voted to go with the guaranteed payment method rather than stay with the 25% fund. That means that 3 of the 4 counties (Forest, McKean and Warren) are now receiving money from the guaranteed payment method instead of the old 25% fund.
This leaves only Elk County to decide which way to go before the end of the month. I would say that the lessons of Forest County and the direction that McKean and Warren County, not to mention the data that shows they would receive more money through the guaranteed payments should be enough to persuade the commissioners to make the right choice.
# posted by Ryan @ 1:58 PM
Fall Gathering Cancellation Update
Well, it doesn't appear that the hurricane is going to have as much impact as was anticipated, although reports from up towards Kane suggest driving rains and creeks ready to overflow. In the Clarion area we mostly just had some downed branches and a fair amount of rain but nothing too serious.
Unfortunately, we had to make the call on what to do about the Fall Gathering based on the the best forecasts we had as of Thursday morning, which called for 50-60mph gusts of wind. There were also flood and wind advisories in effect, and we needed to make sure we had enough time to contact everyone. Keep your eye open as we'll be planning something to make up for the lost event!
-jim k
# posted by James @ 12:13 PM
Stormwater and Logging
Over the last fifteen years or so, economists have been studying the "ecological services" provided by intact forests and other ecosystems. One of the major ecological services that forests provide is in water quality and flow regulation. When a watershed is impacted, e.g. by logging, these costs are "externalized"; the logging company doesn't pay them -- we do.
- Rachel
Friday, September 19, 2003
From the Bradford Era
COG discusses stormwater management
By KIMBERLY WEINBERG / Era Reporter
It was appropriate that the Tuna Valley Council of Governments discussed stormwater management Thursday night as Hurricane Isabel moved its way into the central part of the state.
Bradford Township Supervisor Dave Farrell said that stormwater runoff is his township's largest problem. He and others at the meeting blamed a lot of the runoff on logging on the hills in the valley.
"It seems to lead to the loggers lately," he said. "We definitely have to do something."
Farrell said the township has considered putting up money for an engineer to study its watershed.
# posted by Rachel @ 11:53 AM
Thursday, September 18, 2003
Folks,
After much deliberation, we have decided we have no choice but to take the
unprecedented step of cancelling the ADP Fall Gathering scheduled for this
weekend. Hurricane Isabel is slated to pass right through here tomorrow
afternoon--it would be the first hurricane to pass over the Allegheny in 50
years. There are flood and high wind alerts, and we are very concerned
about the safety of participants, as well as the logistical nightmare that
the storm is slated to bring.
We are considering the possibilities of a spring event and/or a fall or
winter meeting, and there are a couple of upcoming events that we'd like to
encourage your participation in:
Next weekend (9/27-9/29): National Forest Protection Alliance/Buckeye Forest
Council annual convention near Columbus, OH. More information at
www.forestadvocate.org. Please register ASAP if you'd like to attend that
meeting. We are planning an ADP caucus at the convention.
October 11: North Country Trail work day: The Allegheny National Forest
chapter of the North Country Trail Association is planning to perform some
trail work on the NCT in the Allegheny, and ADP will be participating. Look
for more information coming soon to the ADP website www.alleghenydefense.org
and further announcements on the Hellbenders listserve.
If you've already registered for the Fall Gathering, we will be either
returning your registration donation checks or issuing a refund within the
next week.
# posted by Rachel @ 1:07 PM
Wednesday, September 17, 2003
Hurricane Update
As of right now, if predictions for Hurricane Isabel do not change by morning, we have decided to call off the Fall Gathering. There are too many unknowns created by the hurricane. Instead we will put our energy into getting the Hellbender Journal out next week and organizing for the next round of forest planning meetings.
We'll keep everyone posted on the status of the hurricane as we learn more. We'll also keep tabs on the aftermath.
-jim k
# posted by James @ 7:48 PM
Hurricane Warning
The current projected path of Hurricane Isabel has it clearing right through the Allegheny National Forest.
The Fall Gathering
Folks planning to make the ADP's 10th annual Fall Gathering should keep an eye open. We've never postponed or cancelled the event before but if it looks like the high winds could create dangerous conditions we might have to do just that. We are following the hurricane's path closely and will keep folks posted. The Bradford Era reports that it has been fifty years since a hurricane eye came through the area.
Storms = Bad Timber Sales
Every time a storm like this comes through the area we have to worry about the impacts of high winds (and related tornados) on the forest itself. While big-time wind disturbance plays an important natural role in the Allegheny, salvage logging often follows these events and this harms forest habitat and soils.
# posted by James @ 9:53 AM
WATCH OUT: Oil Companies on the Loose!
This article from Wednesday's Bradford Era should put us on notice (although we already knew this was happening):
The rising price of natural gas is increasing drilling activity in McKean County.
"It sure looks like there's increased activity," says John Harper of the Pennsylvania Geological Survey. Harper receives information about oil and gas drilling from the Department of Environmental Protection and makes it available to the public. Harper explains that the information is used by the oil and gas industry to tell which areas are being drilled so they can get in on the action.
Right now, the action is in McKean County, according to Brad Vanderhoof, regional program manager for the Department of Environmental Protection's oil and gas program out of Meadville.
"McKean County is the hottest county," he said, explaining that the DEP is issuing more permits for oil and gas drilling in McKean than in any other county.
Vanderhoof said there are currently 13 drilling rigs moving around McKean County drilling new wells.
Oil and gas drilling has been rising rapidly over the past few years. We saw a 500% increase from 1996 to 2001 and we've stayed steady with more than 300 oil and gas wells being drilled each year in the Allegheny National Forest. Nobody has bothered to assess the long-term costs of repairing the inevitable damage.
-jim k
# posted by James @ 12:01 AM
Tuesday, September 16, 2003
Payments to Counties
The Bradford Era reported this morning on payments to counties programs in McKean County:
McKean County could receive $1,583,378.19 in revenue from the sale of timber on the Allegheny National Forest for fiscal year 2003, according to figures supplied by forest officials Monday.
This, of course is flat wrong. The $1.5 million payment would be received for electing NOT to base revenue on the sale of timber. Go figure that they would get this simple fact wrong as noted below.
The figure -- $515,393 more than last year -- is due to a change in the way the county will be receiving the funds from the federal government.
The key here being "...is due to a change in the way the county will be receiving the funds from the federal government." McKean County lost money last year for electing to choose revenues DEPENDENT on timber cutting instead of the guaranteed payment alternative. This decision to change to the guaranteed payment alternative is long overdue and the fiscally responsible action.
- Jim and Ryan
# posted by Ryan @ 9:10 PM
Welcome!
Welcome to the Allegheny Defense Project daily blog! We will update this blog regularly to keep folks posted on happenings in the Allegheny National Forest.
# posted by James @ 5:52 PM
Posted by jkleissler at September 19, 2003 07:24 PM
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