July 12, 2004
The Allegheny Defense Project Enjoys the Great Blue Heron Music Festival
It was another great weekend for the Allegheny Defense Project as we tabled the Great Blue Heron Music Festival in Sherman, NY.
The Allegheny Defense Project was joined by the Zoar Valley Nature Society who was talking to folks about permanent protection for Zoar Valley.
Along the way, we collected some statements from the public regarding Allegheny National Forest management:
Posted by jkleissler at 02:10 PM | Comments (1)
June 14, 2004
Allegheny National Forest Organizer's Workshop and Field Training
The Bush Administration has made it a priority to open up our national forests to wide-spread logging and oil & gas drilling while rolling back protections under the guise of “Healthy Forests”. The Administration has focused on Pennsylvania’s Allegheny National Forest as an Eastern “poster child” in their propaganda efforts.
On Earth Day 2004, President Bush sent Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman to the Allegheny National Forest to tout what are in essence destructive commercial logging practices. Calling George Bush the “Conservationist in Chief”, Ann Veneman gave a stump speech as part of an aggressive effort to push a new 6,000-acre logging project without a detailed environmental analysis or meaningful public participation.
The Allegheny Defense Project is leading the fight to defend American forests and freedoms in the Alleghenies. Join us for the Allegheny National Forest Organizer’s Workshop and Field Training and become a first rate forest defender! Whether you are interested in doing field work, leading Wilderness hikes, or organizing citizen support, this training will help you develop the skills and knowledge needed to make protection of the Allegheny a reality.
Work for Clean Water - The Allegheny National Forest was established to protect its watersheds. But management of clean water has not been a priority in decades.
Educate the Public - Table public events and Give Public Presentations. Organize letter writing campaigns and public education events. Share the news about the Allegheny with your friends, the media, and the public at-large.
Engage the Forest Service - Attend public meetings, provide written and vocal testimony, generate letters of support for Allegheny Wild!, and demonstrate public demands for forest protection.
Document Logging Damage - Do field work documenting damage caused by the logging industry in our national forest.
Establish New Wilderness - Work hands on to get new Wilderness designated for the Allegheny National Forest.
End Clearcutting - help put an end to the destructive practice of clearcutting.
Phase out Oil & Gas Drilling - Help document ecological problems created by oil & gas drilling and demonstrate to the public why we need to bring an end to this destructive practice.
Explore Unknown Treasures - Be the first to hike the Tionesta Wilderness loop trail or the Bogus Rocks Scenic Trail. Explore proposed Natural Areas and Historic Sites.
Applications will be accepted through July 1st or until the training is full.
Posted by jkleissler at 05:03 PM | Comments (0)
April 26, 2004
ADP Table at CSC's Sci-Tech Festival a Big Success
The Allegheny Defense Project's table at the Carnegie Science Center's "Sci-Tech Festival" in Pittsburgh on Saturday, April 24th was a successful outreach to the community, and was an effective educational tool for the festival's target audience. Children from the pre-school through the early teen age groups enjoyed the "Succession of Vegetative Communities" activity board.
Karen Wood-Campbell helps a young festival participant with the ADP activity board.
Festival organizers were pleased with ADP's participation and were happy to see how well children of all ages interacted with the display and how many families gathered aruond ADP's table.
The display, titled "Succession of Vegetative Communities," shows a forest growing through time, passing through the following phases:
- Field/meadow
- Shrub/brush
- Young starter trees (pioneers)
- Young forest (established)
- Old-growth (climax) forest
Various bird and plant figures were provided as board pieces for participants. When kids approached, they were invited to place the birds and plants in their natural habitats on the board. The pieces attached to various locations on the board with velcro, and a chart was provided to help them. While the children participated, the tablers (and sometime's the kids' parents!) helped to explain how only certain plants and birds occur in specific phases of forest succession, and how rare a real old-growth forest actually is.
Close up of the "Succession of Vegetative Communities" Display Board.
Personally, it was gratifying to see the pleasure these kids showed on their faces while learning about habitats and animals. But more importantly, for some kids, the realization really clicked that there isn't that much old growth around any more, and some even made the connection themselves between that fact and the reasons (at least partial) for why the Indiana Bat is endangered and the Cerulean Warbler is on several watch lists.
The board was created by Karen Wood-Campbell, Ryan Little and Mary Kate Kelley.
Tablers were Karen Wood-Campbell and Ryan Little.
Posted by Ry Little at 10:44 PM | Comments (2)
December 10, 2003
Congressman Continues Campaign of Mis-information
The Bradford Era erroneously reported Tuesday that the Allegheny is on its way to becoming an "endangered natural species" if trees blown down this summer are not removed.
The spacious Allegheny National Forest could soon become an endangered natural species if steps aren't taken to remove excess timber and redefine forest management techniques.On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. John Peterson, R-Pa., told The Era the forest could face devastating wildfires similar to those experienced out West if the significant amount of timber that was blown down during this summer's storms isn't cleared out.
Congressman Peterson is deliberately lying in order to increase salvage sales. On a tour held by the Forest Service a few weeks ago, Forest Service employees themselves said that the Allegheny is in no way in danger of wildfire. So, where is the Congressman getting his information? The truth is, he is simply making it up for political points with the timber industry.
The sad thing is this reporter wrote an op-ed column on the front page of the paper. This is a complete dis-service to the people of this region.
Ryan
Posted by Ryan at 12:17 PM | Comments (6)