Meeting Minutes

November 22, 2005
Meeting called to order at 7:03 PM by Art Beveridge and the group was led in the Pledge of Allegiance.

The agenda was adopted, with the addition of under New Business, Jen wanted to talk about new grants requests.

Adoption of October minutes as amended.

Treasurer’s Report: Dave Gustkey not present. Art Beveridge announced that the current bank statement balance is $2395.39.

Old Business:
Grant Status: We were awarded the 4 grants that we applied for previously.

• Shimel Run Watershed Assessment and Development of a restoration plan - $15,000
• Acid Mine Drainage Assessment of the head waters of Moshannon Creek - $71,460
• Route 970 two drainages on Trout Run (for engineering and design of treatment ponds) - $30,000 each - $60,000 total.

Jen D. brought up that we would need a separate bank account for each grant. The treasurer needs to get more involved. Art said that the DEP will contact us with information on attending training. It would be beneficial if Dave Gustkey could go as well as Jen D.

Art: Pete Bozak contacted Art in regards to a Centre Daily Times article. Jen received a call from Kerry Webster of the Philipsburg Journal and said that there will be an article in Friday’s newspaper about the 4 grants.

Blue Pipe Discharge: No new news.

Trash Clean-Up: No new news.

New Business:
Trout Run: Jen Demchak — The assessment is finishing up in December and the restoration plan will get done. It was discussed how we could use the money that is left. Hip boots were suggested, snake boots, rubber boots, Ultrameters, portable weirs.

For Grant work Art would like to keep the Houtzdale “troop” located towards Houtzdale, for Shimel Run, he would like to contact the Gearhartville Sportsman’s Club for their help.

AMD Education Topics: Art said it would be helpful if there were more “novice” people. It was discussed that we need to do something about getting more people to attend our meetings that would benefit from AMD educational topics.

Art made arrangements with the Osceola Mills fire company for February 16 to have a public meeting; this may be a good time to do some education. Art would like to contact Ned Weston from Osceola Mills, who worked his whole career for the Game Commission as an enforcement officer, to have him talk about how cleaning up AMD can be done.

Assignments for the Heritage Guide: Art shared a flyer from Clinton County Green Space for ideas.

Future Grants: Jen discussed that Chesapeake Bay is due February 3, 2006 and Growing Greener March 3. The big issue with Growing Greener is that a 5% cash match is required — this is per the legislators, not the DEP.

Trout Run Tributary — TR40 — Jen will give Art a map and would like Art to help with identifying that landowner — in regards to design and permitting, she needs to re-lop to see if she can put in a one system or two system, but then that will clean-up that whole tributary if she can address that. The headwaters project needs to be addressed as well.

For the next round of grants, Michelle and Jen are going to put in for 3 grants, Headwaters, Trout Run and Implementation Plan.

Donna Carnahan announced that this would be her last meeting. She has accepted a job at the DEP in Harrisburg.

No new memberships at this time.

Letters from the field: A letter from Jennifer Keiffer, a project consultant for the PA Forest Stewardship Program who is currently working with 2 private land owners on a property near Moshannon in Centre County that has a small acid mine drainage seep that flows through the property and into Black Moshannon Creek. She contacted the Bureau of Mining and Reclamation and they weren’t interested in such a small AMD problem. She expressed that she wanted to what was right for the landowner and the land and wanted some feedback from us. (We will call her.)

Meeting adjourned.