Taste the Local Harvest North Branch Land Trust

"Taste the Local Harvest"

Presented by North Branch Land Trust

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Huntsville Golf Club

5:00-9:00pm

Please join us for this very casual, relaxed, fun event to

"taste the harvest" from our local farms!

Tickets are $50 and cover

DRINKS

locally produced brews and wines

FOODS

locally grown or raised foods prepared by the chef at Huntsville Golf Club

FOOTBALL

televised Sunday football games

MUSIC

tap your feet to bluegrass music by

THE COAL TOWN ROUNDERS

Tasting tables will host local brews, wines,

produce, beef, chicken, turkey,

cheese, bread and lots more.

You'll be able to speak with many of the farmers and producers

about their products and learn about their

methods of production and harvest. 

Come have a fun evening; dress casually; watch football; be entertained; sample the local fare at

tasting stations; learn about these local products

***FUN, FUN, FUN***

Price:  $50 per person

To purchase tickets please click this link:
http://www.nblt.org/events/taste-the-local-harvest

For further information contact:

North Branch Land Trust       or         Huntsville Golf Club

570-696-5545                             570-674-6545

romanansky@nblt.org                       bkammerer@golf-huntsville.com

Online Training Programs

Alternative and Renewable Energy

Sustainability and Sustainable Energy
Biosolids Management

Grant Writing Training Program
Improving Productivity
Managing a Non-Profit Organization
Project Management

House Bill 2235 - Moratorium for Leasing State Forest Land

Personally - I consider the mineral and gas rights owned by the State via State Forest and other land the same as a Royality Owner. A royality owner has the right to lease or not to lease property. I am a little concern about the 5 year time line and it was not clear in the regulations what is going to be done to fund this evaluation. To be honest, the State Forest and other leasing programs are significantly better than the Oil and Gas Law and permitting process used by the State. These programs have better provisions for control, siting, and bonding.

The primary weakness in the HB 2235 is that is does not appear to provide funding for the assessment and the assesment does not look at critical management options. These options, provisions, or considerations would include evaluating the leasing process to develop a lease that protects the environment and the states assests, feasibility analysis to determine if it may be better to allow the State to directly hirer a contractor to develop the Gas Resource rather than leasing out the resource ((This way that State in the gas business - why should we give away 80 % of this value),  PA should maintain ownership and control of the pore space and does not address issues related to how monies for leasing could be allocated and utilized to benefit the community.

Funds from leasing should be used in ways that helps us to get off fossil fuels - even the best estimates are there are only 100 years of gas available.  The money should not go to pay current salaries, but used to fund environmental education, alternative energy projects (such as grants to citizens to improve efficiency,  install solar, wind, or ground source systems - i.e., decrease energy demand and consumption and install systems at the point of us), sustainable infrastructure, improve water and wastewater treatment plants, purchase forested land for other drilling  (carbon capture) and other programs that create economic value and reduce energy and water consumption.

This bill only seems to cover conducting some type of environmental inventory, but provides nothing related to the interpretation of the data to make recommendations on areas that could be accessed via the vertical leg of the well.    Yes our forested lands are critical habitate, but we need to manage the resource.   Also - this assessment should include an easement of the geology for the area.   If the report only identifies the surface features, the recommendations may not make sense from a geological or energy stand point.

This bill only covers a portion of the work that is needed to evaluate the option to lease State Owned Land or not.  The HB should include an evaluation of Best Practices that should be utilizied in these areas. A partial listing of best practices may include the following:

a. Using partially degraded water or treated wastewater or stormwater for frac fluid and using recirculation systems;

b. Selecting Frac Chemicals that are as environmentally benign as possible and commercially available;

c. Prohibit the on-site disposal of cuttings and the use of lined ponds for storing water that had been used for fracking;

d. Require the implementation of a monitoring program that includes on-site monitoring wells and pre and post monitoring for streams, wetlands, and surfacewater;

e. Require a multiple casement approach that properly seals the unconsolidated and shallow consolidated aquifer and protects water with a TDS of < 10,000 mg/L;

f. The leasing process should not include provisions for deep well injection or carbon sequestration - these rights should be retained by PA (pore space should be owned by the state) and;

f. Require third party inspectors hirer by the State or the State should hire a gas company as a consultant and pay their fees, but PA maintain the full royality rights.
Just my thoughts

Brian

Workforce Development Related to the Marcellus Shale and Environmental Careers in Northeastern PA

The development of the Marcellus Shale in Northeastern Pennsylvania has resulted in the need for additional and continued training on a number of environmental issues and health and safety practices. To meet this demand, B.F. Environmental Consultants has developed the Online University to help provide affordable education, certification programs, and continuing education courses on subjects ranging from bloodborne pathogens, alternative energy, workforce development, petrochemical, geotechnical, OSHA, HAZWOPER Training, environmental monitoring, and more.

The program and outreach provides education and information to the community, workforce, and industry. The Safety engineering courses encompass a wide variety of online classes designed to help those in the health and safety professions increase their knowledge with such diverse areas as: Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout),
Fire Protection and Prevention, Legionnaires’ Disease, Permit-Required-Confined Spaces, Small Business Safety and Health Management, OSHA, HAZOPER, and much more.

The Petrochemical Oil and Gas courses are self-paced and open enrollment, and many offer mandatory continuing education credits. A wide variety of topics are covered in this category including the transportation of liquids in pipelines, technologies for oil and gas exploration, and types of corrosion and control techniques. In the Gas Pipeline Hydraulics course, students will learn how to calculate the properties of a natural gas mixture.

The comprehensive geotechnical engineering training courses include training in the Design and Construction of Earth Dams, lateral earth pressure, retaining walls, bearing capacity of shallow footings and soil properties.

For More Information on these Training Opportunities - please visit
http://www.bfenvironmental.com/engineers.php

What is Polycythemia vera

"Polycythemia vera (PV) is a chronic myeloproliferative disorder caused by a mutation in the JAK2 gene. It represents one of a spectrum of blood cell proliferative disorders in which there is a clonal proliferation of a particular cell line. Other diseases in this spectrum include: essential thrombocytosis, myelofibrosis (from stromal cell proliferation) and chronic myelogenous leukemia.

Clinical Issues
1. occurs at any age
2. pruritis, especially after a warm bath
3. erythromelalgia (burning pain in feet or hands with erythema, pallor or cyanosis)
4. thrombosis (both arterial and venous)
5. non-specific GI symptoms associated with gout

“The PV Study Group” developed diagnostic criteria back in the 1960s:
MAJOR CRITERIA
Increased red cell mass
Arterial oxygen saturation > 92%
(Palpable) splenomegaly
MINOR CRITERIA
Platelet count > 400 000 /uL
Leukocyte count > 12 000 /uL
(Elevated serum B12 level, leukocyte alkaline phosphatase)

These criteria can now be complemented by blood tests:
erythropoeitin level (should be low in PV; high in secondary causes of erythocytosis)
genetic studies, including for the JAK2 mutation (essentially 100% have a JAK2 mutation)

Phlebotomy to a target hematocrit is the primary therapy (<45% men, <42% women).
Low dose aspirin should be added unless there is a significant contraindication.
Hydroxyurea may be added if there is a high risk of thrombosis.
Other therapies, including interferon and radioactive phosphorus can be used, usually for intolerable pruritis. Allopurinol may be added for gout management.

With treatment life expectancy is good, although there is an overall mortality almost twice that of age-matched peers. Main morbidity and mortality stems from thrombotic events and from progression to other hematologic malignancies including myelofibrosis, myelodysplastic syndrome and acute leukemia".

This is a reposting of a good article.
http://urbaneangel.wordpress.com/2009/08/25/polycythemia-vera/
POLYCYTHEMIA VERA
August 25, 2009, 12:56 Filed under: Hematology, Malignant

This was not written by Brian Oram, but we did repost to help get out the information in this article.

Natural Gas Drilling Impacts Private Wells - Also Shows Weakness in Private Well Construction Standards

Back in March 2009, The Times Tribune reported that a natural gas drilling company - i.e., Cabot Oil & Gas Corp - caused methane contamination of a private well in Susquehanna County - Dimock Township.

The article quoted and referenced a PADEP letter dated February 27, 2009 that included that Cabot violated two state laws.

The follow up analysis showed that the methane was coming from a shallow methane producing formation at a depth of 1500 feet and not the Marcellus Shale.

This finding supports to the need to conduct background water quality monitoring of private wells, to install more than one freshwater casing, and to establish construction standards for private wells.

The public needs to take action to protect groundwater and surfacewater quality. This can be done by getting informed and educated, helping to establish private well construction standards, and conducting background water quality monitoring.

For information on training opportunities or background testing, please visit
http://www.bfenvironmental.com


To read the full article - go to
http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/2216875//

Green Field Energy and Local Grassroots Organization Offer Free Workshop on Solar and Wind Energy In PA

Green Field Energy Solutions has announced a Free Wind & Solar Workshop to help individuals and businesses “Get Off The Grid™.” It is an uncertain time as we await the final announcement of the utility deregulations and the effects of the predicted skyrocketing energy costs. Green Field Energy Solutions has collaborated with Keystone Energy, Electric City Wind Power Corp, Pocono Northeast Resource Conservation & Development Council, and Endless Mountains Resource Conservation & Development Council, to offer a free workshop to educate the community on wind and solar considerations and applications.

Green Field Energy Solutions offers renewable energy solutions for clients to become more energy efficient in their home or business utilizing wind turbines to maximize their ability to “Get Off The Grid.” Keystone Energy is a locally owned solar installation company. Since they are a Pennsylvania approved installer, they are able to offer state rebates as well as federal tax credits for qualifying residential and commercial clients. Mass Megawatts Wind Power, Inc and its licensed manufacturing and distribution partner in Pennsylvania, Scranton based Electric City Wind Power Corp will be presenting information on the newest version of the Company’s MAT (Multi-Axis Turbosystem) wind generation unit. The MAT unit is a revolutionary development in wind power generation, only 40 to 65 feet in height, yet scalable from 5 kW up to megawatt sized installations. With a lower cost than other wind power systems, fractional maintenance costs, but providing electricity generation at commercial grade productions levels, the MAT system is a total solution for homes, farms, businesses and communities that want to capitalize on wind resources, yet not pay the price of view shed destruction.

The Wind & Solar Workshop is ideal for all residential customers and business owners who want to learn more about wind and solar technology and the considerations for such applications. It is an exciting time to invest into alternative energy. The federal government is offering some very attractive incentives to include a 30% tax credit, 50% immediate write off for businesses, and energy production credits for businesses that invest into alternative energy.

The sponsors for this event include Community Bank & Trust, Fidelity Bank, The Pocono Northeast RC&D Council, and the Endless Mountains RC&D Council. Community Bank & Trust, serves Lackawanna, Susquehanna, Wyoming, Monroe and Wayne counties, and offers a reduced interest rate for their “Green Home Equity Loan” which includes no application fee, a shopping bag made of recycled materials, and a First Alert Smoke Detector for applicants that are approved. Fidelity Bank encourages its customers to go “green” by banking online, and by taking advantage of their Green Home Equity Loan. Families can receive 0.25% off their home equity loan rate when they make environmentally friendly home improvements. To learn more visit www.bankatfidelity.com.

The Pocono Northeast RC&D and Endless Mountains RC&D Councils are both local 501c3 nonprofit organizations in northeast PA whose mission is to enhance and improve the ecological, cultural, and economic characteristics of the area through projects and programs that promote the management, protection, and sustainable utilization of the area’s resources.

The Wind & Solar Workshop is scheduled for Wednesday, August 12, 2009, 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM at St. Rose Academy, 1300 Old Plank Road, Mayfield, PA 18433. Reserve your seating by calling Deana Kilmer at (570) 876-0537 or email at energyworkshop@verizon.net.

http://www.pnesolutions.org
http://www.pnercd.org
http://www.greenfieldenergysolutions.com
http://www.keystone-energy.net

Potential Redevelopment of the Dallas Business District

The Dallas Area has a number of community and business related issues. In many ways, the Dallas Area has become a "bedroom community" with business and jobs outside of the local community. In addition, the area was developed following older engineering and environmental practices.

The Dallas Area and Back Mountain Areas are great places to live and enjoy the outdoors, but the Community needs some significant improvements and we need to establish more business and light commercial or industrial development. The area did not experience the adverse impacts of coal mining, but has been impacted by weakly planned urban growth as a result of flooding events in the Wyoming Valley.

The following is a summary of the major infrastructure issues:
1. Lack of stormwater management and control systems - many older developments have no systems let alone systems that attempt to recharge or renovate the stormwater.
2. Heat island effects because of the excess amount of pavement and lack of vegetation.
3. Empty Commercial Buildings and probably commercial buildings that are not energy efficent.
4. The business directory is not very attractive or appealing as a destination. There are minimal family friendly destinations and there are no local foot paths, some biking trails, or other softer means of getting to the business district without driving.

Options for the Community and Business District to Consider

1. Stormwater - Older Residential Developments
a. Develop a program to encourage individual homeowners or homeowner associations to implement on-site stormwater management systems. This first approach could be a targetted approach to create a number of demonstration projects. For example, the housing development where I live has zero stormwater management system other than a paved ditch that goes to a pipe that discharges to the stream. This uncontrolled stormwater discharge is partly responsible for the local flooding and damage to stream channels, roads, etc. To this end, I have installed some best management practices to limit the amount of stormwater runoff.

b. Encourage new homes to install individual stormwater management systems and to utilize green roofing systems and to use stormwater cisterns as a water source for irrigation and possibly geothermal systems.

c. Existing Commercial Areas need a significant facelift - These commercial areas should be redesigned to make the best use of space and to green up the space. In addition, the local zoning ordiance should be modified to permit a lower number of parking space requirements and or to great a parking area that is just outside of the business district. A local shuttle bus could be used to move people and families in and out of the business district. For every 1 acre of pavement converted to green space, we can recharge water equivalent to the water that would runoff from up to 36 acres of forest

2. Community Facelift - Change to a more Sustainable Community

1. Redevelopment - this effort should not only include the rebuilding or updating the downtown or requiring the use of Green Building Design Elements, maintaining and improving historic structures and features, and building new residential or commercial ventures, but integrating new approaches to stormwater management and landscape ecology.
Besides converting the downtown into a "safe-accessible-functioning community", the downtown most be converted into a "Village" that supports multiple commercial, community, and recreational opportunities. This approach would require the integration and development of additional "green areas", "gardens", and alternative landscapes features that are not present in the existing downtown community and living areas- An urban destination !

2. Creating a more woodland - greener urban area - The redevelopment efforts should include transforming abandoned lots and buildings, "brownfields", and other urban areas to more native vegetation, interconnected greenways (walking trails), and curbside bioretention systems that could incorporate stormwater BMPs. This would help to change the feel of the downtown and aid in controlling and treating stormwater and allow people to move more freely through in the business districts- That is why it is called Foot Traffic !

3. In some cases - it may be necessary to relocate businesses to areas that are more cost effective. In the long-run, it may be cheaper (long-term cost) to move a business than to attempt to protect it from flooding. These businesses owners should be given significant local support, tax credits (etc) and recognition to help promote their new location.

4. Encourage groundwater recharge and consider the implementation of a system that uses stormwater and potential treated wastewater as a means of recharging the aquifer and as a water source for large volume irrigation water- such as for golf courses. The Tobys Creek Watershed is a target watershed under Act 220. In order to maintain the current level of development and to provide future growth, the area will need to either implement a groundwater recharge system or implement significant water conservation measures. These groundwater recharge areas could be set a-side as community forested areas or parks with hiking and walking trails.

5. Introduction of Green Building Design -Use of more energy efficient lighting, recyclable building materials, alternative heating and cooling systems (geothermal, solar, wind), water reuse, and building material selection. In addition to the stimulus money and tax credits, it may be possible to help offset the cost of this program or approach using Carbon Credits, Energy Credits, or Pollution Credits. These credits could be held by the local municipalities or school district to help lower taxes.

6. Apartment Buildings - Offices - University Campus - etc - It may be advisable to consider the development and use of green roofing systems. These systems will not only improve energy efficient, decrease peak stormwater flows and runoff volumes, but also create unique landscape settings for the urban areas in the city. It may be advisable to require new or renovated sites to increase the infiltration capacity of the site by 10 to 20% either on-site or by creating a local "green bank".

7. Introduction of Porous Concrete and Use a Modified Porous Pavement System and subsurface infiltration systems. In the implementation of these infiltration systems - the material selection should include materials that will increase the alkalinity of the water.

8. Creating bioretention islands within parking lots to decrease the heat island effects and create landscape features, but also to management stormwater runoff.

9. Landscape Irrigation Systems and Possible Reuse Systems - stormwater could be used for landscape irrigation, flushing toilets (commercial applications), and other non-drinking water reuse.

10. Consider the development of local energy resources, such as small scale solar, wind, or natural gas to help support the local community and school district.

11. For school busing, it may be advisable to consider the use of a CNG or electric bus system. May be grants to facilitate this conversion.

12. For local schools, it may be advisable to consider the use of geothermal systems or biomass heating systems. A great program is the Fuel for Schools program for more information on this program - go to http://www.pnercd.org

These initiatives would put the local community to work rebuilding the community where they live.
Source of Information
Mr. Brian Oram (me)
previously published article at http://www.water-research.net/wilkesbarrewaterbmp.htm

This article was updated to discuss issues for the Dallas Area.

Pdf file of Powerpoint Presentation
http://www.water-research.net/powerpoint/stormwatermanagement52007Oram.pdf