Moshannon Group is looking for members who are interested in taking leading roles in any of the issues below, or any other regional issues of interest to our members. This can include everything from simply gathering information to attending meetings and writing public comments detailing the Sierra Club position on the issues - all depending on your interest and the amount of time you are able to give. In addition to the volunteers listed in the entries below, contact Moshannon Group Conservation Chair Ron Johnson at (814)355-5434 or greenbowl@verizon.net for more info on getting involved in these or other important conservation issues in Moshannon country.
Spring Creek Canyon
Pristine Spring Creek Canyon, between Bellefonte and State College in Centre County, has been protected from development and suburban sprawl because the area has traditionally been owned by Rockview Penitentiary. The Rockview lands were bisected in 2002 by the new US 220 expressway, and the areas that have been cut off, including Spring Creek Canyon and its surrounding toplands, are in the process of being divested from the Penitentiary and transferred to adjacent Benner Township and Penn State University. Spring Creek Canyon is one of the best-preserved limestone canyons left in Pennsylvania, with a unique and valuable ecosystem containing endemic species of wildflowers and other plants, and many rare species of birds and amphibians. Legislation regarding the transfer of the lands is currently making the rounds in Harrisburg. The consensus view of Moshannon Group and its general membership is that Spring Creek Canyon should be protected by the Pennsylvania Game Commission (the only state governmental entity to show interest in the land), and that Benner Township and Penn State University are not the best potential stewards of the land in perpetuity.
Moshannon Group has intiated an alliance with concerned citizens' groups for political action and awareness on the issue, now known as the Spring Creek Alliance. For more information, contact Ed Perry at (814)466-7060 or paglobalwarmingoutreach@gmail.com; or Frank Muraca at (814)235-6932 or fjmuraca@hotmail.com. For an Op-Ed piece by Moshannon Group Chair Gary Thornbloom, detailing the Group's poistion on the issue, click here. This piece was published in the Harrisburg Patriot News on July 22, 2007. Ed Perry spoke about the Spring Creek Canyon issue on the Allegheny Front radio show in January 2008. To hear his interview, click here.
Centre County LandfillA private company is proposing an extensive new landfill in forested areas near the villages of Snow Shoe and Moshannon in western Centre County. This will be the largest landfill east of the Mississippi, and will be predominantly used for garbage from New York and New Jersey. The site may also include a new interchange off I-80 and an adjacent industrial park. Environmental impacts include stresses on Black Moshannon and Red Moshannon Creeks, odors and air pollution (from the landfill itself, a possible incinerator, and incoming traffic), significant increases in truck and rail traffic in the region, and other visual and noise pollution issues. This proposal is currently in the planning and public comment stages. Moshannon Group is dedicated to supporting the grass-roots organization People Protecting Communities (PPC), which is coordinating the efforts of many different conservation, recreation, and citizens' groups in opposition to the landfill. For more information, contact Ron Johnson at (814)355-5434 or greenbowl@verizon.net, or visit People Protecting Communities.
Wind Power DevelopmentPoliticians and energy companies are beginning to promote the idea of wind power facilities in many different locations on Pennsylvania's ridgetops. Windmill farms of the type already operating in Somerset County have been proposed for most of the counties in South-Central PA. Such proposals are taking on the aspects of a fad, before the full effects of such facilities are truly known by citizens and their representatives. Sierra Club favors alternative energy development, and is not even opposed to the concept of wind power. However, Moshannon Group believes that wind power facilities, or the type being proposed, are not appropriate for our area of the state. This is due to numerous issues with wildlife mortality, forest destruction, and wilderness fragmentation. For more information, contact Stan Kotala at (814)946-8840 or ccwiba@keyconn.net , or visit the citizens' coalition Save Our Allegheny Ridges.
For an extensive article on the issues and risks behind wind farm development in South-Central PA, by Moshannon Group Wildlife Chair Stan Kotala, click here. For a statement on the issue by the Pennsylvania Biological Survey, click here.
I-99 ConstructionConstruction of the new superhighway on Bald Eagle Ridge between Altoona and State College has uncovered acid leakage in the ridge's rock formations, leading to major hazards for the area's watersheds and drinking water supplies. Construction has been stopped several times to investigate the problem, while questions have been raised about the environmental assessment process as performed by PennDot. Various solutions, of questionable safety and effectiveness, have been attempted, while several Pennsylvania communities have rejected plans to transport acid rock away from the area. The photo at right, by Mary Vollero, shows the massive landscape alteration of the freeway project, and the containment apparatus (black vinyl areas at the left and top of the photo) that has been hastily constructed to corral the acid unleashed. Due to political and economic realities, Sierra Club does not necessarily advocate the abandonment of the partially-completed highway project. However, there should be public accountability for this environmental disaster, and efforts should be made to prevent the same kinds of bureaucratic and political errors from happening in the future.
For an archive of continuing investigative reports on I-99 construction and its related issues, by Mike Joseph of Centre Daily Times, click here.
Wilderness Protection in Allegheny National ForestThe U.S. Forest Service is revising its management plan for the Allegheny National Forest (ANF) in northwestern Pennsylvania, which is the only National Forest in the state. The ANF features vast roadless areas and many pristine ecosystems, which are under growing pressure from resource extraction interests, who are taking advantage of the Bush's administration's policies toward public lands. Citizens' groups have advocated Federal Wilderness protection for eight pristine areas in the ANF, but the U.S. Forest Service has refused to even consider some of those areas, and there is no guarantee of protection for the others. As of mid-2006, ANF managers have proposed several alternative versions of a required Federal forest management plan, and public comments are being solicited. For more information, visit Friends of Allegheny Wilderness, which is coordinating the efforts of several citizens' groups.
Corporate Development at State ParksThe state is planning to allow construction and development of private resorts and other for-profit facilities at State Parks around Pennsylvania. In Moshannon Country, the latest State Park to be proposed for the consticution of a "Nature Inn" and tourist information centre is Bald Eagle State Park in Centre County, with some talk of plans for Parker Dam State Park in Clearfield County. An open house presentation on the Bald Eagle State Park project will be held at the park in Spring 2008, with construction slated to begin in late Summer. Stay tuned to this space for details.
Also in Moshannon Country, proposals were also made for a for-profit lodge and other commercial tourist amenities at S.B. Elliott State Park in Clearfield County, which were deemed "unfeasible" by DCNR in late 2007. A proposal for Prince Gallitzin State Park in Cambria County was found to be "unfeasible" by DCNR in 2004. (For more details, see the story from the Pennsylvania Chapter of Sierra Club here.) Similar proposals have been made for the new Erie Bluffs State Park in Erie County, which were defeated by Sierra Club in 2006. (See the article from Erie Times-News here.) These types of projects will utilize public lands for private profit, and will set a dangerous precedent for State Parks, Forests, and Game Lands throughout Pennsylvania. For more information, contact Dave Bonta at 814-684-3113 or bontasaurus@yahoo.com.
This page last updated 04/11/08.