Still time to weigh in on state forest planning

There's still time to make sure officials know your thoughts on future management of Penn's Woods. Why are public lands important to you? 

Rock Run stream, Loyalsock State Forest

As we posted in a recent blog, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) is taking citizen input on how it manages our state forests in twelve public meetings -- happening now -- on the Draft State Forest Resource Management Plan (SFRMP). 

The draft plan, last revised in 2007, is the main tool the Bureau of Forestry uses to manage Pennsylvania's approximately 2.2 million acre state forest system. 

At each public meeting, DCNR staff will take input in a small group setting and record your comments. In our previous blog post you'll find more details and a full meeting schedule through November 18.

Do you camp, fish, or hike in PA's forests? Are you concerned about the environmental impacts of unconventional gas development? What kinds of conservation issues are important to you in preserving our state forest system and its natural and recreational treasures? 

This is your chance to be part of the public process and help protect these special places -- like the Clarence Moore Lands of the Loyalsock State Forest, pictured above -- for future generations.

Upcoming meetings include October 29 in Clarion, November 3 in State College, November 10 in Carlisle, and November 12 in Williamsport. All meetings take place from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. and we have the full details and locations. 

Can't make a meeting? Written comments are also accepted through November 30 at StateForestPlan2015@pa.gov.

Kate Gibbons is Northeastern PA outreach coordinator and is based in Wilkes-Barre.

Citizen feedback sought as PA revises forest management plan

It's the public's chance to weigh in on how the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) is managing our state forests. DCNR has released the fall 2015 public meeting schedule for the public to comment on the Draft State Forest Resource Management Plan. 

The draft plan, last revised in 2007, is the main tool the Bureau of Forestry uses to manage Pennsylvania's approximately 2.2 million acre state forest system. Shale gas and water resources in state forests are among the numerous areas covered in this draft document. 

How does this affect you? 
You should attend a meeting and be prepared to express your concerns if you:

• use trails on state forest land; 
• are troubled about gas development on these lands; 
• like to camp or fish along streams that run through state forestland; 
• treasure Pennsylvania's vast expanses of forests; and 
• care how they will be impacted by climate change.

Because public lands matter now and for generations, it is important that you plan to attend and provide input at the meetings. The first meeting is on Tuesday, October 6 in Wilkes-Barre, with a total of 12 meetings across Pennsylvania through November 18. All meetings take place from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. Written comments are also accepted through November 30 at StateForestPlan2015@pa.gov. Visit DCNR's website for additional information on the process. 

This is a key opportunity to provide input to the commonwealth. Watch for information about how to submit written comments with links to key issues and talking points coming soon from PennFuture. 

LOCATION	DATE	VENUE
Wilkes-Barre/ Scranton	Tuesday, Oct. 6	The Woodlands Resort 1073 Hwy 315 Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702
Stroudsburg	Wednesday, Oct. 7	Stroudsmoor Inn 257 Stroudsmoor Rd Stroudsburg, PA 18360
Philadelphia	Thursday, Oct. 8	Fairmount Park Horticulture Center 100 N Horticulture Dr Philadelphia, PA 19131
Renovo	Wednesday, Oct. 21	Bucktail High School Cafeteria 1300 Bucktail Ave Renovo, PA 17764
Coudersport	Thursday, Oct. 22	Pennsylvania Lumber Museum 5660 US-6 Ulysses, PA 16948
Bedford	Tuesday, Oct. 27	Bedford Travelodge 4517 US-220 BUS Bedford, PA 15522
Pittsburgh	Wednesday, Oct. 28	Double Tree Hotel, Pittsburgh - Monroeville 101 Mall Blvd Monroeville, PA 15146
Clarion	Thursday, Oct. 29	Park Inn by Radisson 45 Holiday Inn Rd Clarion, PA 16214
State College	Tuesday, Nov. 3	Ramada Inn: Nittany Room 1450 S Atherton St State College, PA 16801
Carlisle	Tuesday, Nov. 10	Comfort Suites 10 S Hanover St Carlisle, PA 17013
Williamsport	Thursday, Nov. 12	Genetti Hotel: Terrace Room 200 W 4th St Williamsport, PA 17701

Kate Gibbons is Northeastern Pennsylvania outreach coordinator for PennFuture and is based in Wilkes-Barre. 

Take Action: Corbett wants more gas development of public lands, tell your legislators to make moratorium law

We need your help. 

Last week, Governor Tom Corbett announced that he intends to undo a three-year-old moratorium on further gas leasing in state parks and state forests to fill a General Fund budget gap.

The lands are put into the public trust and we cannot simply sell their rights to the highest bidder for quick cash. 

Please tell your legislators to stand up for Pennsylvania’s natural heritage by co-sponsoring HB 950 or SB 540 — bills that would prohibit further exploitation of our public lands and make the current moratorium binding law as it applies to state forest lands. Click the Take Action button to tell Harrisburg not to balance the budget on the backs of our public lands.

TAKE ACTION

The Corbett administration says the new drilling under public lands will be "non-impact" drilling — because no new well pads will be constructed.

But "non-impact drilling" is a fallacy — even horizontal drilling without more well pads creates more air pollution, more truck traffic, more water withdrawals, and more toxic waste water.

And drilling just outside park or forest boundaries creates real risks for these public lands should spills or other accidents occur.

HB 950 and SB 540 would make the moratorium law, prohibiting any further leasing and potential harm to public lands.

Both bills need more cosponsors — and we need to build the pressure to get these bills called up for a vote.

Andrew Sharp is PennFuture's director of outreach and is based in our Philadelphia office.

Gas development and forest fragmentation being studied

In our last post, we suggested that you take note of a study being conducted by the National Energy Technology Laboratory on the migration of chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing. The preliminary results indicate that frack fluids in one of eight shale gas wells being monitored did not migrate near shallow groundwater aquifers used by Pennsylvanians for drinking water. This week, we note that there is another important study under way relating to a different kind of migration.

Lillie Langlois, a Ph.D. candidate in wildlife and fisheries science at my alma mater, Penn State, is studying the impact of shale gas development on our state forests and wildlife, including migratory neotropical birds.

Forest covers more than 60 percent of Pennsylvania - nearly 17 million acres. A ton of wildlife depends on these vast non-fragmented forests for breeding, including migratory neotropical birds that travel from Central and South America to breed in Pennsylvania, such as the Indigo Bunting.

As of 2012, the state Deptartment of Environmental Protection (DEP) has issued more than 8,000 shale gas permits across the state, with more than 6,000 wells having been drilled. The majority of wells being drilled in northern tier counties center on Tioga and Bradford counties, which are also home to some of the largest unbroken blocks of trees in Pennsylvania. Each well constitutes five acres or more of a stone pad with associated roads and pipelines that result in forest fragmentation, which has varying impacts on wildlife.

As private land becomes more intensely developed, our public lands - State Forests and Game Lands - become that much more important for Pennsylvania in order to maintain its wildlife heritage. Not only that, it is increasingly apparent that migratory birds play a critical role in both local and global economies as pollinators, health wardens, restorers, fertilizers and sport and tourist attractions.

Pennsylvania has no state equivalent of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) that required the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) to take a thorough and comprehensive look, in a public way, at the environmental consequences of opening up our public lands to gas development.

As with the chemical migration study, this is once again the type of research needed to inform public policy decisions about the impacts and risks of shale gas development in Pennsylvania.