Abandoned Mine Posts

by Anne Daymut, Watershed Coordinator

It is once again time to register for the Annual Abandoned Mine Reclamation (AMR) Conference. This year, you will be astonished! The 12th Annual PA AMR Conference has joined forces with the 27th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Mining and Reclamation (ASMR) and the 4th Annual Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative Mined Land Reforestation (ARRI) Conference.  With an expected attendance of approximately 500 individuals, it will not only be our largest conference ever, but will also provide the best networking opportunities, accommodate the most diverse conglomeration of organization representatives, and cover the broadest spectrum of topics of any AMR conference to date.

The 2010 Joint Mining Reclamation Conference will be held at the Green Tree Radisson in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from June 5-10, 2010. It will provide a forum for the dissemination of information that may lead to innovations in public policy, mining, landscape restoration, and land management issues through research, field tours and technical workshops. The event will bring together local, state, and federal agencies; mining community representatives; research institutes; and non-profit organizations. A wide selection of Pre and Post-Conference Tours, Workshops, and social hours will be offered including a River Boat Cruise where the coveted PA AMR Conference Mayfly Award will be presented to this year’s recipient.

Attendees who typically attend the PA AMR Conference will most likely be interested in the Science, Community, and Reclamation Track (SCR Track). The vast array of informative topics that will be covered in this track include building watershed group capacity, returning trout and mussels to AMD impacted streams, constructing successful AMD treatment systems, remembering our regions coal history, and lots more. The SCR Track will be held from June 7-9, 2010, however, everyone is welcome to register for any part of this joint conference.

With the conference only two months away, it is important for you to begin planning your trip now!   Here are some things you need to know:

o Presentation Schedules are still being developed but will be finalized very soon.

o A non-profit registration rate is available. Student and Non-Profit full conference registration is $135.00.

o Workshop and Tour costs are extra and are detailed on the registration form.

o Conference day-rates are available.

oWe expect that scholarships will be available to help defray the cost of attending the conference however, since scholarship funding is very limited, we ask that that you apply for scholarship funding only if you have a definite need.  We are in the process of finalizining the scholarship applications and should have them shortly.

oLodging for Conference participants costs $108.00 per night plus tax ($15.12) until May 22. Reservations can be made by calling the hotel at 1-800-395-7046. Be sure to mention the Joint Mining Reclamation Conference to secure the Conference rate.

For more information about registering, visit http://www.pghminingreclamationconf.com/. Go to the “registration” tab on the website’s homepage and then click on the link at the bottom of the registration page to get the registration form for detailed information.

By Cliff Denholm, Stream Restoration, Inc.

(Editor’s Note:  Stream Restoration Inc. (SRI) is a non-profit organization whose mission focuses on the restoration of streams impacted by abandoned coal mine drainage.  SRI is located in Mars, PA.)

As many of you may already be aware, a partnership effort has been organized to conduct two water quality snapshots of all the publicly-funded passive treatment systems located within Pennsylvania.  This snapshot will consist of collecting water samples for laboratory analysis as well as measuring selected field parameters.  The samples will be collected for the raw untreated AMD, the final effluent of the passive system, and the influent and effluent of every alkalinity-generating component such as ALDs, VFPs, SAPS, etc., as feasible.

The first snapshot is planned to take place over the next couple of months (August and September 2009).  The second snapshot is planned to take place in late winter/early spring (March, April, May 2010).  The monitoring will be conducted by a team consisting of individuals from PA DEP’s Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation (BAMR), Stream Team, PA Senior Environmental Corps, Mill Creek Coalition, Babb Creek Watershed Association, Broadtop Township, and Stream Restoration Incorporated.  Funding for the snapshot is through a PA DEP Growing Greener Grant obtained by the Western Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation (WPCAMR).

Data from the snapshot will be made publicly available via Datashed http://www.datashed.org/ which is a free, web-based database designed to assist in the management of data related to passive treatment systems and stream monitoring for watershed groups, nonprofits, academia, government agencies and anyone else interested in passive treatment.  In addition to the water monitoring data from this snapshot event, information regarding these passive systems, which has been collected by PA DEP BAMR over the last year including existing water quality data, site schematics, as-builts, information forms, etc. will be uploaded to Datashed.  An account is not necessary to view any of this data; however, if you would like to be able to upload your own data, documents, and information you can get an account very easily by contacting Cliff Denholm or Shaun Busler at Stream Restoration Inc. 724-776-0161.
We have tried to include as many email addresses of watershed organizations as we could however there were many that we could not find.  So please feel free to forward this announcement to watershed groups that you know.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this sampling event please contact Cliff Denholm at Stream Restoration Incorporated. Telephone: 724-776-0161, Email:
sri@streamrestorationinc.org

Watershed Cooperative Agreement Update

By Andy McAllister, Watershed Coordinator

There are very hopeful signs coming out of Washington, D.C.  The reinsertion of language into the Federal Appropriations Bill allowing the Watershed Cooperative Agreement Program (WCAP) funding to be used as match for other federal grants has been made in both the House of Representatives and Senate versions.  This is very positive news.  As you’ll recall, WCAP is a grant program administered by the Office of Surface Mining (OSM) providing secondary funding to AMD treatment system projects.  The bill is now in conference which means that the House and Senate are hammering out the final details.  We don’t anticpate any further modifications, but as Yogi Berra has said, “It ain’t over ’til it’s over.”  WPCAMR will continue to monitor this process and we’ll keep you informed of developments as we learn of them. WPCAMR is proud to be among several groups that advocated for this action to be taken.

By Andy McAllister, Watershed Coordinator

Now in its 11th consecutive year, Pennsylvania’s longest-running conference dedicated to Abandoned Mine Reclamation (AMR) will be held July 13-16, 2009 at the University of Pittsburgh’s Johnstown Campus (UPJ). This year’s theme, “Challenges and Opportunities in Interesting Times”, reminds us that although some opportunities may be ebbing, other opportunities may come to light, opportunities that may help us see Abandoned Mine Drainage (AMD) and our Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) in a very different way. The ability to use mine pool water for geothermal heating and cooling or to generate electricity by micro-hydro generation are but two ways to make lemonade out of our proverbial “AMR lemons”.

Of course as in past years, updates on the latest AMD treatment methodologies will also be an integral of this year’s conference as well. In addition, PA Dept. of Environmental Protection’s Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation plans to present their final Implementation Guidelines for the AMD Set-Aside program in Pennsylvania.

To pique your interest even more, the Coal Mining Heritage component that was so well-received at last year’s conference is making a return appearance for 2009, featuring presentations ranging from an examination of the Lilly riot of 1924 to the VISTA Initiative at the Anthracite Heritage Alliance.

We are particularly fortunate to have the 2009 conference in Johnstown, an area bathed in memories of our industrial past: The Johnstown Heritage Discovery Center, The nearby Windber Coal Heritage Center , historic downtown Johnstown and the Flood Museum, the list goes on.

Now that we have your interest, here’s what you need to do so you won’t miss out:

• Go to the conference website, www.treatminewater.com and check out the schedule. More speakers are being added, so keep checking back to the conference website for the latest updated schedule.
• Scholarships are available for watershed group members and Conservation District Watershed Specialists who attend the conference. Scholarships are limited so you’ll need to act quickly.
• When you’re ready to register, click on “Registration” and follow the directions to register online.
• You’re on your own to arrange accommodations, however a block of rooms is reserved at UPJ’s dormitories at the Living and Learning Center. The dorm rooms with private bath are available at $32 single room and $50 double room per night (hotel quality rooms) but you must reserve your room by June 20th to receive these special rates. Contact UPJ directly to register for rooms (814) 269-1900 or 1-800-875-5958.

Incidentally, for those who are interested in viewing Abandoned Mine Drainage and Abandoned Mine Land sites and can never get enough, there will be a pre-conference optional bus tour to AMD/AML sites in the area on Monday afternoon July 13th. To make this tour even more interesting, the last stop for the day will be at the Windber Coal Heritage Center where participants can marvel at the artifacts and stories of our coal mining past. A complete schedule of tour stops will soon be posted on the 2009 AMR Conference website. Space is limited on the bus tour so register soon!