Abandoned Mine Posts

by Bruce Golden, Regional Coordinator and Andy McAllister, Watershed Coordinator

On behalf of the Pennsylvania Abandoned Mine Reclamation Conference Planning Committee, we invite you to attend the 10th PA Abandoned Mine Reclamation Conference to be held at the Ramada Inn and Conference Center in State College August 12 - 14, 2008.

This year, in addition to providing learning, sharing, and networking opportunities for those involved in Abandoned Mine Reclamation work, we’re proud to be doing something special to commemorate our 10th anniversary. We’ve added a new component focusing on Coal Mining Heritage and its preservation. We’ve noticed time and again that many of the same people who are committed to restoring the environment from the legacy problems from old coal mining are equally interested and involved in the history and culture of coal mining, especially as it involves their own communities.

The conference organizing committee, comprised of individuals personally committed to the reclamation of abandoned minelands and water– some professionals, some working at the grassroots level, welcomes seasoned reclamationists, preservationists, and interested newcomers to the 2008 Conference. The committee invites you to explore all of the opportunites afforded by the 2008 Conference including the chance to learn about what others are doing to preserve our Coal Mining Heritage.

To find out more about this year’s conference and to register online, go to the conference website, www.treatminewater.com. The registration process is a bit different than in years past in that you now have a suite of attendance options to choose from, in an a-la-carte manner, to match your individual need and budget.

For those needing financial assistance to attend the Conference, we have limited funding available to help. If you are a watershed group member, representing a community organization, an employee of a non-profit organization or academic institution, or other qualifying designation, you will have the option to apply for financial aid to attend the conference. With only a limited amount of financial aid funds available, the Conference Committee will do its best to ensure as many people as possible are able to obtain the financial assistance they need to attend. To help us with this goal, we only ask that those who are truly in need of financial aid ask for it.

The Ramada Inn and Conference Center in State College has set aside a block of rooms at a special Conference room rate of $81.38/night (with tax) for single or double rooms. This flat room rate is available until July 14, 2008. We suspect that guest rooms will fill up fast, so make your reservations early. Additional lodging and Ramada contact information is available on the Conference website.

Incidentally, for those who are interested in viewing Abandoned Mine Drainage (AMD) and Abandoned Mine Land (AML) sites and can never get enough, there will be an optional bus tour to AMD/AML sites in the State College/Philipsburg area to be held Monday August 11, 2008 at an additional cost. The bus tour will last from approximately Noon until 5:00pm.

We’re still hammering out the final details on speakers, etc. so, check back to the Conference website regularly.

Click here to go to the 2008 Conference website and register online.

Click on the “Play” button on the Player below to see an advertisement for the PA Abandoned Mine Reclamation Conference.

by Andy McAllister, Watershed Coordinator

With summer just around the corner, most of us will be spending a lot more time outside. But, in the coal regions, land hazards left over from the days of unregulated mining can pose a serious threat to public safety. In this installment of WPCAMR Video Diaries, we visit a highwall reclamation site in Beaver County that combines public safety with water quality protection. 

Click on the play button on the player below to watch the video. 

by Andy McAllister, Watershed Coordinator 

The Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative, also known as ARRI, is a coalition of citizen groups, the coal industry, and government, dedicated to restoring forests on coal mined lands in the Eastern United States. Recently, The Jennings Environmental Education Center in the Slippery Rock Creek Watershed near Butler, PA hosted a dedication and tree planting ceremony for an ARRI demonstration site located on the grounds of their facility.

This week, WPCAMR’s Video Diaries takes you to the Jennings Environmental Education Center to learn how ARRI is gaining momentum in Pennsylvania.

Click the play button on the player below to watch the video.

by Andy McAllister, Watershed Coordinator

To those of us involved in Abandoned Mine Drainage (AMD) remediation, iron deposits and iron sludge are a fact of life. In fact, most of us are either busy trying to get the iron out of our creeks or find innovative ways to re-use the iron. However according to some, iron could be used to reduce Global Warming.

As concerns about Climate Change increase, people continue to look for new ways to lessen the amount of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. Carbon dioxide, a gas known to promote global warming, is also called a “greenhouse gas”. This strategy of reducing carbon dioxide is known as “carbon sequestration” or carbon capture.

Because all growing vegetation absorbs carbon dioxide, promoting plant growth (eg. planting more trees) is just one method of carbon sequestration that is encouraged. A specific type of plant, the marine algae, also absorb carbon dioxide. Experiments using iron to promote phytoplankton (oceanic algae) blooms have been going on for several years and the laboratory results have shown some correlation between increased iron levels and phytoplankton growth.

Iron is just one of many substances that are important for phytoplankton growth. Iron levels in the ocean are naturally very low, and it is thought that phytoplankton growth tends to be limited because of these low iron levels. The experiments with iron and phytoplankton show that when iron levels increase, the phytoplankton populations increase dramatically (and so does their absorption of carbon dioxide). Recently, this controversial subject has resurfaced in the environmental headlines where researchers are once again, talking about dumping iron into the oceans to create algae “blooms”. The logic is this: by promoting oceanic algae blooms, we can increase absorption of atomospheric carbon dioxide and thereby reduce the levels of that particular greenhouse gas throughout the globe.

Today, we offer you links to several articles on the subject as food for thought.

“Fertilizing the Ocean with Iron” from CHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING NEWS

“Ocean Carbon Fix Using Iron Is Unproven, Marine Scientists Say” from Bloomberg.com

“Ocean Gardening Using Iron Fertilizer” from ProQuest/CSA