www.evergreencon
servancy.org
PO Box 0783, Indiana, PA 15701 info@evergreenconservancy.org
Summer Newsletter, 2009
#14
Put October 3rd on your Calendar
Come one, Come all! Learn more about our environment through hands on activities!
We are very happy to announce that we will hold the 2nd annual Tanoma AMD Wetlands Environmental Educational Event.
The event will be from 10:00 to 3:00 at the Tanoma Wetlands site and will be packed
with fun activities and lots of things to learn. Food will be available.
Check the website closer to the time for more information.
The tentative schedule includes:
10:00 - 10:30. . Dedication and Welcome
10:30 - 11:15. . Wetlands walk to learn how the AMD System works with Tom Clark
10:30 - 10:45. . Wetlands Scavenger Hunt
11:15 - 12:00. . Wild Flower Walk around the ponds with Cindy Rogers
12:30 - 1:15 . . Wetlands walk to learn how the AMD System works with Tom Clark
12:30 - 1:30 . . Walnut golf and golden rod javelin toss
1:15 - 2:00 . . . Tree Identification walk
2:00 - 3:00 . . . Learn about Wind Power with Dan Boone
Evergreen Conservancy Schedules Trail Clean-Up
The Evergreen Conservancy will conduct a clean-up of the Hoodlebug trail on Saturday October 31st,
beginning at 9 a.m. Volunteers will meet at the Homer City ball field parking lot. Total time needed is less than
two hours. Those wishing to help with this clean-up should report to the ball field with gloves. Garbage bags
will be supplied. The cleanup will go on drizzle or shine.
To get to the meeting place take old 119 south through Homer City [Main St.] • go past the school • take first right and follow
that about 1/
4
mile to a stop sign • turn right and cross the Hoodlebug trail • turn left and follow the trail to the parking lot.
Evergreen Conservancy welcomes two new board members
Two new members joined the Evergreen Conservancy Board at our June meeting. They are Yvonne Branan and Dan Boone.
We are very glad to welcome them both to the Board and want to introduce them to you.
Dr. Dan Boone was a professor in the Philosophy Department at IUP from 1969—2005. Since retiring, he
has made a personal commitment to do something for the environment. In the process, he has taken on a new
hobby—that of an inventor. He has two patent applications filed for a new type of vertical-axis wind turbine and
a novel hybrid electric vehicle that uses renewable cellulose fuel. He has installed his own solar panels and wind
turbine generators at his home, which provide auxiliary power. His other main interests are pottery and sailing.
His sailboat uses an electric motor for secondary power, recharged with solar panels. Slowly but surely, he is
trying to go as green as possible.
Dr. Yvonne Branan is currently a part-time faculty member in the Geoscience Department at Indiana
University of Pennsylvania. She was born and raised in Indiana County and lives in White Township with her
husband and daughter. She received her BS from IUP in 2001 and her Ph.D. from Michigan Technological
University in 2007, concentrating on volcanic gas chemistry. She is a committee member of Focus the Nation, a
group on campus dedicated to educating the public on greenhouse gas emissions. She also takes student volunteers
into the local elementary schools for outreach programs. She enjoys organic gardening, hiking and camping.
Thanks to EnerVest for Their Generous Donation
EnerVest is an oil and gas company headquartered in Houston, TX, with activity throughout the Appalachian Basin.
A significant donation from them has help us further work the Tanoma AMD Educational site.
OUR MISSION:
To advance the preservation, protection and stewardship of Natural, Cultural and Historical Resources in and around Indiana County, PA
"Improving Our Quality of Life"
PA
CleanWays
All Day there will be interactive
hands-on learning stations, including
a water simulator, showing how
pollution gets in our water systems;
making book markers with red iron
oxide ink from our ponds; coloring and
mazes; looking at macro-invertebrates
through a microscope; seeing a
soil erosion simulation; seeing how
sedimentation affects creeks and
streams; and learning how water goes
through different types of soil.
Evergreen Conservancy
www.evergreenconservancy.org
Fall Newsletter 2008
page 2
WHAT WE CONSERVE:
Wildlife Habitat • Stream Access • Scenic Vistas • Land in need of Restoration,
Re-development of Brownfields • Working Landscapes • Historic • Cultural Sites
Learning more to help our Conservancy move forward
Evergreen Conservancy Project Updates visit our web site to learn more
about these projects ….. www.evergreenconservancy.org
Bear Run:
The Phase I system is working well. As of the last water quality sampling, 96% of the iron exiting Discharge 07 is being
retained in the system. This computes to 65 lbs/day of iron not making it to the South Branch of Bear Run.
The Phase III system, built by the Indiana County Conservation District, is also working great. The system treats the acidic
Discharge 17. As of the last water quality sampling, 100% of the acidity (~33 lbs/day) loading was being neutralized and
~70 lbs/day of alkalinity is being produced. The system is taking water with a pH of 3.7, which is 3,000 times more acidic
than neutral pH water, and treating it to neutral 7.0 pH water.
The Phase II system is nearing the start of construction. The Indiana County Conservation District and the Susquehanna
River Basin Commission are awaiting approval of a Government Financed Construction Contract which will allow the
removal and use of mine refuse on-site. Once removed, the second largest iron producer in the watershed will be treated;
1000 feet of stream channel will be restored; and around 20 acres of mine scarred land will be reclaimed. The Evergreen
Conservancy is holding $100,000 in grant money for this project.
Tanoma:
The Evergreen Conservancy finally got their parking lot grant check from the Department of Community and Economic
Development. The EC wishes to thank Senator Don White for securing this funding. The EC is now contracting out the
construction of the parking lot and it should be completed by late August / early September. After completion, EC will
turn its attention to the construction of the on-site pavilion. The EC obtained a $4,000 grant from the Indiana County
Endowment/The Pittsburgh Foundation for its construction.
Thanks to the generosity of the Indiana County
Endowment and The Pittsburgh Foundation six of our
board members were able to attend sessions at the three-day
Pennsylvania Land Trust Association Conference 2009 in June
to learn and help our organization grow.
Sessions we attended included Forestry in Action which
included classroom training and a walk through the forest to
see actual forest management work from up to 30 years ago
and the results. We learned things we can also share with
other groups in our community. The Managing in Hard Times
(fundraising) session included information and brainstorming
about how the economy is affecting fundraising and ideas we
could use to be more effective. Weeds, Wild Plants, Woods lore
and Wildwoods Wisdom was a session we can put to good use
in our Tanoma planning. A session by DCNR helped us learn
more about the grant process. Caring for Conservation and a
session on Easements will help prepare us for future easements.
Fundamentals of Stream Ecology was an all-day session
training us about identification of macro-invertebrates and
stream health which we can put to use on our local streams. A
session on Strengthening Boards and Engaging Board Members
will help in our board development. Municipal Protection of
Land and Water Resources may help Evergreen Conservancy
work more closely with the municipalities in this area. Three
Approaches to Connecting People to Land and Water National
Lands Trust and Volunteer Development showed us ways to
get more people involved with environmental goals. Protecting
PA's Streams: People, Perception & Preservation was a lesson
in how to communicate environmental issues. Stormwater
Strategies and Stormwater Management were sessions to
help develop good plans and it was exciting to learn that new
systems for managing stormwater are coming along. Next
Generation Bio-fuels was a good source for information on
alternative energy and we learned about potential impacts on
Pennsylvania farmers, including in Indiana County. Nutrient
Credit Trading covered a cap and trade concept on nutrient
runoff. In Eastern PA it is aimed at farms or non-point source
and water treatment plants or point-source contaminants excess
nutrients. Sustainable Water Sources discussed the method of
using treatment sewage for irrigation and other alternatives.
Web resources for Conservation gave us good resources for
information related to conservation and land trusts.
As you can see by the variety of sessions we were able
to attend we were able to gain a great deal of information in
many different areas and network with many other land trusts
and conservancies to share ideas. It was a very worthwhile
conference and we all came back invigorated and excited about
things we can do to make our organization even better.
A big thanks goes to Kaitlyn Earnest for all her help in working on information and designing the signs for plants and
trees that will be going on our wetlands trail at Tanoma. Kaitlyn is an Earth Team volunteer with the Natural Resources Conservation
Service of the US Department of Agriculture for the summer. She is working with Sherene Hess, Coordinator for
Penn's Corner Resource Conservation and Development Area, Penn's Corner RC&D. This project is a collaboration between
Evergreen Conservancy and Penn's Corner Resource Conservation and Development Council, Inc., supported with funding
from Wal-Mart, Inc. • Kaitlyn and a few of her friends also volunteered time to stain our new trail bridges in Tanoma.
PO Box 0783, Indiana, PA 15701
info@evergreenconservancy.org
Fall Newsletter 2008
page 3
Join Evergreen Conservancy Today!
Support the all-volunteer Evergreen Conservancy and its mission through your membership.
Name: _____________________________________
Phone: __________________________________
Address: ___________________________________
E-mail: __________________________________
City: ______________________________________
State: ____________________ Zip: _____________
Membership Levels:
______ $15: Student ______ $25
______ $45 ______ $70 ______ $100 ______ $ Other
______ $75: Business/Org
Additional Donation: $______
Complete this form and send check to:
Evergreen Conservancy, PO Box 0783, Indiana, PA 15701
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You can help! - Adopt a Bridge - Only Two Left
Would you like to adopt a bridge, or part of a bridge, as a donation to support Evergreen
Conservancy? Each of the bridges cost $650. We will put names of contributors on each bridge or a
name in memory of a loved one.
Please send to contributions to:
Evergreen Conservancy, P.O. Box 0783, Indiana, PA 15701
If you believe that we need to protect our planet, visit www.GoodPawsGoodCause.org,
an on-line store for good people and good pets!
10 % of every Fur The Earth™ purchase benefits Evergreen Conservancy and The Conservation Fund.
Thanks to GoodPawsGoodCause for their year-end donation to Evergreen Conservancy.
Yoga in the Woods - Lesson Two , by Carolyn Trimarchi
Performing the long, slow, deep and controlled yogic breaths talked about in the previous newsletter is a perfect way to begin
the 'yoga in the woods' experience. Actually it is a useful technique to master for our every day life. Remember that breathing
patterns change according to our emotions and by controlling our breath, we can begin to control our emotions. Notice your
breathing patterns the next time you become angry, upset or even exceptionally happy. By calming our breath, we allow our
minds and emotions to become relaxed, harnessing the positive.
While performing yoga postures or 'asana' try to coordinate your breath with your movements. A general rule is that
exhalation accompanies forward bending and inhalation accompanies backward bending. Of course keep breathing rhythmically;
there is no need to hold your breath.
The first step in learning yoga postures is 'Tadasana' or mountain, which is the foundation of the standing postures and
accomplished easily in the woods. In this asana, we are upright, strong and steady, like a mountain.
• Stand with your legs and feet parallel and hip width apart.
• Lengthen and lift your calves and thighs, tuck in the tailbone, contract the hips.
• Pull in the abdomen, lift the chest and pull the shoulders back and away from your neck.
• Lift the top of your head to the sky and away from your shoulders.
• Place your arms by the sides of your legs.
• Feel that your whole body is involved in standing and your weight is not on any one part of your body. Feel light.
• This is the proper way to stand and the first step in standing yoga postures.
Are you due?
Are your Evergreen Conservancy dues current? Memberships of the Evergreen Conservancy become due in June and are
good July through the following June. It is time for members to renew their membership and friends to become members of
Evergreen Conservancy. Perhaps you are still confused about your dues status.
Look at the address label on your newsletter. The envelope will have a colored tab if you are not currently paid up.
Evergreen Conservancy
www.evergreencon
servancy.org
Fall Newsletter 2008
Page 4
Evergreen Conservancy
P.O. Box 0783
Indiana, PA 15701
www.evergreenconservancy.org
Many Thanks for the good-good Java that
The Commonplace Coffeehouse & Roastery
donates to Evergreen Conservancy events!
HELP support Evergreen Conservancy
by making and selling handmade items made with recycled materials.
For the third year we will be selling handmade items, mostly made from recycled, salvaged or reused materials to raise money
for Evergreen Conservancy. This was a successful fundraiser for us the last two years. We hope you will consider helping make
items or donating items for sale. We are looking for "green" environmentally friendly items that are handmade. If you want more
information or have anything you would like to donate please call Cindy Rogers at 724-349-4333 and arrange to drop them off no
later than October 10th. We hope to be able to sell at the Unitarian Church in November, at the Handmade Arcade in Pittsburgh
in November, and at the Indiana Mall on December 5th. We will also need help at these locations to man the booths. If you can
help out, please let us know. Dates will be posted on the website as soon as they are confirmed.
We need soft fabrics (to make corn heaters - at least 2-foot scrap pieces), silky fabrics, and old working Christmas lights.
We need people to: sew simple items to stuff; stuff those items; stain wooden items; string materials into swags.
Evergreen Events Calendar:
Wednesday, September 2nd at 7:00pm . . . . . . . Evergreen Board Meeting
& Wednesday November 4th at 7:00pm . . . . . . Location: check www.evergreenconservancy.org
Check our web site for committee meeting dates and times.
Saturday, October 3rd 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 pm . . . . Tanoma Day Celebration. See front page for details
Saturday, October 31st, 2009 9:00 am . . . . . . . Hoodlebug trail clean up October 31st. It usually takes
2 hours or less. Bring your own gloves. Volunteers will
meet at the Homer City ball field parking lot.
November and December have a number of events that do not have dates and times yet. These include: Festival
of Lights at Blue Spruce & Fundraising activities/sales - see the article on fundraising.
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