“15 Years and Counting, Full Steam Ahead!”
The 2013 PA AMR Conference will be August 8-10th, 2013 with the main program presentations and events being convened at the Ramada Inn and Conference Center in State College, PA on August 9th and 10th.
The 2013 theme is “15 Years and Counting, Full Steam Ahead!” This year, the PA AMR Conference Planning Committee will only take a brief look back in time at the volunteers and people in the watershed community that have made the commitment to cleaning up their respective watersheds of AMD and other non-point source and point source pollution problems and recognize them for their dedication to fighting an uphill battle against AMD. Treatment system technologies have changed dramatically, biopsies conducted on aging treatment systems have identified the flaws and short-circuiting of many systems, metals are now being processed and harvested for multiple resource recovery efforts, some funding has come and gone, while new funding sources continue to surface, and new innovative treatment technologies have emerged and have risen from the ashes, much like the Phoenix, to carry all of us forward, “full steam ahead”.
A Pre-Conference Workshop is currently being planned that will be held on August 8th at Penn State’s Civil Engineering Lodge on the lake in Stone Valley, just about 20 minutes (15 miles) outside the hustle and bustle of State College. It’s a beautiful, scenic facility, with a forest covered outdoor recreational area that could serve as a contrast to the mine land impacted watersheds that the typical conference goer works with on a day-to-day basis. Conference attendees will be expected to drive or carpool out to the Lodge to attend the workshop.
Environmental Health issues related to AMD have become a concern that hasn’t been given enough attention that is deserves and will be looked at this year. Mine pools are being mapped across PA. 3D models are beginning to provide watershed community leaders with a visual representation of the underground mine geology and multi-colliery hydrologic units containing AMD that could be flooded or not and that could have the potential for future storage potential or consumptive use releases, if treated properly. We all have come a long way in 15 years and it’s time to celebrate our accomplishments and forge ahead.
This year, over our Friday Afternoon lunch, guest speaker Peter Stern will amaze with a presentation of Aerial Photography and Abandoned Mine Lands and join us at the Friday Night Dinner to announce the May Fly Award Winner(s)!
The PA AMR Conference Committee is in full conference planning mode and working to develop the agenda in the coming months ahead. Abstracts, Sponsors, Watershed Heros, and Exhibitors are actively being sought.
Conference Planning Committee: The Conference is planned in cooperation with many individuals and organizations. Without their hard work and dedication year after year the Conference would simply not exist.
Andy McAllister & Anne Daymut, WPCAMR Co-Lead Organization
Robert Hughes & Michael Hewitt, EPCAMR Co-Lead Organization
Lois Uranowski & Arielle Avishai, Office of Surface Mining
Donna Carnahan, PA DEP Non-Point Source Section, Harrisburg
Glenn Florence, PA Department of Environmental Protection
Tom Grote, AMR Conference Planning Committee
Missy Reckner, Kiski-Conemaugh Stream Team
Tom Clark, Susquehanna River Basin Commission
John Stefanko, PA Department of Environmental Protection
Brandi-Hunter Davenport, PA Association of Conservation Districts, Inc.
Sarah-Jane Gerstman, EPCAMR, Education Intern
…Stay tuned for more… Check out the News Page for the most up-to-date info on our PA AMR Conference Planning Committee’s activities and updates.