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Additional information on this topic provided below.
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Centre County Seniors Unite for Watersheds
By Producer, Kelly Meinhart
 enior citizens
across the country are uniting to protect our environment for
future generations. They're doing so by joining forces with
the Pennsylvania Senior Environment Corp (PaSEC), and the Environmental
Alliance for Senior Involvement (EASI) programs. These programs
offer something truly unique to senior citizens; a chance to
get involved, get their hands dirty, and make a difference in
the world they leave behind. I've had the pleasure of meeting
with volunteers from these organizations several times in the
past two years, and every time I ask them why they get involved,
they say the same thing; "To leave this world a little
better for my grandkids."
 he spirit is
not only catching, but it's igniting the communities of Pennsylvania,
with twenty-five groups already organized and active throughout
the state, and more in the works for the summer 2002. Just this
past February a new addition was made to this list: the Centre
County PaSEC. The organizers of the program opened their doors
to the public by hosting an open house event to encourage participation
and to educate the public about the program and what it has
to offer to the community. Over 35 individuals showed up for
the event, which was very encouraging to the organizers.
 f you're
unfamiliar with the work of the PaSEC it may be something
for you to take a second look at. PaSEC volunteers are
essential to monitoring the health and quality of our
waters, and these folks are out there in their communities
taking regular stream samples, as well as serving as
the eyes and ears for the waterway - alerting officials
when there has been any detrimental activity to the
stream, such as an oil spill or other waste dumping.
The nice thing about the program is that it doesn't
require any previous science-related background or training
to become involved - all you need is a love for nature,
a need to make a difference, and a few hours each month
to spend with your local stream or waterway. The program
teaches you everything you need to know through a step-by-step
instruction manual, along with day-long training sessions
on how to perform the sampling tests as well as how
to identify the macroinvertebrates (fondly, bugs) in
your stream.
 arl
McCabe, a speaker at the event, was one of the first
PaSEC volunteers in the state, and his presentation
was a hands-on guide to taking water samples, the importance
of each test, and the frequency required for each. His
group performs; macroinvertebrate tests twice a year,
monthly ph tests, and monthly phosphate tests, which
are usually done by a team leader. In addition to these
tests the groups also assess the area around the stream,
which also makes a large impact on water quality. They
assess the number and types of trees, grasses, shrubbery
and invasive species, along with doing wildlife observations.
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 ot
only does this program introduce seniors to a
group of like-minded individuals and the great
outdoors, it also puts them in close contact with
tomorrow's environmentally-minded adults by taking
kids (generally ages Pre-K through 7th grade)
out into the streams to observe and help out with
the tests. The hope is to give them a hands-on
perspective of how delicate the natural system
is, and to appreciate the importance of all things
living in and along the stream.
If you're interested in becoming a volunteer
for your local PaSEC chapter, or starting one
in your own community, contact your County Conservation
District Office or check out the PaSEC and EASI
programs at the websites listed below for more
information.
Pennsylvania
Senior Environment Corp (PaSEC)
Environmental
Alliance for Senior Involvement (EASI)
Previous
Watershed Weekly feature on the PaSEC and EASI
programs (Video)
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PASEC
is a great resource
