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The Loyalhanna Watershed Association
By Producer, Kelly Meinhart
 hat
strikes me most about the Loyalhanna Watershed is not necessarily
how unique the landscape is, how beautiful the tumbling streams
are, or how the cow pastures seem to endlessly follow you
along on your journey, (although all of this is very true),
but what is most striking is quite possibly all of the human
activity going on in this rural area of Westmoreland County.
The watershed itself encompasses 300 square miles with 2,500
miles of streams rambling through the countryside, and it
seems like the watershed volunteers and staff may have trekked
through, studied, or are presently studying each of those
miles!
hat's
also refreshing about the Loyalhanna Watershed Association
is that they 'get it.' They not only understand the immediate
need for protecting every stretch of stream mile in the watershed
- but they also understand that watershed protection is about
all the 'little things' that make up a watershed. It's not
only about macro invertebrate testing and water quality, but
it's also about essential land preservation programs, agricultural-use
programs, easements, land purchases, stream bank fencing programs,
educational programs for children and seniors, developing
progressive AMD treatment systems, maintaining hiking trails
for access to educational areas, and so much more. It's about
providing people with the opportunity to learn more about
their own back yards - so that they can begin to understand
their connection with the earth, and make changes to help
protect it. They not only have a goal - but they are truly
on a mission to see it come to life in their watershed.
 hat
mission is a well-established one, as is the watershed
association. The group not only has 3 full time staff
members and a dedicated and committed board of directors,
but it also has 450 community members who believe in
the mission enough to become watershed volunteers and
members. When speaking with the Director of the association,
Drew Banas, get out your pen and paper and get ready
to take notes! I spent several hours out in the field
with Drew and crew, visited 3 different project sites,
and yet Drew had a seemingly endless list of projects,
(both in the works and others future proposals), that
the association is working on. And each is very unique
and progressive. For instance, one project situated
on the Fried line mine near Ligonier, is the installation
of an aluminum recovery bin. It is exactly as it sounds.
It's a concrete box to collect aluminum waste. Skelly
& Loy Engineers installed the bin, which is situated
near two AMD treatment ponds to collect aluminum as
it leaves the treatment ponds. When the ponds are flushed,
the aluminum will collect at the bottom of the cement
structure (dropping out to form a sludge). Over time
and several flushings, this aluminum will be collected,
and the hope is that the collected metals will be usable
for resale in aluminum recycling programs. This project
takes positive, forward thinking - and puts it to work
to recoup some of the costs of AMD remediation by converting
the residuals into something salable.
 ou
can see this project by watching the video clips of
Jason Bell, and the accompanying photo gallery. You
can also learn more about the Fried line mine, and hear
Jason speak about it by going to this months Watershed
Spotlight - Watershed Minutes.
If you live in Western Pennsylvania, be sure to tune
into your local radio station to hear one of the fourteen
radio public service announcements about watershed projects
going on in your area!
 nother
positive thing occurring in the watershed is partnerships.
The watershed association partners with a variety of
groups, including the Carnegie Museum of Natural History.
The Fried line mine project is actually located on the
Powder Mill Nature Reserve, property owned by the Carnegie
Museum. Together, the groups are working to clean up
and protect the waters pouring out from these mines.
Another positive partnership is their work with the
Youth Conservation Corp (YCC). They have sponsored this
group for several years, and the outcome is accessible
trails for educational walks and programs in the area.
Be sure to watch the video clips to learn more about
these projects, and to learn more about why stream bank
fencing is so important and how sediment affects macroinvertebrates.
 rew
and I recently caught up on the phone, and I literally
scribbled notes the entire time. He filled me in on
all the progress of the project sites spotlighted in
this week's feature, and on projects coming up in the
future. The group is working on assessing the entire
watershed, and have a few very innovative projects lined
up for their next Growing Greener grant proposal. I'm
sure we'll be hearing more from the Loyalhanna Watershed
Association - in the present and future of watershed
protection.
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For more information about the Loyalhanna,
contact their office at:
114 South Market Street
P.O. Box 561
Ligonier, PA 15658
724-238-7560
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