Background:

The Shamokin Creek watershed is home to a proud Anthracite mining history that helped Northeast Central Pennsylvania become a hub of the coal mining industry, thus helping power the industrial revolution and two world wars.  Diverse immigrant communities came from all over Europe to work in the coal mines, including many from Eastern Europe, Italy, Poland, and elsewhere.  Today, those communities have had a lasting contribution to the traditions found in Shamokin, Coal Township, Mount Carmel and the surrounding communities in Northumberland County. 

More recently, however, the watershed has dealt with serious water quality and environmental issues including Acid Mine Drainage, untreated sewage overflow, storm water runoff, and illegal dumping.  Farther downstream the Shamokin Creek presents a different set of issues relating to erosion and agricultural concerns.  The state of the region’s environmental quality has no doubt been a factor in the area’s declining population and troubled economic stability, detracting businesses from locating in the area. 

The nearly lifeless, orange Shamokin Creek flows through downtown Shamokin, contributing to the false idea that the creek will never be resuscitated, for it has flowed orange for as long as many residents can remember.  Accordingly, the Shamokin Creek Restoration Alliance (SCRA) was formed in response to the worsening state of the creek in May of 1996 by concerned citizens who did remember when the creek was healthy.  Since its formation, the group of volunteers has grown modestly in terms of active members, but greatly in its dedication to returning the streams to a more natural state.  In its first 13 years, the SCRA has constructed several passive treatment systems, installed weirs for flow monitoring, performed routine site chemistry testing, and hosted many stream bank cleanups.  In the future, there is promising potential to obtain funding for the construction of an innovative active treatment system, which could treat an entire subwatershed of the Shamokin Creek watershed.  It continues to promote its efforts with the addition of a full-time OSM/VISTA position, now in its second year, Lisa Goodell is the current VISTA.

 

Goals and Accomplishments:

Project Development and Implementation; Community Outreach and Education; Capacity Building/Grant Writing; and Community Revitalization.

The OSM/VISTA project’s goals range from definitive progress in the organizational capacity of the watershed group to a more subjective development of skills and confidence in the volunteer herself.  In terms of building the capacity of the SCRA, Lisa writes grants to secure future sustainability of the group, and organizes service events that create opportunities for volunteers to participate in improving the watershed.  Also significant is the relationship with the local newspaper about noteworthy events and progress so the SCRA maintains a positive public image. Lisa is working hard to develop effective communication between SCRA and the public.  Likewise, reaching out to other community groups builds beneficial partnerships within the community.  Also, in an effort to get more members of the community involved, the OSM/VISTA conducts tours of the treatment and monitoring sites and offers water quality monitoring training.   As these goals are accomplished, the SCRA benefits substantially from increased volunteer participation, acceptance, support, and improved environmental stewardship within the community. 

In the program’s first year working with an OSM/VISTA, the SCRA is especially pleased with the progress that has been made and hopes to continue making progress along these same lines working with their year two OSM/VISTA. Highlights from year one are:

Capacity building and positive press

·         Applying for grants to acquire educational signs for a passive treatment site, which will serve as a destination for classes, scouts, and the general public

·         Applying for a community grant to supplement general outreach and activities costs

·         Applied for and received grant for continued water monitoring of the AMD discharges in the area

·         Writing press releases covering cleanups community service events, partnerships and volunteer opportunities

·         Growing relationships with partnering organizations

Water quality monitoring

·         Involved in planning meetings about the potential implementation of an active treatment facility. 

·         Takes water samples to record site chemistries

·         Organized and updated chemistry data in spreadsheets

Community awareness, involvement, and economic development

·         Organized a wetlands cleanup in honor of ‘Make a Difference Day’; local restaurants donated pizzas for volunteers

·         Organized Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service events at a community closet, and soup kitchen where community and watershed group volunteers participated

·         Forged promising partnerships with several diverse community groups

·         Gives presentations to school students educating them about SCRA’s work and the pressing watershed issues in the area

·         Helping support a student-led effort to restore a local playground while promoting SCRA’s efforts by demonstrating tie-dying with Iron Oxide

·         Produced and improved on display boards for tabling events at festivals

·         Produced and distributed informative flyers to the community

·         Wrote periodic newsletters updating members about what SCRA is doing

·         Produced and distributed materials to educators, offering options for classroom presentations, field trips, or activities

·         Acquired reusable grocery bags printed with SCRA logo to hand out at MLK Service Day soup Kitchen event, and to sell at future Anthracite Heritage festival

·         Participating in a youth tie-dye learning activity

 

Partners and Contributors:  

·         Bucknell University

·         Northumberland County Conservation District

·         Activated Iron Solids Technologies

·         Brush Valley Chamber of Commerce

·         Boy Scout troops 214 and 250

·         The Shepherd’s Table Community Closet and Soup Kitchen

·         Northumberland County Arts and Humanities Council

·         Northumberland County Fine Arts Gallery

·         Eastern Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation

·         Anthracite Heritage Alliance

·         Reading Anthracite Company

·         Mt Carmel Original Italian Pizza

·         Hollywood Bakery and Pizzeria

·         Meagan Baumgartner (Shamokin High School teacher) and 1864

·         United Brotherhood of Carpenter’s and Millwrights local Union 645

·         Habitat for Wildlife

·         Northumberland County Area Technical School

·         The office of US Representative Chris Carney

·         The office of PA State Representative Robert Belfanti Jr.

·         The Appalachian Coal Country Watershed Team