Audenreid Mine Water Treatment Facility

The mining heritage and mine reclamation themes of the 2008 Abandoned Mine Reclamation Conference attracted a record 180 participants in State College in August.

A highlight of the event was awarding the 2008 Mayfly awards to Russ Wagner of the Department of Environmental Protection and Margaret Dunn of Stream Restoration, Inc.

So far this year, nearly 1,200 people have attended watershed improvement conferences. (See Links below) The next major watershed event is the September 25 Ohio Watershed Celebration.

The three day Conference was preceded by a pre-conference bus tour of sites illustrating AMR problems and solutions.

Led by Dr. Art Rose (Penn State University, retired) and Mike Smith and his crew from the DEP Moshannon Office, 31 tour goers were treated to in-depth explanations of treatment sites and AMD-impacted areas in the Philipsburg area.

The also tour stopped to examine the Interstate 99 site at Skytop where PennDOT has been working to address Acid Rock Drainage problems.

The "Timely Topics" and "New Approaches" tracks were well-attended. Of particular interest was "AMD Treatability" presented by Brent Means of the Office of Surface Mining and "Operation and Maintenance of AMD Treatment Systems" presented by the Department of Environmental Protection’s Pam Milavec.

During dinner in the outdoor pavilion, WPCAMR's Andy McAllister, on behalf of the Conference Planning Committee, bestowed the first of two 2008 Mayfly Awards to DEP's Russ Wagner for his dedication to Abandoned Mine Reclamation in Pennsylvania.

The next day began with technical presentations related to Abandoned Mine Reclamation, but as the day continued, our Coal Mining Heritage began to take center stage.

Bridging the two segments, Scott Roberts, DEP's Deputy Secretary for Mineral Resource Management, offered food for thought in "the Seinfeldian Side of Pennsylvania's Mining Heritage," while Steve Smith of the Welsh Assembly Government offered an interesting historical perspective from across the pond with his presentation entitled, "Industrial Legacy of Wales--From Blight to Asset".

WPCAMR's Andy McAllister surprised the lunch crowd with an announcement of the second 2008 Mayfly Award, this time honoring Margaret Dunn of Stream Restoration Inc. for all of her hard work in remediating Abandoned Mine Drainage.

Video Blog: Margaret Dunn On The Ohio Watershed Celebration

Those who attended the evening mixer were treated to the soulful sounds of renowned acoustic guitarist Ken Bonfield. Ken, impressed by our efforts to reclaim our land and waters from the devastating effects of unregulated mining activities of the past, drove to Pennsylvania from Massachusetts with his daughter, Ella to play for free at the Conference mixer.

Additionally, a special roughcut screening of Andy McAllister's video documentary entitled, "Out of the Ground" was enthusiastically received by the audience on Wednesday evening. Featuring music by guitarist Ken Bonfield, "Out of the Ground" documents the struggles and joys of Western Pennsylvania's mining families and communities.

Look for more information about "Out of the Ground" in a future edition of Abandoned Mine Posts later in the fall.

Attendees on the final day again had the opportunity to attend one of two tracks. The "Preserving Coal Mining Heritage" track showcased the heritage preservation efforts of local groups throughout Pennsylvania's coal regions. In the "Historic Topics" track, attendees learned more about specific events in our mining past that would shape our future.

If you missed the conference, don't despair. Powerpoint presentations and some papers will be available on the 2008 conference website. See the Conference brochure for a more detailed listing of presentations.

Pennsylvania Cable Network

As an added bonus, the Pennsylvania Cable Network taped selected presentations from the history component of this year's conference and will air them on the following dates/times as part of their tribute to coal miners during Labor Day Weekend: August 31 from 4 - 7:30 p.m. and September 1 from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Links: West Branch Susquehanna Restoration Symposium Attracts 110+

275 Attend Lehigh Valley Watershed, Shad Conference

500 Attend Keystone Coldwater Conference, Schuylkill Watershed Congress

8/29/2008