The Pennsylvania Environmental Council announced the winners of the Western Pennsylvania Environmental Awards Program this week at a special awards dinner in Pittsburgh where Michael DiBerardinis, Secretary of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, provided the keynote address.

The Western Pennsylvania Environmental Awards, sponsored by the Pennsylvania Environmental Council and Dominion, celebrate the achievements of nonprofit organizations, businesses, schools, individuals, governments, and community groups that have made significant environmental contributions in the western Pennsylvania region. And the winners are:

Community Award- Western Pennsylvania Watershed Program

The Western Pennsylvania Watershed Program (WPWP) of the Community Foundation for The Alleghenies has been a champion of Pennsylvania’s high quality water resources as well as its most devastated and depressed watersheds. The WPWP demonstrates its commitment to these resources by providing financial support, matching funds for state and federal programs, and guidance to local grassroots watershed and volunteer-based organizations.

WPWP has taken on a leadership role to restore the “worst of the worst” and preserve the “best of the best” of Pennsylvania’s unique watersheds and ecosystems. Part of the “worst” are the Commonwealth’s almost 200,000 acres of abandoned mine lands, inventoried on a county by county basis through a grant from WPWP.

The Abandoned Mine Land Fund in Washington D.C., collected at 35 cents per ton on mined coal, has accumulated $1.4 billion, to be returned to the states for restoration of these lands. The fund needed to be extended through federal legislation, and now needs to be fully re-authorized. WPWP has played a key leadership role in education and outreach to the 149 partners of the Program so that this fund can be utilized for its intended purpose.

Higher Education Award- Arts & Environment Initiative, Allegheny College

The Arts & Environment Initiative (AEI) uses art to create innovative solutions regional environmental problems, including the need for reclamation and community- building at a local Superfund site, unsightly sprawl, and lack of recycling reuse among area businesses. AEI projects not only provide students and community partners with hands-on experience in creating a sustainable society, they also provide practical help to the Meadville area, which has suffered a decline in industry, population, and relative income.

By raising environmental consciousness, AEI increases appreciation of the region’s assets, which in turn leads to more environmentally-responsible behavior. Several key projects, including the GreenRoom, Signs & Flowers, Read Between the Signs, Market Alley, have each created a strong sense of place that leads to a deeper appreciation of the Meadville area and represents the creative and innovative thinking that can help develop sustainable communities and environmental practices.

Government Award- Herron Avenue Project, Dept. of Environmental Protection

Pittsburgh’s Hill District was once home to some of the oldest mining operations in the City, leaving behind a legacy of abandoned mine drainage, the extent of which had adversely affected homes, public areas, and especially the historic John Wesley A.M.E. Zion Church on Herron Avenue.

With the DEP’s Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation leading the Herron Avenue Project and with cooperation from the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority, ALCOSAN, and others, this particular AMD problem has been resolved.

Much of the problem stemmed from an unmapped mine on Herron Avenue that had AMD finding surface discharge points that were creating hazards. Avoiding a potential disaster, 40 million gallons of water were drained from the mine.

Today, the mine water is now diverted through an underground drain into the storm drain system, thus avoiding further AMD and detriment to the Hill District properties.

This project has opened the door for economic opportunity in the Hill District, has fostered community partnerships, and has allowed the John Wesley A.M.E. ZionChurch to begin restoring its historic structure.

Green Design Award- AMD & ART

AMD&ART, located in Vintondale, Cambria County, is a community enhancement initiative that brings broad public participation to the design and construction of acid mine drainage (AMD) treatment systems and the creation of enjoyable, educational, park-like community landscapes. Specifically, AMD&ART is a project that blends innovative science, responsive landscape design, community history, and active citizen participation to create public spaces in which to explore, learn, reflect, and recreate. AMD&ART works with communities to reclaim a heritage that orange streams have long stained and to work together toward a stronger future.

The south branch of Blacklick Creek is being treated through a passive system that includes a series of wetlands and settling ponds. In order to emphasize the change in water quality through the system, the artistic influence accentuates the transformation through the use of various plants and trees that reflect the hues of the water as it becomes cleaner. Further artistic and educational aspects of the project are portrayed through signage, mosaic mapping, a life-size granite laser etching depicting miners, and the creation of a community park on the project site.

Education Award- SCUBA Do Project, Erie

Presque Isle Bay has been designated an Area of Concern in the Great Lakes Basin due to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) (which cause fish tumors) and heavy metal contamination in the sediment. While it is now in a Stage of Recovery, extended studies are needed to determine the Bay’s current health.

In order to test new sediment deposits, James Rutkowski, a teacher at Strong Vincent High School, acquired a Coastal Zone Management Grant to develop an innovative sediment collection device. Because these devices required extended under-water time to install, James recruited students from his school, as well as the Villa Maria Academy to become certified SCUBA divers.

In the summer of 2004, students placed, and later retrieved, the sediment collection devices in the Bay. Initial lab results indicate an improvement in the sediment quality.

Just as importantly, the SCUBA Do Project has allowed young high school students to gain self-confidence, learn responsibility and team work, and engage in a hands-on effort to study the environment. The students have presented their work to many groups and have had media coverage, thus creating awareness of their work and the environmental status of Presque Isle Bay.

NewsClips: Western PA Environmental Award Winners

Mine Work Wins Environmental Award

5/27/2005