Registration is now open for the 20th Anniversary PA Abandoned Mine Reclamation Conference to be held June 20-21 at the Ramada Inn & Conference Center in State College.

With a theme of "Reflections on 20 Years of Reclamation," the 20th Anniversary Conference will celebrate the mine reclamation community’s success over the last two decades and develop a wish list of accomplishments for the future.

The Conference provides the only statewide forum for the dissemination of information related to mine drainage treatment and mine reclamation. 

It encourages discussion between industry, watershed groups, and decision makers that can help to further innovations in public policy, abandoned mine reclamation and restoration of Pennsylvania’s watersheds and communities.

The Conference will feature field tours including a limestone quarry at Graymont’s and Fisherman’s Paradise.  Click Here to review the draft Conference Program.

Click Here for more information and to register.  Sponsorship information is also available.

Oddity Awards

The Conference committee is also accepting nominations for the Oddity Award in several categories--

-- Worst Pollution: Please nominate a stream/watershed and provide details as to why you think this stream is the worst.  Identify a group or individual to be awarded.  Be specific with stream miles impacted, volume and concentration of pollutants.  Examples include: Ugliest AMD, Most-Polluted AMD, Smelliest AMD (Highest Sulfur level), Watershed in need of the most help to recover

-- Extreme Reclamation/Remediation: Nominate a project and provide details as to why you think it deserves the title of most extreme.  Identify a group or individual to be awarded. Provide dimensions.  Examples include:  largest culm pile/gob pile reclaimed in acres, largest system in acres, highest-capacity system in gallons/minute, most money spent on a project, most beautiful reclamation/remediation project, most pounds/tons of pollution removed, longest stretch of stream previously impaired that was restored, stream/watershed that has had the greatest recovery

-- Extraordinary Watershed Organization: Nominate a nonprofit that fits the title.  Identify a group to be awarded. Provide evidence.  Examples include:  oldest watershed group still in existence, youngest watershed group currently in existence, best use of iron oxide or other mine drainage residual for resource recovery, best educational source that incorporates mining issues into its curriculum, largest number of partners on a project, longest service on watershed group board, most volunteered hours, number of PA AMR Conferences attended.

-- Abandoned Mine Land Oddities: We all experience some funny or surprising things in the field of mine reclamation.  Identify a group or individual to be awarded. We are looking for stories that fit the bill.  Examples include: funniest photo taken in the field, funniest video that incorporates mining issues, most embarrassing moment in field (extra credit if you use your real name), most horrendous vandalism, rarest species encountered on a project, most interesting OM&R (operation, maintenance and/or replacement) story.

Certificates will be awarded to a group or individual and the project will be recognized at the Conference.

Click Here to submit nominations.  If you want to submit an image to go along with the nomination, send it to Robert Hughes by email to: rhughes@epcamr.org.

NewsClips:

Wolf Announces $25M For Mining Site Cleanup, Including 4 Projects In Luzerne

Weatherly Gets $3M Grant For Mine Reclamation Project

DEP To Fund Filling Mine Voids Under Lackawanna College Building In Scranton

Frazier: DEP Announces $25M To Clean Up A Dozen Abandoned Coal Mine Sites

Pittsburgh Glass Works Launches Website On Coal Mine Fire Under Site

Editorial: Mine Subsidence One Of Northeast’s Grim Legacies From Coal Mining

Pollution From Abandoned Mine Kills Turtle Creek Trout Stocking Plans

Frye: Turtle Creek Won’t Get Stocked Trout, But Montour Run Will

[Posted: April 9, 2018]

4/16/2018