Impact of Marcellus Shale Gas Development on Rivers, Streams and Forests

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A Free, Public, Educational Forum on the Effects of Gas Extraction on Recreation, Hunting, Fishing, Hiking, etc.

Monday, November 1, 2010
7:00 – 9:00 pm
Lansing Middle School Auditorium
6 Ludlowville Road, Lansing, NY

This event will be streamed live. Ten minutes before start of event or anytime after go to http://ithaca.wishingwellmagazine.com/lessons-from-pennsylvania

Marcellus gas development in Pennsylvania is making a difference for people who use the outdoors for recreation, including hiking, fishing, biking, birding, hunting, camping, and other outdoor activities. Pennsylvanians and those who have studied wilderness impact in PA over the past 3 years will share what they have learned, and answer questions from the audience at this free, educational forum.
High volume, slick water, hydraulic fracturing (often called hydro-fracking) requires withdrawing millions of gallons of water from nearby rivers, lakes, and streams, mixing it with chemicals, and injecting the solution under high pressure into the shale to release the gas.

Speakers:

• Katy Dunlap, Trout Unlimited, Eastern Water Project Director. Ms. Dunlap will talk about impacts on coldwater fisheries and their watersheds, ranging from small mountain streams to larger river systems like the Susquehanna. She will describe the current state of water resource protection in NY and what new regulations and protections are needed. Katy will also explain what Trout Unlimited and its members are doing to protect streams and rivers in the Marcellus Shale region.
• Shellie Northrop, member and volunteer of several PA and NY hiking clubs and trail associations. Through Ms. Northrop’s years of hiking and contact with other hikers, she is able to describe the impact of drilling activities for hikers in the Northern Tier of Pennsylvania. She will also use examples in PA to offer suggestions of how those of us in NY can take action now that will help protect our wilderness areas.
• Bill Belitskus, Allegheny Defense Project, Board President. Mr. Belitskus lives adjacent to and has been hiking, camping and recreating in Pennsylvania’s Allegheny National Forest for over 35 years. He has been monitoring forest fragmentation, water degradation, air pollution, species decline and loss of recreation opportunities associated with oil and gas development from land clearing, well site and road construction, pipelines, tank batteries, generators, compressors, gas processing plants, truck traffic and construction equipment for the past 15 years. He will discuss one of the critical issues of unconventional hydrocarbon, deep shale extraction: withdrawal of water from streams and rivers, and riparian rights of landowners to protect waterways.
• Dale Baker, Lansing resident\ will moderate the program.

Sponsors: Social Ventures, ROUSE, Dryden Resource Awareness Coalition (DRAC), Cornell Outdoor Education, Cayuga Lake Watershed Network, Finger Lakes Sierra Club, Coalition to Protect New York, Tompkins County League of Women Voters, Ithaca Health Alliance, Sustainable Tompkins, Community Foundation, and others.

Contact: Sara Hess 607-272-6394