National Heritage AreasPartner on Watershed Initiative

On February 6, 2008, the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor convened a meeting with the Federal Office of Surface Mining (OSM), Americorps OSM / VISTA Program, the Appalachian Coal Country Watershed Team (ACCWT) and multiple heritage & watershed partners located in the anthracite coal region of Pennsylvania.

Purpose

To work together to create a regional Appalachian Coal Country Watershed Team OSM / VISTA Program across Pennsylvania’s Anthracite Region and add a regional coordinating office to support these activities. In addition to the initial focus on anthracite watershed issues, partners would also work together on preservation and conservation of anthracite related resources, heritage and culture throughout the region.

The Anthracite Heritage Alliance

was born!!

Alliance Includes Three National Heritage Areas

Located in Pennsylvania’s Anthracite Coal Region

• Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor

• Schuylkill River National Heritage Area• Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority

Federal and State Partners

• Americorps VISTA• United States Department of the Interior• Office of Surface Mining (OSM)• Appalachian Coal Country Watershed Team (ACCWT)• Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and

Natural Resources (DCNR)• Pennsylvania Department of Environmental

Protection (DEP)• Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation (BAMR)• DCNR – Nescopeck Environmental Center

Multiple Watershed and

Conservation Groups • Carbon County Conservation District• Earth Conservancy• Eastern Middle Anthracite Regional

Recovery• Eastern PA Coalition For Abandoned Mines

Reclamation• Friends of the Nescopeck• Greater Hazleton Civic Partnership• Lackawanna County Conservation District• Lackawanna River Corridor Association• Northumberland County Conservation

District• Schuylkill County Conservation District• Schuylkill Headwaters Association• Shamokin Creek Restoration Alliance• Wildlands Conservancy

Corporations

• Pennsylvania Power and Light Company

First Goal – Addressing Watershed Issues

Anthracite Heritage Alliance

Alliance CoordinatorDale Freudenberger

Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor

ACCWT - OSM / VISTA Coordinator

Upper Lackawanna WatershedACCWT - OSM / VISTA Program

Upper Lehigh WatershedACCWT - OSM / VISTA Program

Shamokin Creek WatershedACCWT - OSM / VISTA Program

Nescopeck - Jeddo WatershedACCWT - OSM / VISTA Program

Schuylkill HeadwatersACCWT - OSM / VISTA Program

Schuylkill WatershedACCWT - OSM / VISTA Program

Wyoming Valley WatershedACCWT - OSM / VISTA Program

Lower Lackawanna Watershed ACCWT - OSM / VISTA Program

Organizational Structure

First Step

Setting up the

ACCWT OSM / VISTA Regional Program

to address anthracite region

watershed issues

Map of Watershed areas that

will be addressed

by each OSM / VISTA

Program

Identify sponsors and begin recruitingfor 8 OSM / VISTA Positions throughout the region

plus one VISTA Coordinators Position

5 Primary Goals of the ACCWT OSM/VISTA Program

1. Capacity building of local watershed organizations

2. Water quality monitoring and watershed research

3. Enhancing community awareness through education and outreach

4. Promoting community revitalization through heritage development and celebrations

5. Professional development for the volunteers in environmental and community development

Watershed Progress

• 2 OSM/VISTA Watershed Coordinators are currently serving with AHA partners.

• 2 additional OSM/VISTA’s will be starting soon following PSO Training.

• 1 ACCWT Summer Associate is working.

• We are currently recruiting for 5 other available VISTA positions.

Heritage and Cultural Preservation

More emphasis will be placed on these issues

as we are able to fill all of our OSM/VISTA positions

More information on the ACCWT OSM/VISTA Programcan be found on their website

atwww.accwt.org

For more information on the ACCWT OSM / VISTAopportunities available in the

Anthracite Region,contact: 

Dale Freudenbergerdale@delawareandlehigh.org

Phone: 610-377-4063

Electric City SignScranton, PA

Steamtown National Historic Site

Lackawanna State Trail Park Cleanup – Illegal Dumpsite

LRCA Canoe-A-Thon Race

Lackawanna Coal Mine & Museum

Descending into

Mine Shaft

Acid Mine DrainageVandling Outfall

Old Forge Bore Hole

Avondale Mine

Eddy CreekAML ProjectOlyphant, PA

Views along the Levee Trail Hanover Twp. - Luzerne County

EPCAMR VISTA Volunteer Carly Trumann collecting iron

oxide from Phase II AMD Treatment Wetlands

Nanticoke Creek WatershedLuzerne County

Mine Subsidence at K-Mart Parking Lot

Past & Present Views Huber Breaker

Ashley, PA

Preserving the Huber Breaker

for future generations

Marker for theKnox Mine Disaster

Twin Shaft Mine DisasterNewton Colliery

Newport TownshipLuzerne County

Plainsville BoreholeLuzerne County

Ice Cave Clean-up

Wilkes-Barre ScenesPreserving local

landmarks and culture

Irem Temple

Luzerne CountyHistorical Society

Wilkes-Barre Station

Two views along Susquehanna River from

Council CupLuzerne County

Nescopeck State Park andEducation Center

Luzerne County

Mine OpeningHazleton, PA

View of Jeanesville culm bank

from Hazleton

Jeanesville Mine Disaster 1891

Monument UnveilingJeanesville, PA

Jeddo TunnelDrainage SystemLuzerne County

Historic preservation at Eckley Miner’s

Village

Eckley, PALuzerne County

White Haven LibraryDLNHC Info Center

(former LVRR engine house)

Lehigh Canal Lock remnants at

White Haven, PA

No. 9 Coal Mine & Museum,Philip Ginder Monument and

The Asa Packer Mansion Museum

Carbon County, PA

Mahanoy Creek WatershedSchuylkill County

Blaschak Coal CompanyMahanoy Creek, Lavelle, PA

St. Nicholas Breaker

Trash Clean-upSchuylkill Headwaters

AssociationSchuylkill County

Owl Creek DamSchuylkill Headwaters

AssociationSchuylkill County

Wadesville PitMill Creek WatershedSchuylkill Headwaters

Wetlands AMD TreatmentSchuylkill Headwaters

Shamokin Creek Restoration Alliance

Northumberland County

Schuylkill VISTA Volunteer Catherine

Webster at work

Downtown Shamokin, PANorthumberland County

Shamokin Creek WatershedExcelsior Corbin Refuse Fire

and Illegal Dumping Site

Northumberland CountyHS Students make iron oxide tye-dyed t-shirts

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