Centre County Pennsylvania Senior Environmental Corps

November 13, 2019 - General Meeting - 9:30 AM, Willowbank Building, Room 317, Bellefonte

training and membership - 2 members are resigning due to health; therefore, 2 new members are needed. Team 5 found a dead deer was lying in the stream downstream of the Elk Creek sites. Ralph Locklin will prepare a write-up for the next meeting addressing the recent unusual reading at their site.

publicity - The November 2019 newsletter was distributed by Ken.

quality control team and updates - Bill: A tentative duplicate testing schedule for 2020 has been completed. The test team members have been verified. A laminated guide for testing has been made and the QC test report has been updated.

grant application and status - Gary is waiting to hear about a Foundation for PA Watersheds grant. (It was denied - received notice of this after meeting.)

supplies - Genie and Dan looked at new nets and tables for doing Macro Surveys. The number to purchase must be decided upon. Tweezers were also requested.

volunteer hours - Note: Members should report their own monthly volunteers hours, if possible, so that their mileage driven can be captured. It is requested that team leaders remind members to report hours and mileage.

Other New and Old Business

New sites on Sparrow Run - Testing has been done on two sites. Two monitorings will be done per year on those sites. The Sparrow Run sites have been added as new sites to our existing website Data page.

WBSRC coalition - The coalition will continue through email contact. Amy Wolfe will be the contact person. She can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

PSU analyses of Marcellus samples - PSU has sent the first Marcellus monitoring data to Dan. It will be added to our Marcellus data sheets.

Holiday Luncheon - will be held on December 11, 2019 at 11:30 AM following our business meeting at 9:30 AM. The luncheon will be at the Gardens Restaurant, Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center, Innovation Park. Invitations were sent out in early November with the due date to RSVP.

A Sincere Thanks to all the folks who help with our organization in special ways!! Also a Sincere Thanks to all of our Partners!

• RSVP of Centre County
• Clearwater Conservancy
• Centre County Watershed Office - Justin Kozak and Ann Donovan.
• Dr. Susan L. Brantley, Penn State University
• Dr. K and the Geosciences department at Lock Haven University

The next general meeting will be on Wednesday, December 11, 2019,  9:30 AM, Willowbank Building, Room 317, Bellefonte with the Holiday Luncheon to follow.

October 9, 2019 - General Meeting - 9:30 AM, Willowbank Building, Room 317, Bellefonte

training and membership - The Ek Creek conductivity issue was addressed by an aquatic biologist who explained that streams erode rocks which contribute to increasing conductivity. The biologist recommended that when levels are above normal, the team immediately take more readings to find the source of the problem going as far as 500 yards to one mile upstream . If there is a new introduction it will stay on the side of the source. Therefore, 2-3 readings should be taken across the stream as well as upstream.

publicity - The September newsletter was sent to Dr. Susan Brantley at Penn State and Dr. K at LHU.

Marcellus monitoring - Dr. Brantley//Penn State, Ken, Lou, Dave, Dan, Dr. K., and two PSU staff members met. Dr. Brantley's staff will do testing on samples previously done by Dr. K. They will also conduct further tests. She works closely with Trout Unlimited and Clearwater.

quality control team and updates - Some QC testing has already been done and will continue into October and November.

grant application and status - Gary is waiting to hear about a Foundation for PA Watersheds grant. The Patagonia grant was awarded to us. We are also waiting to hear about a Constellation Energy grant Dan applied for.

supplies - All teams have their own kits except for Teams 1 & 4 since Dave maintains both kits. All consumable supplies have been ordered for 2020. It was suggested that new coolers for Marcellus monitoring samples be purchased as well as nets and tables for doing Macro Surveys.

volunteer hours - Note: Members should report their own monthly volunteers hours, if possible, so that their mileage driven can be captured. It is requested that team leaders remind members to report hours and mileage.

Other New and Old Business

New sites on Sparrow Run - Testing is currently needed on two sites there. There might be more sites in the future. A chemical analysis should be completed prior a restoration project and after the project. Ed Jeffries will coordinate within CCPaSEC and with TU. Several members might be interested in this testing and surveying the macros. Sparrow Run sites will be added as new sites to our existing data page.

Sample Grabs for Personal Care Product Parameters - At least four members participated in obtaining water samples for a Penn State University graduate research project to study the presence of traces personal care products in our homes and streams.

WBSRC coalition

• The 13th Annual Keystone Conference sponsored by Pa TU will be held Feb. 28-29, 2020 at the Ramada Inn in State College.
• Bill HR4248 - Rep. Thompson and Cartright are sponsors of H.R. 4248: Surface Mining Control and Reclamation act Amendments of 2019. If interested in the progress and more information search HR4248 PA. CCPaSEC sent a letter in support of this bill.

Lick Run Site Issue - At the October monitoring of Lick Run, a 'dam' was observed under the bridge upstream of the site. Water was spilling over, but the dam altered the flow of the stream. Photos were taken from September and October outings for comparison. Justin Kosak, water conservation specialist for Centre County will be notified and sent the photos.

Holiday Luncheon - will be held on December 11, 2019 at 11:30 AM following our business meeting at 9:30 AM. The luncheon will be at the Gardens Restaurant, Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center, Innovation Park. Invitations will be sent out in early November with the due date to RSVP.

The next general meeting will be on Wednesday, November 13, 2019,  9:30 AM, Willowbank Building, Room 317, Bellefonte.

September 11, 2019 - General Meeting - 9:30 AM, Willowbank Building, Room 317, Bellefonte

training and membership - We have 2 prospective new members.

publicity - The September newsletter has been completed.

Marcellus monitoring - Dr. K. will no longer be testing water samples (due to loss of funding). Marcellus Team Leaders met with Dr. K. to discuss the future. Ken & Rob volunteered to do further testing. Samples will be tested for iron and sulfate. If there are increases in conductivity, Ken will do further testing. The Marcellus teams will make some adjustments to their sites and frequency of testing. Dr. K. will remain in contact.

quality control team and updates - Bill Smith volunteered to serve as the quality control team coordinator.

grant application and status - Gary is waiting to hear about a Foundation for PA Watersheds grant and a Patagonia grant. Dan applied for a Constellation Energy grant available to customers.

supplies - Dan is working on supplying additional kits. Two new flow meters have been purchased. 3 additional DO meters and 1 colorimeter have been ordered. Hach will not repair broken DR-850 colorimeters anymore. Two of the ordered YSI DO meters may have 50 ft. cords. More acid for the alkalinity test has been ordered.

volunteer hours - Note: Members should not use the word 'hours' in the box on the monthly volunteers hours report. Not everyone is reporting hours. It is requested that team leaders remind members to report hours and mileage.

Other New and Old Business

Trout Unlimited request - Testing is currently needed on one site - Sparrow Creek near Port Matilda. There might be more sites in the future. A chemical analysis should be completed prior to the project and after the project. Ed Jeffries will coordinate within CCPaSEC and with TU. Several members might be interested in this testing and surveying the macros. Carolyn Hatley will get in touch with the TU contact person. Data collection and display was discussed. It was suggested that we add Sparrow Run as a new site to our existing data page.

Elk Creek - Ralph reported an inconsistency on the readings from one site on Elk Creek. He suggested teams keep a history of readings in the kit to have available on site. Suggestions were made to print out parameter graphs from the web site or keep a notebook of previous data in the kit.

Half Moon Creek - Heather Gaul from PSU requested that the team work with her students. Testing takes place at two sites- LLama farm and PSU property. The team shared photos of a ditch that has been dug at the llama farm site.

safety - Ken spoke about the use of Insect Shield protective clothing to prevent tick bites. Ken found the clothing online. Ken also displayed a CCPaSEC banner that is now hanging in the RSVP office.

WBSRC coalition A request was made for CCPaSEC to write a letter requesting that funding be renewed for repair of abandoned mine lands. Lou, as president. will sign the letter.

macros - Genie reminded everyone that it is time to schedule for fall macros.

The next general meeting will be on Wednesday, October 9, 2019,  9:30 AM, Willowbank Building, Room 317, Bellefonte.

August 14, 2019 - Picnic - Spring Creek Park, 10:00 AM

It was a beautiful day for a picnic! - About 30 members of the Clearfield and Centre County PaSEC's met recently at Spring Creek Park for the annual picnic. This year's hosts, the CCPaSEC , demonstrated use of their flow and DO meters. A discussion was held regarding "grant applications" and funding sources with the Clearfield secretary. CCPaSEC invited anyone from the Clearfield Group to attend one of the group's meetings to discuss in detail with Gary Moorman his process in applying for these grants, ie when to apply, where to apply, and details in writing the grants that increase success rates! Attendees shared a pot-luck meal, engaged in conversations and enjoyed walks in the beautiful park. Next year the picnic will be hosted by the Clearfield SEC.

The next general meeting will be on Wednesday, September 11, 2019,  9:30 AM, Willowbank Building, Room 317, Bellefonte.

July 10, 2019 - General Meeting - at Willowbank Building, Room 317, 9:30 AM

Training - New training for members will be needed if further assessing of stream properties is added.

July Newsletter: The July Newsletter will be posted to the website. It will contain an article on tick-born diseases.

CCPaSEC Stream Problem Reporting Protocol - The Foundation for PA Watershed grant application requires inclusion of a protocol for reporting problems. Gary and Betsie presented a protocol to the group. It was approved and will be added to the website.

Monitoring at the Marcellus Sites - It is possibile that Dr. K at LHU will no longer receive funding to test water samples. The group discussed the possibility of additional testing by the Marcellus teams using a colorimeter for certain parameter tests. Further discussion will be held off until we know that Dr. K will no longer to able to do the testing.

Supplies - We have purchased several new Flowatch FW-450 flowmeters, a YSI 550A DO meter, Oakton PCSTestr35 meters and probes for them.

Trout Unlimited Monitoring Request - Spring Creek Chapter of Trout Unlimited will be completing stream repair projects. We were asked if CCPaSEC would monitor sites bracketing the projects. Carolyn will obtain more data to help us determine a direction forward. A small group will be formed after more information is available.

Duplicate Testing - Duplicate testing will start the week of July 15, 2019.

Federal ABANDONED Mine Land Fund fees will expire soon. - The fund helps communities and states reclaim abandoned mine lands and restore waterways. The fund is supported by fees collected from coal extraction through 2021. Individuals and groups are encouraged to write a supportive letter to extend the period of fee collection through 2036. West Branch Susquehanna Restoration Coalition requested a letter of support (email) from CCPaSEC. There are links to sample letters. Information will be sent to CCPaSEC members for individual letters. An organization letter of support from CCPaSEC will be discussed at the September meeting.

August Picnic with Clearfield SEC - Spring Creek Park on Aug. 14 at 10 AM. Equipment demonstrations will be held in small groups. Teams should bring their shared kits to the picnic. It was suggested that Clearfield demonstrate their method for iron measurement.

The next general meeting will be on Wednesday, July 10, 2019,  9:30 AM, Willowbank Building, Room 317, Bellefonte.

June 12, 2019 - General Meeting - at Willowbank Building, Room 317, 9:30 AM

2 new members attended the meeting and were assigned to teams for training.

Grant Applications: One of our grant applications requires a written official policy for reporting stream problems. Justin Kozak (Centre County Conservation District) will provide input while we send a written response.

Monitoring Values for Parameters Outside the Norm - Teams need to watch values and retest as needed. The retesting of any unusual values should be normal procedure in the field. If the values are 'confirmed', they should be reported to Lou or Carolyn. An explanation or notation should be made when the data is added to the data sheets.

Monitoring at the Marcellus Sites - It is possibile that Dr. K at LHU will no longer receive funding to test water samples. The group discussed the possibility of additional testing by the Marcellus teams using a colorimeter for certain parameter tests. The additional testing could be completed off-site by members who do not want to go out to the streams. We will purchase the chemical reagent packets needed for the expanded testing. Further discussion will be held at the July meeting.

Supplies - We will continue to use the Oakton meters for pH measurements. The new probe tips are OK to use after a long shelf stay. We will continue to replace them as needed.

Trout Unlimited Monitoring Request - Spring Creek Chapter of Trout Unlimited will be completing stream repair projects. We were asked if CCPaSEC would monitor sites bracketing the projects. These temporary test sites would require macro and chemical testing. CCPaSEC is definitely interested. It was suggested to form a new team including veteran TU members and experienced CCPaSEC members. A team leader would need to be in charge of who will help with each outing. Bob Vierk will be the TU contact and will communicate with Betsie.

August Picnic with Clearfield SEC - Spring Creek Park on Aug. 14 at 10 AM. Equipment demonstrations will be held in small groups. The plans will be finalized in the July meeting. Teams should bring their shared kits to the picnic.

The next general meeting will be on Wednesday, July 10, 2019,  9:30 AM, Willowbank Building, Room 317, Bellefonte.

May 8, 2019 - General Meeting - at Willowbank Building, Room 317, 9:30 AM

Quality Control: For 2019, duplicate testing has been arranged for 6 teams. More volunteers are needed to duplicate test for the remaining teams between April and October.

Grant Applications: The "Dominion Energy Watershed Mini Grant" was presented to Lou and Betsie along with a plaque. We are encouraged to submit a grant application each year. We received a 2nd place grant award from New Pig. We will make a video of how our grant is being used. Sierra Club Moshannon group is interested in helping us with financial support.

Supplies: Alliance for Aquatic Resource Monitoring (ALLARM) at Dickenson College in Carlisle, PA may be able to help us with supplies. Some Oakton probe tips have been acquired and we need assurance from Oakton that these tips are OK to use after a long shelf stay. Maybe other SECs might be able to supply us with their unused equipment.

Publicity: Ken Johnson would like articles from team monitoring events to include in future newsletters. The April Newsletter has been published. Should CCPaSEC test for Iron?

Training: Ralph noted the difficulty of describing the stream bottom physical characteristics as noted on the Data Recording Form. The correct tally of all percentages listed should be ‘Inorganic + Organic = 100%. The Data Recording Form will be revised to indicate this. He gave out a doc "Assessing stream non water physical properties" and asked for feedback

Data/Website:

• The CDT published an article "Funding woes beset Centre County group that monitors stream quality."
• 6 CCPaSEC members participated in the CWC Watershed Clean-up Day.
• WikiWatershed Tools ‘Model My Watershed’ Workshop was held April 25. The Workshop demonstrated the online platform, allowing rapid visualization of watershed data. Stroud Water Research Center is available as a resource for training for macro identification and other topics. See https://stroudcenter.org/.

Announcements:

Nitrates Testing: From this point on, no team is to do the Low Nitrate test. Low Nitrate Test chemicals will no longer be ordered and supplied to teams. Team leaders need to mention that they switched to the high nitrate test in the appropriate comments box of their data sheet.

100 Women Who Care: Susan Gordon may present CCPaSEC as a possible recipient of funding at one of their meetings.

August Picnic with Clearfield SEC: Spring Creek Park on Aug. 14 at 10 AM. Equipment demonstrations will be held in small groups. The plans will be finalized in the July meeting.

Follow-up List:

• Can we apply for the same grants in the future?
• Should the teams test for iron?
• Should additional nets be purchased to avoid cross-contamination of streams?

The next general meeting will be on Wednesday, June 12, 2019,  9:30 AM, Willowbank Building, Room 317, Bellefonte.

April 10, 2019 - General Meeting - at Willowbank Building, Room 317, 9:30 AM

Quality Control: For 2019, duplicate testing has been arranged for 6 teams. More volunteers are needed to duplicate test for the remaining teams between April and October.

Grant Applications: The "Dominion Energy Watershed Mini Grant" was presented to Lou and Betsie along with a plaque. We are encouraged to submit a grant application each year. Our grant application to the Coca Cola Foundation has been denied.

Supplies: The 2017 grant to Nature Abounds has been completed and all funds spent. Nature Abounds’ 2019 grant was not funded. Nature Abounds will no longer continue to support PASECs after their supplies are distributed. Each PASEC is now responsible for any further expenditures on supplies and equipment.

Publicity: Ken Johnson would like articles from team monitoring events to include in future newsletters. Town and Gown is preparing an article on watersheds to include info and hopefully photos of a monitoring event which will be published in the May/June issue.

Training: Ralph noted the difficulty of describing the stream bottom physical characteristics as noted on the Data Recording Form. The correct tally of all percentages listed should be ‘Inorganic + Organic = 100%. The Data Recording Form will be revised to indicate this.

Data/Website: Team members should look over their site data when testing. If a parameter value does not make sense, retest for that parameter. Data entry: If data points are abnormally high or low, sample should be retested or a note should be entered in the comments section of our data sheets to explain the reading if you think the data are correct. Abnormally high readings, if thought to be correct, should be brought to the attention of and investigated by Justin Kozak (Centre County Conservation District Water Specialist). This is a crucial aspect of PASEC - to be a ‘first observer’ of stream quality. A document on how to print out site graphs and parameter data has been posted on the Data page of our website. Prior data can be printed and taken to the site for reference.

Announcements:

Watershed Clean-up Day: Sat. Apr 20, 2019 8 AM - 12 PM - Genie will meet volunteers at the Benner Township Building at 8 AM.

WikiWatershed Tools ‘Model My Watershed’ Workshop: April 25 2-4 p.m. - Workshop to demonstrate the online platform, allowing you to rapidly visualize watershed data. The demonstration will be at E101 Westgate Bldg at Penn State (the building that spans N. Atherton Street). See WikiWatershed.org. Srishti Gupta (Ph. D. candidate, College of Inf. Sci. & Tech.) will have access to our data for use in WikiWatershed Tools. The presenter will be Dr. David Arscott, Exec. Dir, Stroud Water Research Center.

Musser Gap Project (CWC): PSU wants input for the Musser Gap project. A public meeting will be held on April 25 at 5:30 PM at Foxdale Village.

Annual Shale Network Workshop, May 16-17, will be held at the Nittany Lion Inn. An all-day field trip to the Wayne Twp. Landfill will be held 9:45-4:30 May 16 followed by a group discussion, 7:30-9 p.m. The workshop and poster session will be 8-4 on May 17. Register at www.shalenetwork.org until April 12. This workshop is sponsored by the Shale Network, Penn State, the National Science Foundation, the PA Dept. of Environmental Protection, and the University of Pittsburgh. The theme of the workshop is "Monitoring Communities and their Environment".

The next general meeting will be on May 8, 2019,  9:30 AM, Willowbank Building, Room 317, Bellefonte.

March 13, 2019 - General Meeting - at Willowbank Building, Room 317, 9:30 AM

Quality Control: For 2019 Lou passed around a duplicate testing sign-up sheet for volunteers to help between April and October.

Grant Applications: The application for "Dominion Energy Watershed Mini Grant" was approved. Goals for funding are having a new monitoring kit for a new team and long-term one kit per team. Grant applications have been submitted to the Coca Cola Foundation, the Foundation for PA Watersheds, and New Pig. Member may visit local businesses to solicit funding.

Supplies: The equipment check was held in February. Chemical reagent packets for sulfate and phosphate testing are low.

Publicity: Ken Johnson would like articles from team monitoring events to include in future newsletters. 3 members attended the Bellefonte Volunteer Fair in March. The CDT and Gazette are interested in the grant award and requested photos. Town and Gown is preparing an article on watersheds and will go out with Team 14. Lou was interviewed. The article which will also include Trout Unlimited and ClearWater Conservancy will be published in the May issue. Vince (T&G and Gazette) is using some of Ken's April draft CCPaSEC newsletter in the T&G article.

Hours Report: We are now keeping track of miles traveled for CCPaSEC volunteer activities each month.

Training: Ralph presented a sheet on "The logic and difficulties of measuring stream flow". Flow measurements should be taken at the same positions where depth is measured.

Data Use: Robert Switzer, Manager Centre County Conservation District, is working with farmers Best Management Practices program to reduce nitrate and phosphate from entering Chesapeake Bay. He would like to use our data and might suggest new streams to check.

Data: Team members should look over their site data when testing. If a parameter value does not make sense, retest for that parameter. Prior data can be printed (control p) and taken to the site for reference.

Announcements:

Musser Gap Project (CWC): PSU wants input for the Musser Gap project. The final meeting will be on April 18.

Watershed Clean-up Day: Sat. Apr 20 8am - 12pm Volunteers are needed. Contact Genie.

Moshannon State Forest Earth Day Tree Planting: May 4, 9am - 2pm; 3,200 trees to be planted. RSVP 412-481-9400 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; registration: http://pecpa.org/moshannon

August Picnic: Aug. 14 at 10 am. Spring Creek Park.

The next general meeting will be on April 10, 2019,  9:30 AM, Willowbank Building, Room 317, Bellefonte.

February 13, 2019 - General Meeting - at Willowbank Building, Room 317, 9:30 AM

Meeting cancelled due to inclement weather!

The next general meeting will be on March 13, 2019,  9:30 AM, Willowbank Building, Room 317, Bellefonte.

January 9, 2019 - General Meeting - at Willowbank Building, Room 317, 9:30 AM

Officer Election: New officers were nominated and elected. They are President - Lou Mayer; Vice President - Carolyn Hatley; Secretary - Pat DeLotto; Treasurer - Rob Fugate. Committee chairpersons will continue in their roles except for Quality Control which will be determined later.

Quality Control: For 2018 all but one team was duplicate checked. In the future quality control will be completed by a group of several members each taking two teams and focusing on duplicate testing. The group will include Lou, Dave, Ralph, Mick, Rob, Dan, and Ken. If funding permits, sample(s) should be sent to an accredited lab once/year.

Grant Applications: Gary Moorman submitted an application for "Dominion Energy Watershed Mini Grant" for $3000 to be used for new meters. Goals for funding are having a new monitoring kit for a new team and long-term one kit per team. The next grant request will be submitted to the Coca Cola foundation for $25,000. Letters requesting funding from local businesses are being composed. A group will form to coordinate members' visits to local businesses to help with funding.

Supplies: Dr. K. donated three probe tips. All of the Oakton meters are functioning. There will be an equipment check in February.

Publicity: Ken Johnson would like articles from team monitoring events to include in future newsletters.

Hours Report: 2018 Total Hours: 2445.30. Value to community in 2017 dollars: $59,543.06. Total 2014-2018 Value to community: $309,967.83

Website: A new Team 14 Marcellus Sandy Run Kato-Druiston Rd Site page was added with photos & links to data. The CCPaSEC Donation page was updated to reflect ClearWater’s new donation link and procedures.

Announcements:

Annual Volunteer Fair - March 2, 2019 (Saturday) 10 AM-2 PM at the American Philatelic Society. We will again participate.

Watershed Connections Conference (Sunday-Monday) Feb. 24-25, 2019 - Registration is open for this event to be held in State College. Ken made a motion to send two members. We will first apply for a scholarship. Registration link: https://pecpa.org/connections2019 $90 through Feb. 14, 2019.

August Picnic- It was suggested that we demonstrate our water monitoring techniques to Clearfield's SEC since they have expressed interest in the past. The picnic could be held at Spring creek Park.

The next general meeting will be on February 13, 2019,  9:30 AM, Willowbank Building, Room 317, Bellefonte.