ROARING CREEK VALLEY CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION

Minutes of September 18, 2008 Monthly Meeting

Meeting was called to order by Vice-President Kristen Vitkauskas.

The August minutes were read.  Motion to accept the minutes was made by Steve Reir and seconded by Wayne Petro.

The Treasurer’s report was given by Wayne Petro. Motion to accept by Leon Shoup and seconded by Mark Deibler.

Old Business:  Dan Brassington showed the group a prototype of the ‘logbook’ box he had constructed.  The design is acceptable and Mr. Brassington will build two boxes.

Wayne Petro is continuing working on locating signage along highways that would identify entering into the Roaring Creek watershed.  Wayne Petro’s next move is to contact the property owners for their permission to post the signs.   In conjunction with this, the state’s right-of-way dimension will have to be known. Kristen Vitkauskas volunteered to assist Mr. Petro with contacting the property owners.  There have been seven locations identified as potential sites.  Property owner permission to erect signs should be obtained prior to purchasing signs.

Cathy Haffner, Watershed Specialist, spoke on the Coldwater Conservation Plan, noting that the goal is to improve the health of coldwater ecosystems.   The informative talk described natural features located within and near the watershed and the five main sub-basins that compose this watershed.  The biological, chemical and physical assessments that have been performed were also discussed. Issues that impact the coldwater streams within the watershed include siltration and lack of riparian forests, nutrient concentrations and a low PH level in the Weiser State forest.

The group now has to decide how to move forward based on this information. Possible actions include continuing chemical monitoring. This requires laboratory work that can be performed at Bloomsburg University.  The lab work is very labor intensive and would necessitate acquiring grant money.  The group can also decide to assess siltration issues, noting that tree planting is the best long term solution to the siltration problem. It was suggested that we continue monitoring, seize opportunities as they are identified and promote conservation practices. Regular monitoring at fewer sites was also mentioned.

It was also observed that the water company (Consumers Pennsylvania Water Company Roaring Creek Division) may also be asked to be a partner or contributor in some of the group’s activities. The group needs to consider how the assessments may be used in the future. Also, the fact that Bloomsburg University is not a certified laboratory and would not withstand a legal challenge was also noted.

Motion to adjourn was made by Mark Deibler and seconded by Dan Brassington.

Wayne Kashner

Secretary