National Heritage Areas Partner 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.
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National Heritage Areas Partner on Watershed Initiative
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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