Greetings from your Doc Fritchey chapter president — Russ Collins. This semi-regular column is my way of letting our members know what conservation work I am pursuing on behalf of the chapter. Here are a few updates that took place in the month of November …
November 4th
I attended a 2 ½ hour meeting of the Cornwall Borough Council to bring them up to date on one of the projects we have partnered with the Quittapahilla Watershed Association. This is one of the projects that came as a result of the Sunoco fine grants last year. Work had begun on the survey and planning following receipt of the grant and was halted due to one of the property owner’s reluctance to sign a final document.
The presentation was to show that this one single project provided them the ability to meet their MS4 requirements at a lower cost than 17 other projects on their list.
November 5th
I had a conference call with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation regarding recent budget developments concerning Growing Greener Funds. Significant funds were used to balance the state budget. As we know, these funds are the basis of the stream restoration work we do.
November 11th
This day, I participated in an aerial survey of the Spring Creek Watershed in the Hershey area. This survey was in preparation for a meeting of parties interested in discussing “fixes to the watershed.” We met with the Cornwall Borough Planning Committee to review the presentation on the stalled project on Snitz 2 in Cornwall Borough. They recommended we go over things with the Borough Council on the 18th.
Below are some aerial photos from the survey …
November 12th
I attended a Dauphin County-wide Watershed Meeting. Various municipal representatives were in attendance to coordinate work on MS4 issues.
November 14th
I convened a group of 20+ individuals interested in the restoration of the Spring Creek Watershed in the Hershey area. It was attended by representatives from surrounding townships and supervisors, Milton Hershey Schools, Hershey Entertainment, Hershey Trust, Army Corps of Engineers, PA Department of Environmental Protection, several local engineering firms and several property owners. At the conclusion of the meeting it was decided to explore creating a Watershed Implementations Plan (WIP) and the formation of a core planning group. With this core group, we will discuss forming a Watershed Association with a full 501(c) status.
November 19th
I attended the Quittapahilla Watershed Association meeting. These individuals are our partners in the Annville-based watershed.
November 21st
I resurveyed the Powell’s Creek Handicapped and Children’s Access area to jump-start the project after learning that the funds for the planning process were misappropriated. Once all components are assembled, an application will be submitted for a Growing Greener Plus Grant which will be a design and build request.
Thanks for reading! Please consider this an open invitation to join me in pursuing these worthy goals for our chapter. Feel free to email me with questions.
