January 20, 2022
PENNSYLVANIA AUDUBON COUNCIL MEETING 
“WHAT CONSERVATION ISSUES DID OUR CHAPTERS PRIORITIZE?”

Please mark your calendars for 7:00 PM on Tuesday, February 1, 2022 for our next meeting of the Pennsylvania Audubon Council. This meeting will feature the results of our collective efforts to prioritize our conservation issues of greatest concern. The Council received Chapter Prioritization Response Forms from fifteen chapters. Chapters independently reviewed and rated the various issues during November and December. They reflect a wide range of responses on some issues and convergence on many others. A team led by Jim Bonner, Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania, was tasked with the responsibility to review the survey responses and report the consensus for each of the conservation issues our chapters had identified through this process.

  • We will see which conservation issues of concern emerge among the highest priority for our chapters and Council.
  • We will begin to explore alternatives for the Council to act on these priorities.

We will discuss chapter interest for a Spring Council Meeting with options that include:
  • In person meetings one-day meetings in the east, central, and western chapters
  • In person statewide one-day meeting in a central location in Pennsylvania
  • In person statewide weekend meeting in a central location in Pennsylvania
  • Virtual statewide one-day meeting 

We welcome the participation of our chapter leaders and Council representatives and encourage that your chapters extend the invitation to participate to the chairs and members of your respective Advocacy and Conservation Committee chairs and members as well as other interested Board members.
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ANTHRACITE RIDGE WIND PROJECT UPDATE!

The Hegins Township Zoning Hearing Board met on January 11, 2022 and rejected the application citing that the application was incomplete. There is a thirty-day period for the applicant to appeal the decision. The Pennsylvania Audubon Council had submitted a “sign-on letter,” one of many, to the Hegins Township Zoning Hearing Board in advance of their meeting on November 23rd where the application was considered. Our letter cited the need for significant studies to be undertaken in advance of any further consideration and approvals for the project to proceed. The letter included the support of fourteen of our Pennsylvania Audubon chapters. Our letter notes the importance and our support for appropriately sighted renewable energy projects. You may recall that Hegins Township is in Schuylkill County. The site is located just northwest of Hawk Mountain and the Kittatiny Ridge. The Kittatiny Ridge is an Important Bird Area (IBA) of Global Significance and a major migratory pathway for raptors.

There is a new development. A virtual hearing is now scheduled for 10:00 AM on January 28, 2022 by the Democratic Policy Committee, Chaired by Katie Muth (D-Chester) and joined by John Kane (D-Chester). The hearing is to focus on the Anthracite Ridge Farm Project. is the prospect of this $300 million privately funded project can serve as an example of how alternative energy projects and the building trades can work together for Pennsylvania and the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. We encourage members to “attend” the meeting. We need to reiterate the importance and our support for appropriately sighted renewable energy projects. We also need to cite the need for developers to adhere to application guidelines and to ensure that proper studies are undertaken in advance of any consideration and approvals for renewable energy projects. You must register in advance to attend the meeting.

You can learn more about this hearing and how to register to attend the hearing at the link below:
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DUKE MOA LOW FLYOVER UPDATE:
Requests for Public Meetings and Extended Comment Period

The Maryland National Guard seeks to control airspace by establishing the Duke Low Military Operating Area (MOA). This MOA proposal would permit training units to fly as low as 100 feet above ground level (AGL) for up to 170 days per year. Training is now limited to 8,000 feet above mean sea level (MSL) -- or 6,000-7,000 AGL. The ANG released the Draft Environmental Assessment (DEA) and has issued a DRAFT Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI). The FONSI states that the ANG finds that the increased, low-altitude flying of A10s, F-16s and other military aircraft will have no significant impact on the welfare of the region. The Pennsylvania Wilds include Cameron, Clinton, Elk, McKean, and Potter and Tioga counties in Pennsylvania.

Comments have been submitted by DCNR Advisory Council, Pennsylvania Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship, Senator Robert Casey, and others. These letters note that ore than 180,000 Pennsylvanians live in the region affected by the Duke Low MOA. They note the presence of state parks and natural areas that offer recreation and enjoyment to many thousands of Pennsylvanians. It is critical members of these communities are informed of the proposal and have sufficient time to review and provide public feedback.

The Air National Guard (ANG) is being urged to extend more time for comment in to 2022. While most understand the need for training opportunities for our military, there is an appeal for the ANG to consider reasonable modifications to the plan. “There is concern that the ANG has not done adequate outreach to educate the public on the proposed Duke Low MOA and the potential impacts. There is also concern that the issuance of a ‘Finding of No Significant Impact’ would be premature,” said Ta Enos, PA Wilds Center CEO. The Air National Guard is being urged to host public meetings in each of the impacted counties -- Cameron, Clinton, Elk, McKean, Potter and Tioga -- to provide informative presentations and offer opportunity for input and questions.”
KELLY MCGINLEY

We learned at the December Audubon MidAtlantic quarterly chapter call that Kelly McGinley announced her departure from Audubon effective at the end of 2021. Our chapters have benefited from the working relationships she developed through various projects that supported chapters. Her leadership with “Bird Friendly Habitat” recognition, encouragement of “native plants for birds” projects and her general support of this project with chapters has been greatly appreciated. Kelly provided important support for the Renewable Energy Working Group. Kelly understood the benefits of Bird Town and the work of the Pennsylvania Audubon Council. Her enthusiasm, positive, and knowledgeable approach for work with our chapters will be missed. We wish Kelly well as she moves onto new endeavors!