[NHCOLL-L:4939] Powdermill Nature Reserve important!!

[malcolm McCallum]

I have recently become aware that Carnegie Museum trustees are currently
considering allowing gas wells in the Powdermill Nature Preserve.

(article:  http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/westmoreland/s_696394.html)

For those of you who are unfamiliar with PNR, here is a link:

http://www.carnegiemnh.org/powdermill/

This reserve in Pennsylvania has been the focus of many different kinds of
field/wildlife ecology research.  There has been extensive marking of
wildlife on the grounds.  Birds have been marked since 1961, and
they have in excess of 100,000 marked at last report.

I cannot over-emphasize the travesty that this decision would bring.

It would be good for people to voice their disenchantment with this
possible decision.

Notice, they HAVE NOT MADE THIS DECISION YET, BUT THEY ARE CONSIDERING
IT SERIOUSLY.

I strongly encourage people to forward letters and notes voicing your
disenchantment
with the proposed policy change.

As the reserve does not currently have a director, you should forward
letters or
emails to:

David M. Hillenbrand, President and CEO,
Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh
4400 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Hillenbrandd at carnegiemuseums.org


Below is exerpted from Meshaka, WE, J.N. Huff, and R.C. Leberman.
2008.  Amphibians and Reptiles of Powdermill
Nature Reserve in Western Pennsylvania. Journal of Kansas Herpetology
25:12-18 (available at:
http://www.cnah.org/pdf_files/942.pdf).


Powdermill Nature reserve (PNR) is an 890.3 ha field station located in the
the Laurel Ridge of the Allegheny Mountains in W at estmoreland County
of western Pennsylvania. PNR was founded in 1956 by Dr. M. Graham
Netting, herpetologist
and Director of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh.  The
initial gift of 469.4 ha (1160 a) that year brought Netting's dream of
a proteccted long-term
research field station into reality.  The reserve now encompasses
890.3 ha of mixed
forests, fields, ponds, and streams located in the Ligonier Valley
southeast of Pittsburgh.
Netting's goal in establishing
the Reserve was to provide Museum scientists and researchers from
other institutions
a permanent area for long-term studies of ecosystems and the flora and
fauna comprising
them.  In addition to being a wild area for natural history research
the reserve was to
provide a venue for natural history eduction.
 In 1961, PNR initiated what is now one of the longest coninuous
runnning bird banding programs
in the country.  Herpetologically, a demographic study of the Wood
Turtle and Eastern
Box Turtle has been in progress since 1960.  The single greatest
change to the landscape of
PNR since its founding has been a gradual succession from farmland to
mixed deciduous forest.



-- 
Malcolm L. McCallum
Managing Editor,
Herpetological Conservation and Biology
"Peer pressure is designed to contain anyone with a sense of drive" -
Allan Nation

1880's: "There's lots of good fish in the sea"  W.S. Gilbert
1990's:  Many fish stocks depleted due to overfishing, habitat loss,
            and pollution.
2000:  Marine reserves, ecosystem restoration, and pollution reduction
          MAY help restore populations.
2022: Soylent Green is People!

Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any
attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may
contain confidential and privileged information.  Any unauthorized
review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited.  If you are not
the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and
destroy all copies of the original message.