Allegheny Almanac

Find Genuine Pennsylvania Wilds Art Here

Meet PA Wilds Artisans at Gateway Lodge

 
Artisans, retailers interested in joining Artisan Trail encouraged to attend free event
Artists and retail shops involved in the Pennsylvania Wilds Artisan Trail and those
interested in learning more about it are invited to attend a fun, informative “Meet &
Greet” event at the Gateway Lodge on Mon., Jan. 24 from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.

The PA Wilds Artisan Initiative is an effort to raise the visibility and profitability of
artisans across the 12 ½ counties of the Pennsylvania Wilds region. This event will start
with a quick overview of the PA Wilds Artisan Initiative, including the benefits of using
the „Made in the Pennsylvania Wilds‟ branding, and explain the process for getting juried
into the program. A few short updates for members will follow, including information on
the new Artisan Initiative website, www.PAwildsArtisans.com, and how existing or new
members can use it to their advantage. PA Wilds Juried Artists will then set out examples
of their crafts on tables for galleries and retailers to review.

The Gateway, a premier rustic lodge in the heart of Cook Forest, is the newest member of
the PA Wilds Artisan Trail. The lodge is known for its locally-sourced and superbly
prepared foods, great wines, and excellent hospitality. Gateway owner Deb Adams will
offer a quick tour of the facility, including its new gallery space, which she hopes to fill
with artisan products this winter.

The Gateway will make a cash wine bar available during the Meet & Greet and also
invites guests to stay for dinner or overnight at the lodge (cost not included in the free
Meet & Greet event). To make a reservation contact the Gateway at (814)744-8017 or
info@gatewaylodge.com or find them online at gatewaylodge.com. The PA Wilds Small
Business Ombudsman and Artisan Trail manager will be on hand throughout the evening
to answer questions about the Artisan Initiative.

Admission to the Meet & Greet is free but pre-registration is required in order to
properly plan for space. To register, contact Jen Swain at jenn@ntculturalalliance.org
or 570-265-7455 no later than January 17, 2011. For those driving in for the event, the
Gateway is located at 14870 Route 36, Cooksburg, PA 16217.

For background information on the PA Wilds Artisan Initiative please go to
www.pawildsresources.org and click on “Artisans.”

 

 

Hydraulic Fracturing May Have Unintended Consequences

 

see also: More Than 1,000 Marcellus Shale Violations Reported

Editor's note: This article was originally published on this blog on August 28, 2009.

But no direct link found between polluted water wells

and natural gas drilling

An EPA study done this year in Wyoming "found chemical contaminants in drinking water wells near natural gas drilling operations, fueling concern that a gas-extraction technique is endangering the health of people who live close to drilling rigs," according to Reuters News Agency. The gas-extraction technique, used by about 90 percent of gas drilling operations, is called hydraulic fracturing or "fracking." The EPA study was released on August 11.

There are currently 80 companies operating oil and gas activities locally in the Allegheny National Forest, according to a report by James Decker, the president of the Warren County Chamber of Business and Industry.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised families in Wyoming with contaminated water wells not to drink the water, which in some cases was black and oily, with a petroleum-like sheen, and a smell of gas, according to Reuters.

So far, the EPA has tested only 11 wells in Wyoming and has not reached a conclusion about the cause of contamination, the Reuters report said.

A 2004 study by the EPA concluded that the injection of hydraulic fracturing fluids posed little or no threat to drinking water and additional studies were not justified, according to the EPA website. Complaints from Wyoming residents resulted in the new study, which is ongoing.

In 2005, hydraulic fracturing was exempted from the Safe Drinking Water Act.

However, a video report released in January, seen below, from FLYP magazine calls that exemption into question:

Pennsylvania ranks second only to Texas in the number of producing gas wells in the country. Texas has 76,436 producing gas wells and Pennsylvania currently has 52,700, according to ProPublica. Many more are planned here in the Marcellus Shale gas field in the near future. Approximately 90 percent of all gas drilling projects make use of hydraulic fracturing, according to FLYP magazine. A federal judge in Erie, Pennsylvania is currently considering allowing the permitting of gas and oil drilling in the Allegheny National Forest, without EPA approval, due to what plaintiffs call irreparable economic damage caused by a lengthy federal permitting process.

Whether you are a businessman or an outdoors advocate, people in Warren County have a lot at stake in the judge's decision. It may be one of the hottest potatoes in the country right now.

--news compilation and analysis by Chris Lareau, editor Allegheny Almanac

See related posts:

de facto Eminent Domain in the Allegheny National Forest

and

Allegheny National Forest to Spend Stimulus Money on Forest Road Building

 

and

 

Pennsylvania: The "Saudi Arabia" of Natural Gas

2011 Outdoor Expo in Warren, PA

 

See PHOTOS OF THIS YEAR'S 2011 WARREN OUTDOOR EXPO at this link

Find out about WINTERFEST! held at end of January on Chapman Lake in Clarendon, PA.

 People make nearly a million visits to the Pennsylvania North Country every year to enjoy the great outdoors and last year, on the last day of hunting season, in Starbrick, tourists and natives got a chance to find out how to enjoy it even better. Starbrick, Pennsylvania is just west of the city of Warren on Route 6.

This year the show has been expanded to two full days on Saturday, January 15 and Sunday, January 16 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. both days and has moved to the Warren Mall just north of Warren on Market Street. Grizzly Gary, a local TV and Radio personality, will be broadcasting live. He is following the growth of this show at his web site at http://www.grizzlygary.com/content/261-WARREN-COUNTY-OUTDOOR-TRAVEL-SHOW

 On hand last year at Wild Wind Sporters, just down the street on Route 6 from the Pennsylvania tourism headquarters, were experts from Allegheny Outfitters, the Pennsylvania Hunting and Fishing Museum, Disabled American Veterans, United Bow Hunters, the Cherry Ridge Hunting Lodge, Buck Haven Wildlife Art, and Somerby Safaris South African Outfitters.

Attendees also got the inside word on local wildlife from coyote trapping expert Darin Freeborough and Doug LaBolle of Killer Calls, local guides who can save sportsmen and women tons of time.

The show was the first of its kind in Warren and is sponsored by the local Council on Tourism. Depending on the success of this week's show, plans are already in place for an even bigger exposition next year.

According to the local chamber of commerce this year's show will feature a huge number of exhibits and vendors, including:

Council on Tourism
Warren County Visitor's Bureau
...Grizzly Gary Outdoors
PA Hunting and Fishing Museum
Somerby African Safaris
Animalistic
Indian Waters
Chapman State Park
Wild Wind Sporters
Wild Woods Animal Park
Allegheny National Forest
Army Corps of Engineers
Warren Main Street
Big Foot Traders Group
Ruff Acres
Hunt of a Lifetime
Warren Conservation District
Northern Allegheny Mountain Bike Association
Gumbo Calls
Jones
Kalbfus Club
Council on Sportsmen
Outdoor Film Festival
United Bow hunters
Trout Unlimited
Allegheny Cyclery
Indian Waters
Gro Warren
Nesmith Insurance
Pennsylvania Kinzua Pathways
PA Fish and Boat Commission
Art Farm USA
Relay For Life of Warren County
Historical Society: Gun Display
Buckhaven Wildlife Art
Chapman State Park
Hog Wild BBQ
Garry Kell-Fly Fishing
Todd Bowersox Seven Springs Fly Fishing
Eugene Jaurt: Sprankle Baits
PA Wilderness
Little Power Shop
McNutters
Stonehill Chocolates
Pennies Country Scents
Bear Hollow Game Calls
Forecon, Inc
Sprankles Baits LLC
Gary Kell the Fly Fishing Coach
Renosky Lures
Fishtail Charters

The well-attended event last year filled the over-sized parking lot at Wild Wind Sporters and spilled across the street into the Amish Crafts business.

One vendor commented that she was surprised at the turnout for the impromptu event last year. "We just found out about it a couple days ago."


The show was considered a test trial for our area, a prototype highlighting growing services in the Kinzua region for visitors and residents. Organizer John Papalia of the Warren County Visitors Bureau agreed that next year they needed to look into obtaining more space. If last year's success is any indication, local outdoor enthusiasts can look forward to quite an extravaganza this week.


Above photos of 2010 Outdoor Expo are copyright 2010 by Allegheny Almanac

 --Chris Lareau