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Pennsylvania has 29 great long-distance hiking trails. Nine of those trails cross or lie near land that has been leased to energy companies. These trails have, or will soon face, major challenge to maintain their wilderness character.
Gas pads require clear-cutting the forest and are typically three to five acres in size. When constructed, they resemble an industrial site.
The gas pads host a drilling rig for a number of months. Access roads of various lengths are built to the site, causing forest fragmentation. Pipelines are also built to the site, further widening cut through the forest. Compressor stations are built at intervals of varying distances along the pipelines, to move the gas. All of these infrastructure construction projects have major impacts on the forests, including, but not limited to, noise, dust, etc.
If you have hiked one or more of these nine trails this year, you may have seen evidence of gas development. If you hike on any of these nine trails, and you see any evidence of pollution or other impacts, please report the activity to FracTracker.
Keystone Trails Association has received reports of overzealous security guards chasing hikers off of hiking trails. Keystone Trails Association has reported those incidents to state government and the offending companies have changed their behavior. However, we cannot help you if you do not contact us with your problems.
Two weeks ago, I met with representatives of the Pennsylvania Department of Natural Resources to better understand exactly where energy development will impact hiking trails. We specifically reviewed maps of state forest lands. We did not review state park land or privately held lands.
When state forest lands were acquired, on some of the properties the mineral rights were separated from the surface rights. Consequently, the state does not own all of the mineral rights on all state forest lands. The maps we reviewed showed areas that have been leased by the state under Governor Rendell (and previous administrations) and areas of the state forests where private owners of the mineral rights have leased tracts of state forest land to energy companies.
The most heavily impacted trails are the Chuck Keiper Trail, the Donut Hole Trail, the Mid State Trail, the Quehanna Trail, the Bucktail Path, the Loyalsock Trail, the Old Logger's Path and the Black Forest Trail.
Areas of gas development on the Chuck Keiper Trail include almost all of the trail east of Route 144, and some of the trail to the west of Route 144 in the Yost Run area.
On the Donut Hole Trail, gas development is occurring south of Hyner Mountain Road and west to Dry Run Road. The southern part of this section is under review for a hiking trail relocation. Additional areas to the west that will see gas development are north and south of the trail to Kettle Creek State Park, and then south of the trail to Jericho.
On the Mid State Trail, gas development has occurred to the east and west of the trail between Big Spring Road north of Woolrich to Bark Cabin Natural Area southeast of Okome.
On the Quehanna Trail, gas development will occur on the northern side between Parker Dam State Park to Red Run Mix Road and on the southern side between Wallace Mine Road and Lost Run Road.
On the Susquehannock Trail, lands have been leased on the west side (between Cherry Springs Road and McConnell Road south of Conrad) and on the south side (near the proposed Hammersly Wild Area and the junction with the Donut Hole Trail). On the east side, various small leases exist sporadically from Route 144 south of Olena to South Cherry Springs Road. Larger leases exist north of South Cherry Springs Road to Route 6.
On the Bucktail Path, gas development leases are held just north of Driftwood to just south of Sizerville State Park.
On the Loyalsock Trail, gas development leases are held on the west side (between the start of the trail on the Loyalsock Creek and Little Bear Road) and on the east side (between Ketchum Run and Route 220).
On the Old Logger's Path, the entire trail is on nearby lands with gas development leases.
On the Black Forest Trail, gas development leases are held north and west of Slate Run.
We encourage hikers who hike these trails to report any problems they observe to Keystone Trails Association via FracTracker. Hikers can be the eyes and ears, the "boots on the ground" for the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Together, we can work to preserve our wonderful hiking trails.
Hikers who want to serve as watchdogs may want to join KTA's 100-Mile Trail Challenge and specifically hike the 100 miles or more identified above. |