Juniata Watershed Journal
Juniata Watershed Journal
Quarterly Newsletter of the Juniata
Clean Water Partnership
Volume 3,
Issue 2 Winter 2002
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Second Annual Juniata Watershed Summit |
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Juniata College and JCWP: New Beginnings |
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Meet the JCWP's New Watershed Projects Manager |
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Juniata College & JCWP: From the College... |
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Getting Started in Your Watershed: Part IV: |
Second Annual Juniata Watershed Summit
The Juniata Clean Water Partnership will be hosting the Second Annual Juniata Watershed Summit on Saturday, March 23, at Juniata College in Huntingdon. The theme for this year’s Summit is: Leading Progress and Measuring Success in the Watershed.
Keynote speaker, Kim Coon, President of the Education Resources Group for the PA State System of Higher Education, will be highlighting the theme and presenting inspiring tips on developing leadership skills and fostering effective relationships within your community and local government.
At the Watershed Summit, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in several educational workshops. These workshops focus on watershed education strategies, local government successes, and water monitoring techniques. Discover what biological indicators tell us about water quality; hear local watershed educators explain how to create a successful watershed educational experience; and learn what local governments are doing to promote and implement conservation efforts in their municipalities, counties, and boroughs.
Registration is $10 and includes lunch. For more information, call the Juniata Clean Water Partnership at (814) 627-5391. Look for your registration brochure arriving in the mail soon.
Funding for the Juniata Watershed Summit is provided by a Growing Greener Grant through the PA Department of Environmental Protection, the Western Pennsylvania Watershed Protection Program.
Juniata College and JCWP: New Beginnings
By Deb Nardone
Dear Readers,
Endings often beget new beginnings, and that is certainly true for the Juniata Clean Water Partnership (JCWP)! This past year has really been the turning point for the JCWP, with the successful completion of many of our original objectives. Our success has led us down many new paths with numerous changes taking place.
Over five years ago, the Juniata Clean Water Partnership grew out of regional efforts to pursue a rivers conservation plan. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation, with generous support from the Howard Heinz Endowment, worked with local decision makers to: (1) complete a watershed management plan for the Juniata Watershed to obtain Rivers Conservation Registry status for the entire Juniata Watershed, (2) establish a self-sustaining coalition (which ultimately became the JCWP) working for watershed conservation, and (3) foster watershed education and understanding throughout the river basin while improving our natural resources. This initiative ultimately became an excellent example of how cooperative efforts can protect a watershed.
June of 2001 was certainly a turning point for the Juniata watershed. With the completion of the Juniata Watershed Management plan, the JCWP obtained Rivers Conservation Registry designation for the Juniata Watershed. The Juniata River was also named Feature River of the Year for 2001 by the Commonwealth of PA, and the JCWP received a Governor’s Award for Watershed Stewardship! As the conclusion of Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s five-year initiative in the Juniata river basin wrapped up, it was clear that a strong foundation for success had been created in the Juniata Clean Water Partnership.
Since last June, the JCWP has forged a new partnership with Juniata College, which will ultimately provide the necessary resources to have staff and to raise funds. The JCWP will slowly transition into creating a “Watershed Resource Center” – a one-stop shop and library for assisting communities with watershed protection. The addition of a new Watershed Projects Coordinator is the pivotal piece to making this all work – and we are extremely excited to welcome Stephanie Odenwald aboard!
The past five years of the Juniata journey have been exceedingly gratifying. We have a plan to sustain a healthy river and the resources to execute it. We have a dedicated and skilled staff and a committed group of decision makers involved in the JCWP. Community leaders and citizens have come to appreciate the substantial value of maintaining healthy watersheds. Ultimately, the fate of the Juniata is a clear testament of our own will. Here’s to many new beginnings!
Deborah J. Nardone
Chairman, Juniata Clean Water Partnership
Meet the JCWP's New Watershed Projects Manager
By Stephanie Odenwald
“Hi, my name is Stephanie Odenwald and I am the new Watershed Projects Manager for the Juniata Clean Water Partnership. I have already had the pleasure of meeting many of you in the watershed and I am looking forward to working for and with everyone on conservation/restoration efforts. I feel very fortunate to have become part of such a unique organization made up of many diverse individuals all united by our common interest in watershed stewardship. Please stop in the JCWP office to meet Jennifer Park, our AmeriCorp staff person, and me. We are here for advice or assistance on all of your watershed concerns, like the State of the River Report I mention below. Thanks and I hope to see you soon!“
State of the River Report
Recently, Jen and I heard from Charles W. Karns, a watershed resident and newly elected councilman in the Everett Borough. He expressed his concern about the state of the Juniata River—the Raystown Branch, the 118 mile long stretch tributary that flows from west of Bedford through Everett, Saxton and into Raystown Lake. “I like to take my kids fishing along the river in Everett and in some places the river is a mess.” Councilman Karns would like to address this problem and initiate a river cleanup project. If you are interested in getting involved in the Raystown River Cleanup effort: contact Charles W. Karns at
652-6037.* * * *
Stephanie received a B.S. in Environmental Resource Management from Arizona State University, an M.S. in Environmental Pollution Control from Pennsylvania State University. While in graduate school, she went through a two year watershed management program through the Center for Watershed Stewardship at PSU. During this time she helped develop the Kettle Creek Watershed Management Plan where she focused on stream habitat assessments, thermal assessments, acidic deposition studies, and water quality (macro-invertebrates and chemical) analysis.Juniata College and JCWP: From the College
I’m very excited about the potentials in this new JCWP-Juniata College partnership. For one, I’d like to see Juniata students more actively involved with the Partnership. With this close relationship, I hope to see a permanent internship position develop. This gives Juniata students a great opportunity to see a regional watershed organization at work. And since watershed management is the new, preferred approach to local and regional environmental protection, this is especially valuable for my environmental students. A second reason I am excited about the College’s role in the Partnership is the close relationship we will have as JCWP develops its Watershed Resources Center. There is great opportunity for synergy here, to serve both the watershed partners and the College. Additionally, I am very pleased with JCWP’s hire of Stephanie Odenwald. Steph, in her first few days here, already brings energy, ideas and enthusiasm to the Partnership. I look forward to working with her and the rest of JCWP as the Partnership develops it Mission.
Paula Martin is Associate Professor and Chair
Environmental Science and Studies Department
By Deborah Nardone
In the past newsletters, we began a series of articles to assist communities in starting watershed associations. Past topics included: organizing your first watershed meeting, developing a mission statement, writing bylaws, recruiting volunteers and board members, and developing an action plan. For some groups, the next step in becoming an official organization is to file articles of incorporation with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to become a legal incorporated entity.
Incorporation is a necessary step towards getting tax-exempt status – which can increase a group’s ability to get grants and donations. However, it is not necessary for an organization to incorporate in order to function effectively and fundraise. Many groups often struggle with the decision to incorporate or not. This article will focus on what becoming an incorporated tax-exempt organization actually means, how to become incorporated, and the pros and cons of this decision.
The Process of Incorporation and Tax Exemption
Filing Articles of Incorporation is one of the many legal steps to starting a new non-profit organization. Many organizations that wish to raise money for their cause and want donations to become tax deductible will go this route. This process, while it may seem relatively simple, can be very time consuming and expensive. It is recommended that you discuss the pros and cons of incorporating before you move ahead with the process.
First, your organization needs to determine its name and have a solid set of bylaws. This will require your group to carefully examine its purpose, mission, and structure. Bylaws will define how you operate and how decisions are made. Next, the organization must create legal Articles of Incorporation. In Pennsylvania, you need to file your Articles of Incorporation with the Department of State's office. Copies of the basic forms can be obtained at:
The Department of State
Corporation Bureau
308 North Office Building
Harrisburg, PA 17120-0029(717)-787-1057
http://www.dos.state.pa.us/corp/corp.htm
Legal assistance in filing for incorporation is advisable but not necessary
since the assistance of an attorney can be expensive. This may be a good time to
see if you can get an attorney to donate his legal time or find inexpensive
legal services through a legal assistance program.
As you draw up your Articles, you will need to decide if you wish to obtain tax-exempt status (know as 501(c)(3) status with the IRS). If you expect to seek exemption as a charitable organization under Section 501 (c)(3), be sure to include the language required by the Internal Revenue Service within your Articles of Incorporation.
Remember, being incorporated and tax-exempt are two different things. Your group must first become legally incorporated before it can obtain tax-exempt status. In order to obtain this tax-exempt status, you must complete the proper paperwork and submit it to the IRS. To request exemption from paying sales tax, contact:
Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, Tax Forms Service Unit
711 Gibson Blvd.
Harrisburg, PA 17104-3200
The Pros and Cons of Incorporating
It is not necessary for an organization to incorporate in order to function as an effective group within your community or watershed. Choosing to incorporate or not is a big decision that should be handled with a lot of care. Before you go ahead and choose to incorporate – as yourself,
“Why?” As with many of the other steps in setting up a watershed group, you should not proceed with Incorporation unless you know why you are doing it and what you are getting yourself into.Reasons to Incorporate:
P
Limited Liability - Individuals and/or board members who control the organization are not responsible, except in some unusual cases, for the legal and financial obligations of the organization. Legal obligations and debts are in the name of the organization and not the individuals involved.P
Continuity - By becoming incorporated, the organization will continue to exist permanently until it's legally dissolved. It’s existence is not dependent on the continued participation of individual members or directors.P
Uniform Set of Rules - Because the operation of the organization is governed through a legal set of bylaws, the organization must operate according to these rules. Some funders and businesses prefer to deal with an incorporated nonprofit business to ensure their money is managed correctly and that contracts are official.P
Tax exemption - This is probably the biggest reason why organizations choose to go the incorporated route. Once articles of incorporation are filed, tax exempt status can be applied for. This allows donations to be tax-deductible.P
Increase fundraising opportunities - Many agencies, philanthropies, and individuals will not donate to an organization unless it is a tax-exempt organization.Negatives to incorporating:
P
Time Consuming - You will regularly fill out paperwork with the State to protect your incorporation status every year, including financial statements as you organization starts collecting and spending money. If you choose to get tax exemption, the paperwork will increase.P
Expensive - It is expensive to file Articles of Incorporation and apply for tax-exempt status. On top of the fees to apply, you may have to pay legal fees.P
Penalties - Failure to meet paperwork deadlines may find your organizations subject to paying penalty fines.P
Establishing Track Record - You will have to carefully abide by your bylaws and keep detailed records - ranging from careful meeting minutes to good financial records. These records must be preserved for the lifetime of the organization.P
Liability Insurance - While incorporation does limit individual liability, it is recommended to purchase general liability insurance to protect officers and directors. Board members can still be personally liable in some situations.Often, many community groups and watershed organizations can function without ever discussing the need to incorporate. Managing money and obtaining grants can be done through existing incorporated non-profit with a similar mission to apply for grants on behalf of the group. This ensures a responsible and capable organization is managing money without too many headaches for your group. There are many groups throughout the Juniata Watershed that can serve in this role.
All things considered, I hope this provides you with a better understanding of the big issues surrounding the decision to incorporate or not. This is a serious decision that should involve a lot of discussion and research. Don’t forget to ask yourself, “Do we need to be incorporated to do what we need to do?”
Additional information in filing for incorporation and tax exempt status can be obtained from the Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations at (717) 236-8584 or www.pano.org. They provide a detailed 16- step plan to becoming a nonprofit organization is Pennsylvania.
Some information in this article was provided by:
Starting Up: A Handbook for New River and Watershed Organizations, published by the River Network.
The Growing Greener program was signed into law in 1999 with the promise of $650 million over five years for open space and farmland preservation, watershed restoration, cleaning up pollution from abandoned mines and mine lands, plugging abandoned oil and gas wells, and upgrading sewer and water systems. The money for these projects has come from transfers of a total of $30 million per year from the Recycling Fund and the Hazardous Sites Clean Up Fund and from a $100 million appropriation from the General Fund.
Shortfalls in state revenues have caused the deferral of General Fund contributions to the Environmental Stewardship Fund, which supports Growing Greener. Even worse, Growing Greener is scheduled to expire at the end of fiscal year 2003-2004. These developments have fueled discussions over the need for dedicated funding sources.
The future of Growing Greener truly depends on local grant recipients and their partners making the case to their state representatives and senators that Growing Greener is working. The elected state officials need to hear that Growing Greener projects are helping their communities, saving taxpayer money, and improving our quality of life.
Communities affiliated with the Juniata Clean Water Partnership have benefited from Growing Greener, and you need to communicate those benefits. The following are a few ways that you can let people know how important Growing Greener has been in your watershed. In so doing, you will help to ensure the future of the program.
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Schedule a meeting with your state representative and senator in their district offices to tell them that Growing Greener projects are benefiting the local community.· Invite legislators to speak at your next organizational meeting.
· Invite legislators and the media to an event at your project site during the spring.
· Have your municipality, watershed organization, and individual partners all endorse and sign A Resolution for Comprehensive Conservation Funding.
Visit www.pawatersheds.org/keepggworking for a copy of the resolution and suggestions for how to share the benefits of your projects.
For more information about how to showcase your Growing Greener project or about the effort to reauthorize Growing Greener, please contact me at (717) 234-7910 or tschaeffer@pawatersheds.org.
Tim Schaeffer is the Science and Policy Director for the Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers.
Biodiversity Report: Canoe Creek Watershed Declared Important Bird Area
By Stan Kotala
BirdLife International, a worldwide conservation organization, developed the Important Bird Areas (IBA) program in the 1980’s in an effort preserve outstanding habitats for birds. This program’s resounding success in Europe quickly spread to North America, where the IBA concept has become pivotal to a continent-wide bird conservation strategy.
Pennsylvania was the first state to develop an IBA program in the United States. Based on strict scientific criteria developed by the Ornithological Technical Committee of the Pennsylvania Biological Survey, 77 sites have been select as IBA’s in the Keystone State.
In October 2001, the Ornithological Technical Committee voted to confer the distinction of Important Bird Area on the Canoe Creek Watershed. Under the direction of then Juniata Valley Audubon Society (JVAS) vice-president Bill King, members began an exhaustive survey of the Canoe Creek Watershed’s birdlife in 1992. Since that time, the chapter has documented over 200 species of birds in the watershed, of which 110 are confirmed as nesting in the Canoe Creek Watershed. 15 species occurring in the watershed are Pennsylvania Species of Special Concern.
The Canoe Creek Watershed’s exceptional diversity of habitats supports an exceptional diversity of bird life. The watershed contains very large blocks of contiguous forest; rhododendron and laurel thickets; several miles of riparian forest along Canoe Creek; large complexes of beaver ponds; unspoiled emergent, shrub, and forested wetlands; native grasslands; old-field habitats; and a 160 acre lake.
Due to large expanses of unbroken forest, this site contains numerous breeding forest-interior and area-sensitive neotropical migrants such as Blackburnian, Black-throated Blue, and Black-throated Green Warblers. A forested riparian corridor supports large numbers of Louisiana Water Thrushes, Acadian Flycatchers, Warbling Vireos, Cerulean Warblers, and Yellow-throated vireos. Beaver ponds and surrounding wetlands are home to Alder Flycatchers, Swamp Sparrows, Veeries, and Red-shouldered Hawks.
The Important Bird Area designation gives the Canoe Creek Watershed an advantage when the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources decides which conservation projects to fund. It emphasizes that this 15,000 acre area has a high-quality habitat of great importance to the Commonwealth’s bird life.
The JVAS has adopted the Canoe Creek Watershed for continued avian monitoring and ongoing conservation and education efforts. Steve Hoffman, Pennsylvania Audubon’s Director of Bird Conservation, has asked the JVAS chapter to conduct point counts in the watershed during May and June on a yearly basis in order to assess population densities of Pennsylvania Species of Special Concern and Audubon Watchlist Species. If you would like to help with these censuses, please call Canoe Creek Watershed IBA Coordinator Dr. Stan Kotala at (814) 946-8840. Several field trips highlighting the birds of this IBA are planned for this spring. We hope you’ll join us in this celebration of birds!
Stan Kotala is a member of the Juniata Valley Audubon Society.
Get Ready for sojourn 2002! juniata journey: Raystown Rendezvous:Spotlight on Community Watershed Associations:
Sojourners take note! Coming this spring, the JCWP will be hosting the second annual river sojourn to be held on the Raystown Branch of the Juniata River.
Beginning Friday, May 17, sojourners will enter the Raystown Branch of the Juniata River, just past Fort Bedford Park, Bedford, to embark on a 55-mile journey down the Raystown Branch for a total of 5 days. The sojourn will end at Heritage Cove Resort, located near Saxton, at the base of the Raystown Lake. A kickoff celebration will be held on the evening of Thursday, May 16 in Bedford.
Join fellow paddlers, explore the river, and enjoy camping at many different sites along the river. Various programs are schedule for each evening, from local presentations on history, culture, geology, and local conservation projects, to service project opportunities, campfire sing-a-longs, folk music, and contra dancing. Choose to attend one day, several days, or for the whole journey. If you do not have your own canoe or kayak, local outfitters have rentals available. Registration will begin in April with fees ranging from $25 to $35.
Look for registration and details in the next issue of the Juniata Watershed Journal. Information is also available on-line at the JCWP web-site: www.jcwp.org, or e-mail jcwp@jcwp.org if you have questions.
Celebrate the river!
WATERSHED EDUCATION HIGHLIGHT: The Red Rose Outdoor Classroom
By Dave Creamer
The Red Rose Road Out-Door Classroom is an effort to utilize a “real world” setting and problem to educate those involved in dirt and gravel road maintenance. The goal of this project to demonstrate a natural systems approach to road maintenance. Upon completion, which is scheduled for this April, anyone will be able to take a self-guided tour of the site. Using signs and corresponding brochures, an individual will be able to see before and after pictures, plus a site-specific description of what was accomplished. The project has encompassed tackling such issues as cross pipe installation, head wall and end wall construction, road and stream interfacing, off right-of-way water management, road bank stabilization, and obtaining sheet flow type drainage from the road surface. This last endeavor was the greatest challenge. We needed to raise the road over six feet in many locations!
All of the represented practices in the Outdoor Classroom have the underlying theme of stopping sediment loss from the road envelope. At every opportunity possible, we eliminate concentrated flow and stop parallel water drainage on the road surface. By accomplishing these simple tasks we are able to lengthen the maintenance interval required in road up-keep. This in turn leads to a direct savings in the cost associated with road maintenance. The simple statement that we make to road maintenance personnel is that erosion costs money.
The signs and brochures for the project are currently under development with assistance from the Bureau of Forestry, and should be in place for the Annual Spring Work Shop held by The Center for Dirt and Gravel Roads. During the workshop we will have the final aspect of the project completed when aggregate is placed on the road surface using a track-paving machine. This process, which uses our own specially designed aggregate, and is placed in a non-traditional fashion, is of great interest to people attending this workshop.
For further information on the Dirt and Gravel Roads Program, or the upcoming workshop, please contact Dave Creamer at 814-865-7971, or by e-mail dmc159@psu.edu.
Dave Creamer is Resource Technician for the Center for Dirt And Gravel Roads Program.
what's going on in your watershed:
March
23 Juniata Watershed Summit, 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Juniata College, Huntingdon PA
April
3 Trough Creek Watershed Association Public Meeting
Robertsdale Fire Hall, 3:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Dinner provided
22 Earth Day Festival,
Canoe Creek State Park. 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
May
17-21 Juniata Journey: Raystown Rendezvous
2 - 4 Outdoor Heritage, Huntingdon PA
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Third Tuesdays of the Month: Shoups Run Watershed Association: 7:00 p.m., Coalmont, PA.
Fourth Tuesdays of the Month: Trough Creek Watershed Association: 7:00 p.m., Robertsdale Coal Miners Museum
Earth Day at Canoe Creek
Saturday, April 20, 2002, 7:30AM – 4PM
Come celebrate Earth Day at Canoe Creek State Park with your family. We are exploring the diversity of life in the park by offering walks to learn about birds, amphibians, wildflowers, edible and medicinal plants, and more. Join local naturalists as we explore the biodiversity of Canoe Creek. All walks will start at the visitor center. Please call the park office for more information at (814) 695-6807.