Virtual Media Tours (Archived)
These virtual tours, coordinated by the FracTracker Alliance, serve to provide the media with information about how unconventional oil and gas drilling is affecting residents, organizations, and the environment in Eastern PA by way of video commentary and photos with experts and impacted citizens. The tours were conducted in 2012 and 2013.
Tour Topics
1. Insights into Water Resources
Details:
- Locations: Tunkhannock, Springville, and Montoursville, PA
- Tour Date: November 16, 2012
Speaker Info:
- Tim Ziegler, Field Operations Specialist, Penn State Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies – tmz115@psu.edu
- Brian Oram, Professional Geologist, B.F. Environmental Consultants – bfenviro@ptd.net
- Jonathan Niles, PhD, Adjunct Faculty Biology and Visiting Research Professor, Susquehanna University. Contact: Karen M. Jones, 570-372-4650, joneskm@susqu.edu
2. Drilling in the Forest
Details:
- View photos
- Location: Loyalsock State Forest, PA
- Tour Date: October 25, 2012
Speakers:
- Curt Ashenfelter, Executive Director, Keystone Trails Association – ktaadmin@verizon.net
- Dick Martin, Coordinator, PA Forest Coalition – FORESTcoalition@aol.com
- Mark Szybist, Staff Attorney, PennFuture – szybist@pennfuture.org
- Paul Zeph, MS, PA Director of Conservation, Audubon PA – pzeph@audubon.org
- Ephraim Zimmerman, Ecologist, Western PA Conservancy – EZimmerman@paconserve.org
Media Coverage:
- Chesapeake Bay Journal: Conservationists fight to save one of PA’s gem streams
- Allegheny Front: At the Center of a Boom, a Pennsylvania Forest in the Balance
- Philly.com: Activists push Pa. to restrict drilling in tract
- Keystone Trails Association: Action Alert for the Old Loggers Path
3. Agriculture and Food Supply Risks
- Video 1 has been archived, but you can view it here.
- Video 2 has been archived, but you can view it here.
Berry Fields Farm owners and farmhands discuss their concerns about how or whether sustainable farming and natural gas drilling can coexist. More information about Berry Fields Farm can be found on their website. - Video 3 has been archived, but you can view it here.
Related Information:
- Gas Rush Stories, Part 14: Organic Farmers
Funding
These tours were made possible through the generous support of the Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds and the William Penn Foundation.
