Saturday, October 20, 2012

Save Our Swamp Event A Huge Success!


           Seventy boaters gathered on a warm day last Sunday, Oct. 14 on Geneva Marsh to protest the proposed Tire Incinerator in Crawford County. Participants joined in a group of over 30 boats behind a sign with the address for the Crawford Area Residents for the Environment website, StopBurningTires.com.
           The protest was designed to give the community an opportunity to experience the ecological bounty of Pennsylvania’s largest marshland while also asserting its vital importance to the region.  Many area residents are concerned that the proposed incinerator, which would be built less than two miles from Geneva Marsh, could adversely affect the marsh and the health of the surrounding community. Based on the prevailing wind patterns, much of the emission output from the facility could blow in the direction of the marsh.
         The marsh is important to many Crawford County residents, both aesthetically and recreationally. The marsh is a popular place for boaters, hunters, and naturalists. It is also home to a breeding population of bald eagles, and is designated as Site 7 on Pennsylvania's Important Bird Area list. Many endangered, threatened, and rare species of plants, birds, and other animals are found there, and it is an essential stop in many species migratory paths.
           The event itself was spearheaded by CARE activists Scott and Amy Hricsina and Colleen Nye, working in part with the Allegheny Students for Environmental Action.
           Participants also took part in a photo contest sponsored by CARE and Arts for Everyone, the program that hosts and promotes local art shows and events. A4E Director George Nowack and T. Alan Kirk of Meadville Fine Arts will judge the entries. The winner's picture, along with a collection of entries from the finalists, will be displayed at the Arts for Everyone exhibit space at the Meadville Market House, and then the exhibit will travel to the other A4E exhibit spaces around Crawford County.

CARE, a local grass-roots environmental group, has raised serious concerns about the proposed tire incinerator planned for Greenwood Township. The facility would be a major source of hazardous air pollution, burning 900 tons of tires a day and releasing over 1300 tons of emission each year.  Last November, two local residents filed appeal of the PA DEP air quality permit that was issued for the facility. That appeal is still going strong, and based on the current schedule published on the EHB website, the parties involved are expected be in court sometime in the spring. The appeal outlines fifteen legal objections which assert that the emission control technology analysis was incomplete and flawed, and that the low emissions estimates were incorrect.

See more pictures and learn about the photo contest at: www.stopburningtires.com