July 14: Sierra Club on the Marcellus Shale Boom

Note date change -- or correction of a previous error... back to the 2nd Wednesday!

Join us for a Conservation Conversation on The Marcellus Shale Boom: Who wins, who loses? with guests Juliana Stricklen and Dennis Childers

Prof. Tony Ingraffea, Cornell University

Holding monthly meetings, as we did for over twenty years, has become an “unsustainable” practice. The Group simply didn’t have the funds to continue supporting this activity at about $1300 per year. We’d rather spend that money on other important member-related issues, such as publishing newsletters which reach every member. But we realized that we already pay for a space that is ideal for smaller gatherings: the Club office in Oakland, which can easily accommodate up to about 40 people. So we have created a new format for monthly meetings: Conservation Conversations. Every month we will have a core topic, some local or regional expert and YOU. If you want to learn more or contribute what you already know to the general pool of knowledge, we’d love to have you there.

There are dozens of areas of interest, some of which we may hit repeatedly. Many of us would like to better understand what is really happening with the Marcellus Shale. We’d like to know what the City and County are intending to do about the possibility of drilling right here… since leases are already being signed.

Juliana Stricklen, a Creative and Performing Arts High School Senior, received a $1000 award for a video she created on the Marcellus problem. It’s great! We’ve invited her and her teacher, Dennis Childers, to show the video and discuss the issues. We’ll also have current updates on State and local regulations and concerns about the Marcellus development. This is the biggest environmental threat in the last century in Pennsylvania and worthy of your attention. We will also show part of Cornell University Prof. Tony Ingraffea’s excellent tutorial on the Marcellus issues. This will be a hot event!

7:30 - 9 p.m. in the Sierra Club offices, on the second floor of a building that can be entered either at 3875 Bigelow Blvd or 425 Craig St., in Suite 202. Ring the buzzer at the door; when you are buzzed in, take the elevator to the second floor and follow the signs to the Club office. On-street parking is easier on the Bigelow side. Interesting goodies and finger foods; bring your own to share if you care to. For more information, email Donald L. Gibbon, Program Chair, Allegheny Group

August topic: the movie FRESH and more about Buy Fresh, Buy local and Urban Farming.