2013 Meeting Minutes

 

(October 20, 2013 Meeting called or order by President Salinas)

 

 

 

ELECTION OF OFFICERS:  Motion was made by Richard Moore for a unanimous vote to keep the current elected officers the same. Motion was seconded by Gary Adams. All in favor was unanimous.

 

LOYALSOCK STATE FOREST: Thousands have requested hearings and public comment on potential drilling in the Loyalsock state forest.

 

ENDANGERED SPECIES: Bills Fundamentally Change Endangered Species Protection and Eliminates Others.

 

Bills now pending in the House and Senate would fundamentally change the way threatened and endangered species are protected in Pennsylvania, including 73 existing state-designated threatened or endangered species, because they would all have to be re-evaluated and put through the new adoption process outlined in the bill using new listing criteria.

 

DCNR Offers Public Online Survey On State Forest Management:

In August the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources invited the public to take an online survey to inform the Bureau of Forestry as it prepares an update to the State Forest Resource Management Plan.

CONTACT WITH MOSHANNON STATE FOREST: This summer we had some inquiries involving large construction sites in the Moshannon State Forest. It was unclear at the time whether the construction pertained to gas drilling, logging, or something else.

 

 

 

RIGHT TO KNOW REFUSAL:  The PSCLA sent in a Right to Know Law Request (RTKL) to the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records. We requested the following information from DCNR: complete listing of all state camps; any and all contact information with the Lessee; all assigned camp numbers; and the camp names if available.

 

 SANITATION COLLECTION FEES: Some townships are charging camps for garbage collection whether they use the service or not. We have had complaints from our members that the fees are too high due to the limited use of the service or that they should not be billed at all since they do not or cannot utilize the service because of the camps location. One of our members was recently relieved of this billing practice because he requested a copy of the township ordinance and an explanation of the fact that the township does not pick up garbage at his camp. The township responded by waiving the fee and advising him that he would no longer be billed for the service.

 

 

SEWAGE ENFORCEMENT OFFICER INSPECTIONS: Apparently, some of the camp inspectors are ‘at it again’ by sending letters to township supervisors requesting that their appointed SEO officer inspect state camps within their jurisdiction.

 

 

 

FIRE BANS: A recent review of forest regulations indicated that there are some minimal changes. One change that concerns us is the fire ban dates for the fall season have been eliminated. We brought this to the attention of some DCNR field offices that were not aware of this change/omission. Whether it was an oversight or a deliberate change, we would highly suggest being very careful with fires during the fall season in dry weather.

             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             

 

LOG PILES: Apparently this ‘logs against a tree issue’ has spread throughout some of the districts. We had another member relate to us that a camp inspector advised them that they had to remove their wood pile since it was stacked between two trees. Apparently this practice would kill the trees.

 

 
 

SECRETARY ALLEN: Most are probably aware that Secretary Richard Allen was forced to resign over an e-mail he sent to his wife.
 
 
 
 
 

 

Pet Wires: As discussed in our previous newsletter, at least one of the District Forests had encountered a number of pet wire installations through their cabin inspections over the past year.

 

 

 

PSCLA MEETINGS IN OTHER LOCATIONS: PSCLA staff is willing to meet with state camp groups throughout the state. This fall we are planning a special meeting with a group from the S.B Elliot State Park/Moshannon State Forest area. If you find it difficult to attend one of our general membership meetings, we will consider traveling to attend one of yours.

 

GOVERNOR’S ADMINISTRATION: PSCLA staff is currently making arrangements to meet with the governor’s staff to address our concerns. We will most likely be included with other groups experiencing similar issues regarding our state forests. This information will be printed in our forthcoming spring newsletter and will be a topic of discussion at our upcoming fall and spring meetings.

 

PSCLA WEB PAGE: Our web page, along with several others managed by our provider, was attacked from an unknown overseas source. The corruption to the pages was immense. It is now back on line; but do to major changes in software, we will not be able to update the page completely for another month or so.

 

CORPORATION INSURANCE: If your camp is incorporated or you are preparing to incorporate you will need a special type of insurance. Tuscarora-Wayne insurance company provides great coverage and reasonable pricing for camps. Jeffries/Brown Insurance will provide this coverage to our members at a discount. You must provide them with you membership information. Contact Patsy at 570-725-3562 for further information

 

Membership Dues: Reminder! They should be submitted by Jan 1st. Dues paid after September 30th will be applied to the following year.

 

Chris Fox

 

PSCA Secretary