PennFuture: Save Loyalsock Coalition Hails Advisory Council Recommendation

HARRISBURG, Pa., Nov. 20, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Save the Loyalsock Coalition commends the Conservation and Natural Resources Advisory Council (CNRAC) for its work and its recent recommendation to Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) director Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn advising strong protections for the Clarence Moore lands of the Loyalsock State Forest.

CNRAC's October letter to DCNR detailed strong public support, in the form of public letters and inquiries to the council, for the Clarence Moore lands and urged the protection of the surface area of the Loyalsock State Forest, specifically through negotiated agreements with the owners of mineral rights.

The CNRAC was established in 1995 to provide recommendations to DCNR, Gov. Tom Wolf, the legislature, and the public on the conservation and stewardship of Pennsylvania's natural resources. With gubernatorial and legislative appointees, the council was designed as an independent, non-partisan body.

The Save the Loyalsock Coalition, comprised of 23 organizations representing over 100,000 Pennsylvanians, has worked since 2012 to protect the Clarence Moore lands from gas development and to preserve its exceptional value watersheds, renowned birding areas and hiking trails, and one of the last unbroken core forests in north central Pennsylvania.

PennFuture staff attorney Michael Helbing said, "We're pleased that CNRAC has recognized the value of the Clarence Moore lands. Now it is up to DCNR to follow CNRAC's advice and use its significant power to prevent surface disturbances to this critical natural area."

Joanne Kilgour, Director of the Sierra Club PA Chapter added, "The CNRAC has, as its mission demands, advised the department on the need to conserve the ecologically valuable Clarence Moore lands. In response, the individuals and organizations represented by the Coalition, as our mission demands, echo that advice. May our call reverberate in the halls of the Rachel Carson building and in the hearts of those who are the sworn stewards of our public lands."

Susan Carty, president of the League of Women Voters Pennsylvania noted that, "The League of Women Voters has been working to save our state forest lands, per the Pennsylvania Constitution's Article 1, Section 27, which was voted into effect by the people of the Commonwealth. The Loyalsock State Forest's Clarence Moore lands are a treasure that should be protected."

PennFuture is a statewide public interest membership organization founded in 1998 with offices in Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Wilkes-Barre. The organization's activities include litigating cases before regulatory bodies and in local, state, and federal courts; advocating and advancing legislative action on a state and federal level; public education; and assisting citizens in public advocacy.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Following is the text of a letter from the Save the Loyalsock Coalition to CNRAC delivered November 10, 2015 can be accessed via http://www.saveloyalsock.org/Documents/LoyalsockCoalition_20151110_DCNR_Sayles_Letter.pdf.

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SOURCE PennFuture