The PA AMR Conference Planning Committee has approved the following presentations to date, in no particular order.
Kiski Valley Watershed Association Capacity Development – Laura Hawkins, Allegheny Ridge Corporation
For more than a decade, many watershed associations have experienced little or no increases or turnover in board leadership and volunteer rolls. They devote their time and expertise toward projects, and have little to devote to board and volunteer recruitment/donor development, training and orientation, recognition and retention. To help address this issue, Allegheny Ridge Corporation is working on a capacity development initiative with 3 watershed associations in the Kiskiminetas Valley. The goal is to establish sustainability for watershed associations using the following objectives: evaluate board, volunteer, and financial needs/strengths; create board and volunteer training and orientation materials; implement local, targeted marketing; engage 5-10 new board members, volunteers, donors per each association. The project is designed to leave associations with replicable materials and strategies for ongoing application. This project was financed in part with a grant from the Community Conservation Partnerships Program, the Heritage Areas Program Fund under the administration of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation, and managed by Allegheny Ridge Corporation as part of its signature initiative, the Pittsburgh-to-Harrisburg Main Line Canal Greenway™. The Greenway is a 320-mile corridor of heritage sites and hub communities linked by land and water trails. Grant funding was also made possible through the Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds (FPW). FPW is a nonprofit, grant-making organization working to protect the best and restore the rest of Pennsylvania’s streams.
Laura is the Greenway Coordinator with the Allegheny Ridge Corporation, where she has worked for over 20 years. She has 35 years of experience. She was educated at WVU in social work and community mental health.
Understanding AMD Data – Is it Good or is it Crap? – Tim Danehy, BioMost, Inc.
Water analysis data for abandoned mine drainage (AMD) is the foundation on which all water treatment projects are built. It is paramount that the samples are collected in a location and manner that will provide the best information possible to avoid costly design mistakes. The quality of the data received from the laboratory is just as important. Over 20 years ago the U.S. Office of Surface Mining (OSM), Tiff Hilton, Chuck Cravotta, and others led a successful effort to ensure that laboratories reported correct values for acidity. The author has witnessed an erosion of this institutional knowledge and hopes to bring the importance of good data to the forefront of AMD treatment. This presentation will discuss where and how to collect water samples, field techniques (including flow measurement), how to review laboratory results to ensure that we are using good data, and how to check if your data is crap.
Tim is the President of BioMost, Inc, which was established 30 years ago. He is a graduate of Slippery Rock with a BS of Environmental Science.
Update on BAMR Projects and Funding – Joe Sassaman, PA DEP BAMR
Presentation will discuss updates to abandoned mine land funding, current projects, and ongoing priorities.
Joe is the Assistant Bureau Director for PA DEP’s Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation (BAMR). He has 17 years of experience with BAMR and has an MS in Geoenvironmental Studies, LPG.
DEP-BAMR AML/AMD Grant Program Stats – Cindy Wolfe, PA DEP BAMR
Join us to review the statistics of the AML/AMD Grant Program since its inception in 2022 and participate in an open discussion regarding the information shared.
Cindy is the current Grant Program Manager for the AML/AMD Grant Program. She has worked for PA DEP for over 25 years.
AML/AMD Grant Program Updates – Cindy Wolfe, PA DEP BAMR
What’s new in 2026? Are more changes on the horizon? We’ll discuss the program updates which occurred in 2026 and discover how those changes may impact current or future applicants and/or subrecipients under the Program.
Cindy is the current Grant Program Manager for the AML/AMD Grant Program. She has worked for PA DEP for over 25 years.
Nonprofit Organizational Management and Capacity Building – Tali MacArthur, Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers (POWR)
This presentation will focus on various elements of Community Watershed Organization (CWO) best management practices and requirements for effective, sustainable, fair, and responsible organizational management. Topics covered will include: Board of Directors and Officers Recruitment BMPs, including fiduciary responsibilities and rights, Risk Management (Insurance), Accounting and Records Retention BMPs, Nonprofit Registration Required Reporting to maintain charitable status (BCO, 990s, etc), Donations Acknowledgements. This presentation will also present and share nonprofit capacity-building tools and tips, including resources related to: Volunteer Recruitment, Retention and Acknowledgment, Fundraising and Sponsorships, Assessing Stakeholder and Constituent Opinions of your Organization for improved services, Identifying Board Needs, Fiscal Sponsorship. Please note that this presentation will not be giving legal advice. The presenter is not an attorney.
Tali has been the Director of POWR for 8 years and in the industry for about 20. She has a BS in Marine Science and an MS in Marine Affairs
Long-term Performance and Costs for Passive Treatment Systems in PA – Bob Hedin, Hedin Environmental
Many substantial passive treatment systems are approaching 15-20 years of operation. The treatment performance, construction costs, and operational costs will be presented for several systems operating in PA. Similar evaluations will be conducted of conventional chemical treatment systems. The comparison will provide insights into treatment reliability and long-term treatment costs.
Bob Hedin has a BA from St. Lawrence University and a Ph.D. in Ecology from Rutgers University.
How to Develop a Watershed Restoration Plan – Ben Hedin, Hedin Environmental
Your watershed is polluted by AMD, so you formed a watershed group, got the conservation district and DEP interested in funding projects, and located some discharges. Now what? Where to start? What problems to prioritize? You need a plan! A proper watershed restoration plan prioritizes projects and guides restoration efforts based on data. A good plan 1) documents baseline conditions, 2) prioritizes projects, 3) determines Title V/IV eligibility, 4) determines stream mile benefits per project, and 5) monitors priority discharges. The presentation will discuss what information is needed to create a good watershed restoration plan, pitfalls to avoid, and successful examples.
Dr. Ben Hedin, PhD, is the President of Hedin Environmental and has worked in the field for 13 years.
Phillips Discharge Phase 1 Feasibility Study – Ben Roman, Tetra Tech (Tt) & Deb Nardone, Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds (FPW)
The Foundation for PA Watersheds retained Tetra Tech to complete a Phase 1 Feasibility Study to evaluate options for controlling abandoned mine drainage impacting Redstone Creek near Uniontown, PA. The Phillips Discharge is the largest source of AMD in the Redstone Creek Watershed and contributes to the lower 16 miles of the stream being impaired. The study reviewed historical mine pool and discharge data, evaluated current flow and water chemistry, characterized the mine pool, and assessed treatment site alternatives through parcel screening for key treatment components and conveyance routes. Based on the discharge characteristics, Tetra Tech also developed a conceptual treatment design tailored to the net alkaline, Fe(II)-dominant source water, incorporating oxidation, flocculation, gravity thickening clarification with sludge recycle, and related solids handling considerations. Collectively, the study established a technical and siting framework for future centralized AMD control and treatment within the watershed.
Ben is a new Environmental Engineer with Tetra Tech and recently graduated from Penn State.
Measurement and interpretations of acidity, specific conductance, and pH for mine water treatment – Charles A. Cravotta III, Cravotta Geochemical Consulting LLC
Specific conductance (SC), hot peroxide acidity, and pH are routinely used to indicate the severity of contamination and potentially applicable treatment steps for acid mine drainage (AMD). In general, AMD that has low pH and high SC tends to have elevated concentrations of acidity, sulfate, and dissolved metal(oid)s, including Fe, Al, Mn, Zn, Cu, and others. In this presentation, geochemical modeling using PHREEQC is applied to explore the contributions of various solutes to the measured acidity and SC. The Standard Method “hot” acidity is a widely used, intensive laboratory method. The hot acidity indicates the “net acidity” for samples containing alkalinity and dissolved metals. A positive value for the hot acidity indicates (1) the potential for acidic pH (< 6.0) upon reaching atmospheric equilibrium, and (2) the alkalinity deficiency (needed) to maintain pH ≥ 6. For this presentation, an independent estimate of acidity is computed according to four methods: net acidity, total acidity, speciated acidity, and caustic titration. The conventional computation of net acidity uses the pH and analytical concentrations of Fe, Al, Mn, and alkalinity. The total acidity considers these constituents plus additional elements, with contribution factors from -1 to +3. A factor from 0 to 1 is multiplied by the sulfate concentration, depending on how much is present as bisulfate (HSO4-) (factor of 1) versus SO4-2 (factor of 0). Similar to total acidity, the speciated acidity assigns a contribution factor to each species (rather than the analytical concentrations). Lastly, the caustic acidity is the theoretical amount of base to reach pH 8.3 after a sample has been equilibrated with the atmosphere. Because contributions by certain metal(oid)s and bisulfate are excluded, the net acidity underestimates the measured acidity of extreme AMD (pH <3, SC >5000 S/cm). In comparison, estimates for the three expanded methods (total acidity, speciated acidity, and caustic titration) are in close agreement with the measured acidity. Using the same analytical concentrations of elements considered for the total acidity and speciated acidity, SC is estimated as the sum of ionic conductivities of individual charged species. Considering these results, the primary sources of conductivity may be identified, particularly sulfate, metals, magnesium, and calcium. Using these new computation methods, analytical results can be evaluated for quality assurance through comparisons of the measured and computed values of acidity and SC and their corresponding element contributions.
Dr. Cravotta is an internationally recognized scientist with more than 40 years of professional experience, mostly as a research hydrologist for the U.S. Geological Survey, until December 30, 2023. He established Cravotta Geochemical Consulting LLC (“CGC”) for continued involvement with colleagues, students, and watershed groups.
Macroinvertebrates: A stream’s version of a canary in a coal mine – Carla Ruddock, Mountain Watershed Association
Populations of macroinvertebrates can be used to track improvements or impairments in streams. Many of these organisms are very sensitive to pollution and can not tolerate living in it, which makes them an excellent indicator for water quality health. The presentation will touch upon the benefits that macroinvertebrate surveys can provide to tracking improvements or impairments in local streams, particularly upstream and downstream of AMD treatment systems. There are a variety of protocols, methodologies, and equipment that can be used. The presentation will discuss the differences so participants can understand their streams and choose the right monitoring for their stream. Using historical monitoring data from Indian Creek in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, the presentation will touch on identification and statistical analyses that can be used to determine the stream’s water quality. This presentation will be an introduction to macroinvertebrate monitoring for beginners.
Carla is a Director of Conservation with the Mountain Watershed Association, where she has been for 15 years. She has 25 years of experience in conservation and a B.S. in Environmental Sciences.
Prevailing Wage Requirements: A Deeper Dive – James Kunz III, Pennsylvania Foundation For Fair Contracting
Prevailing wage requirements can be daunting to navigate for non-governmental organizations. Many grants and other government funding opportunities often require that recipients require the paying of prevailing wages by any contractors they use to perform construction work. This presentation will be a deep dive into how to navigate both state and federal requirements. What actions to take before putting the job out to bid, how to monitor compliance during, and what actions you can take if your contractor does not comply. This will include how and where to find prevailing wage rate determinations, certified payroll reports, and contact information for the agencies that help enforce the law.
James is the Executive Director for Pennsylvania Foundation For Fair Contracting, where he has worked for a decade. He has worked in this field for 18 years.
Bat Habitat Creation at Abandoned Mine Sites – Lauren Quintrell, Northampton Generating Company
Northampton Generating and Northampton Fuel Services have been working with PADEP and the Pennsylvania Game Commission on a project to create suitable habitats for several species of bats at the waste coal sites we are mining and remediating. We have constructed several ‘bat condos’ to house these bats, and remediated landscapes to build habitats most conducive to bats. My presentation will cover the requirements of the various native species of bats who utilize these habitats, the construction methods we are employing to make sure that our bat condos draw in as many bats as possible, and discuss the impact that these features have on abandoned mine land. We have photographs of the habitats before, during, and after construction that I think are visually interesting and present a compelling story of this specialized reclamation feature.
Lauren is the Environmental Health and Safety Manager with Northampton Generating Company, where she has worked for 5 years. Lauren has 15 years of experience and graduated from Allegheny College.
Use of Eggshell Waste and Shrimp Tail Waste for Abandoned Mine Drainage Treatment – William Oswald, Villanova University
This research addresses the use of eggshell waste (ESW) and shrimp tail waste (STW) to treat water contaminated by abandoned mine drainage (AMD). Batch and column treatment methods are being investigated at laboratory scale for pH adjustment and for the removal of metals using a pH 3 sulfuric acid solution of various ionic strengths with and without added metal sulfate. Results show that both ESW and STW can successfully increase the pH of acidic solutions to safe discharge levels in batch contacting, with the rate of pH change affected by solid type, solid dose, and solid particle size. Preliminary results for packed columns demonstrate the effectiveness of ESW and STW for neutralization of acidic solutions. For solutions containing 10 mg/L of manganese or iron, a similar pH increase is observed in batch contacting with simultaneous reduction of cation concentration in the solution. Many operating conditions achieved metal reduction >90%, to levels below 1 mg/L. The impact of these processes on calcium and sulfate concentrations has also been investigated. These results demonstrate that the use of ESW and STW has the potential to provide sustainable water treatment options for communities impacted by AMD contamination, while reducing the environmental burden of landfill disposal and the need for conventional chemicals to treat AMD.
William is an M.S. Chemical Engineering Degree candidate (May 2027) at Villanova University Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering. The authors acknowledge support for this work from the PA Department of Community & Economic Development (DCED) Abandoned Mine Drainage (AMD) Abatement and Treatment Program.
Big flow with a small footprint isn’t easy: lessons learned from 10 years of passive treatment at Fall Brook – Neil Wolfe, Hedin Environmental
Constructed in 2015, the Fall Brook passive treatment systems are a unique public-private collaboration to remediate AMD impacts to Fall Brook, a tributary of the Tioga River in Tioga County, PA. One of the two systems, Fall Brook South, treats an average flow of 580 gpm using three drainable limestone beds with a total system footprint that’s less than five acres. This talk will cover the lessons learned during a decade of operation, such as the development of improved limestone cleaning techniques and optimized limestone bed plumbing design.
Neil is a Senior Geoscientist who has worked for 20 years with Hedin Environmental
AML/AMD Permitting Best Practices – Tom Clark, Kleinfelder
Each AML and AMD site is different and will have its own permitting challenges to allow for construction. Questions can arise as to delineation thresholds, what does and does not need to be mitigated, possible waivers available, and even new surveys and possible reclamation requirements when it comes to bats. Kleinfelder will walk through site-specific permit challenges and their solutions, which will give attendees the means to better understand what their project’s permit matrix could be, so those tasks can be priced properly for project proposals or bid selections.
Tom is a Project Development Manager for Kleinfelder, where he has been for 3 years. Tom has nearly 30 years of experience in the industry and earned his Master’s of Science from California University of Pennsylvania.
Geospatial support tools to evaluate acid mine drainage remediation alternatives at the watershed-scale in West Virginia – Jordan Kincaid, West Virginia University
Watershed-scale remediation of acid mine drainage (AMD) aims to comprehensively address AMD sources in a watershed through a combination of treatment mechanisms that maximize restoration outcomes at the lowest long-term treatment cost. While the selection and design of individual AMD treatment sites is well documented and commonly practiced at the point-scale, no systematic approach has been developed to consistently identify and assess the suitability of the suite of AMD treatment strategies at the watershed-scale. To address this strategic limitation, an ArcGIS Pro toolbox was developed to allow remediation planners to explore water quality data and analyze different treatment scenarios in a given watershed as a precursor to more detailed remediation design. The tools centered around current best practices relating to the chemical, hydrological, and spatial constraints of various AMD treatment technologies. The tools developed will help planners compile and analyze sampling data, screen for feasible sites to implement passive treatment, and develop and analyze watershed-scale treatment scenarios which incorporate multiple AMD treatment systems. The developed toolbox was used to generate and evaluate a hypothetical treatment scenario for the Lick Run watershed in Preston County, WV, demonstrating its potential as a strategic support tool for future watershed-scale AMD remediation projects.
Jordan is currently a Graduate Research Assistant in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at West Virginia University.
Directing the Expectation: A Backwards Approach to Forward Thinking on Project and Construction Management – Lee Yost, Kleinfelder
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), officially the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), provided unprecedented funding for multiple Abandoned Mine Lands Programs. Effective project and construction management success depends not only on delivering the projects within scope, time, and budget, but also on the effectiveness of the reclamation. Determining the end objective helps identify the details that tend to get lost in the shuffle through the design and pre-construction process. Essentially, we want to isolate the design critical bottlenecks to mitigate each problematic issue backwards. Understanding the buildability down to every minute detail helps slow down the noise of construction, limits unnecessary change orders, and increases overall production. Essentially, self-imposed auditing is the key to both justifying the money while understanding the responsibility that comes with it. How do we independently audit ourselves? How do we take the pictures to accurately tell the story? How do we direct the expectation?
Lee is a new Project Professional with Kleinfelder, has 12 years of experience, and a degree from West Virginia University.
Watershed Scale Acid Mine Drainage Assessment Using High Definition Stream Survey (HDSS) – Brett Connell, Trutta Environmental Solutions
This presentation will demonstrate how the High Definition Stream Survey (HDSS) improves acid mine drainage assessment and restoration planning by replacing isolated sampling points with continuous, meter-resolution data collected across entire stream networks. Using the 2025 Greens Run watershed project in Preston County, West Virginia as an example, attendees will see how synchronized video, GPS, depth, side scan sonar, and water quality data were used to document AMD indicators, infrastructure influences, and changing stream conditions across approximately 20 miles of watershed. The session will highlight how HDSS supports remediation prioritization, treatment planning, and long-term monitoring while providing a defensible baseline for measuring restoration success. By documenting watershed conditions before and after reclamation, managers can evaluate return on investment, demonstrate the effectiveness of restoration practices, and direct limited funding to projects that deliver the greatest environmental benefit.
Brett is a Hydrologist and Director of Sales for Trutta Environmental Solutions, where he has served for 14 years. He has 20 years of experience in the industry.
The Wild Trout Man Experience – Dr. Joseph Simons, III, Wild Trout Man
I will showcase my passion for the science, art, adventure, and zen experience of fly fishing. Tips, techniques, and strategies will be discussed for catching and filming trout. The focus is on Class A Wild Trout Streams with emphasis on conserving, protecting, and restoring these waters. Stream monitoring, habitat restoration, fly tying, matching the hatch, stream-side entomology, camera equipment, and video production for YouTube will be reviewed in detail. Got Macroinvertebrates? Got Cold Water? Got Wild Trout!! It’s a simple formula, but with urban and industrial development and habitat loss, especially in the coal regions of Pennsylvania, the destruction to native and wild trout water has been devastating. Water Is Life. Deforestation, resource extraction, thermal stress, sedimentation, and AMD are death. All topics on the agenda will be addressed.
Joe is the current President of EPCAMR. He is a Doctor of Optometry, but also with his company Wild Trout Man for the past 7 years.
Grabbing Green: DEP Funding and Concierge Service – Louie Krak, PA DEP
Hear from DEP’s Grants Innovation Officer about this new role and ongoing initiatives to improve the Department’s grant-making process. This session will also cover information on what grants DEP offers for nonprofit organizations, including program descriptions, award information, match requirements, and application deadlines. Additionally, participants will learn about the new Funding Concierge service to help potential applicants navigate DEP’s complex funding landscape and determine if there are funding opportunities that align with their goals.
Louie is a Grant Innovation Officer with PA DEP, where he has been for 4 years.
Jill Whitcomb, PA DEP, Deputy Secretary, Office of Water Programs
Pennsylvania has long been a leader in Abandoned Mine Reclamation (AMR) and Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) treatment. The Chesapeake Bay Program is a partnership of nine signatory members, four independent advisory committees, and hundreds of interested parties and stakeholders. In 2025, the Chesapeake Bay Program revised the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement and, for the first time, recognized the impact and importance of AMD treatment for fish habitat. This session will focus on how we work with Pennsylvania partners in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and, more specifically, how we aim to achieve the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement target of improving AMD-impaired streams.
Ground Truthing PennEnviroScreen: Community Education, Environmental Justice, and GIS Tools – Jordi Comas, PA DEP
Ground-truthing is an important process of cross-data applications that is increasingly being implemented for quantitative and qualitative data tools; it is being used more widely. Generally, ground-truthing is a reciprocal process to check the accuracy of quantitative and qualitative data. It can be used to check the “lived experience” of a mapping tool. PennEnviroScreen was built for DEP for permitting but has not been ground-truthed. The Office of Environmental Justice [OEJ] has found that the tools have been used and adapted by many stakeholders for community education and environmental civics. Also, there is evidence that the process of using tools has cognitive and social effects on users above and beyond “looking at information” and can spark deeper awareness of place and civic engagement. OEJ staff have piloted using PennEnviroScreen in the field for walking workshops to both evaluate its effectiveness as a community education tool and to improve that use. This workshop will highlight the method and outcomes to this point as well as invite participants to contribute to how to continue this ground-truthing across AMLs and other brownfields.
Jordi is a Regional Coordinator and Project Manager with PA DEP Office of Environmental Justice.
Finding and Funding Mined Land Reforestation: An Innovative Partnership Approach – Tom Gilbert, Pennsylvania Environmental Council and Eric Oliver, Green Forests Work
This presentation highlights a collaborative framework led by Green Forests Work (GFW) and the Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC) that bridges state agencies, non-profits, and academic institutions to scale up reforestation on legacy mined lands. Central to this approach is the integration of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing workflows. By leveraging high-resolution aerial imagery digitization, spatial data modeling, and GIS-based site-screening rubrics, the partnership systematically identifies candidate mine sites, prioritizes high-impact restoration acreage, and designs site-specific prescriptions using the Forestry Reclamation Approach (FRA).
To move projects from map layers to ground-level implementation, GFW and PEC utilize an innovative blended funding model. By stacking federal and state grants (such as NFWF Stewardship funds and PA DCNR/PGC partnerships) with university sustainability investments and private foundation support, the coalition secures the necessary capital for deep ripping decompaction, invasive control, and native tree planting. Attendees will gain insights into GIS site-selection workflows, university student research integrations, partner coordination strategies, and practical funding mechanisms that can be replicated across degraded landscapes throughout the region.
For over three decades, Tom Gilbert has led non-profit campaigns, coalitions, and organizations working to protect and conserve land, water, and air resources throughout the eastern U.S., including Pennsylvania.
Eric is a Mined Land Reforestation Specialist for the non-profit GFW. GFW is associated with the University of Kentucky, Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment. His position is located in Pennsylvania and focuses on reforesting areas throughout Appalachia that have been lost to mining. The focus is on restoring the temperate forest ecology to a native state that existed prior to mineral extraction using the Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative’s Forestry Reclamation Approach. Prior to working for GFW, Eric was a Mineral Resources Program Specialist for the PA DEP Bureau of Mining Programs. He currently lives in Tyrone, PA, and is the caretaker for the Plummers Hollow Private Nature Preserve.
Sustainable Landscape Reclamation of Granite Quarries: Environmental Impacts, Restoration Strategies, and Strategic Study Analysis from Guntur, India – Surendra Babu Gantenapati
My academic research examines the environmental impacts of granite quarrying and explores sustainable approaches for restoring degraded quarry landscapes. Using vegetation analysis, hydrology, and landscape-planning strategies, the study evaluates a granite quarry area in Guntur, India, and proposes an integrated reclamation framework. The research emphasizes land stabilization, ecological restoration, native vegetation, water management, and adaptive reuse to transform abandoned quarry sites into environmentally stable and productive landscapes. The study demonstrates how landscape architecture and ecological planning can contribute to more sustainable post-mining environments.
Surendra has a Master’s in Landscape Architecture, School of Planning and Architecture, Vijayawada (SPAV), India. Surendra is currently employed as a Project Engineer with CMS Corporation, working on construction and federal projects.
Grassroots Advocacy Makes a Difference – Emily Baldauff, Mountain Moving Strategies
Grassroots advocacy is often misunderstood or avoided, yet it is one of the most powerful tools available for elevating local work to the regional, state, and even federal levels. This presentation will provide a clear “Advocacy 101” overview designed for small community groups that are unsure how to begin demonstrating their impact to decision-makers and public forums such as newspapers and social media. Participants will learn practical skills including how to schedule effective meetings with officials, craft compelling letters to the editor, develop fact‑driven social media content, and engage in education‑based advocacy while staying within 501(c)(3) guidelines.
Emily is a Principal Consultant with Mountain Moving Strategies. Previously, she worked for 3 years in local government and 12 years for in the non-profit organization industry.
AML-Connect: A Working Introduction to the Network’s Shared Knowledge Platform – Frank Sindaco, EPCAMR
AML-Connect (aml-connect.org) is a free shared knowledge and coordination platform that EPCAMR built and operates for Pennsylvania’s AML and AMD practitioner community. It responds directly to the gaps the *CAMR network named in its 2024 visioning session: no central hub for information and resources, no shared pathway for technical knowledge exchange, and thin organizational capacity among the smaller groups doing the work. This session is a practical introduction for anyone who has not used the site, or who registered and has not yet had time to explore it. We will walk through how the site is organized, from the searchable Knowledge Base covering AML and AMD basics, watershed tools and methods, reclamation and treatment, organizational development, and policy, to the Resource Library, the Media Library, and the Data Hub. We will then cover the community layer: forum boards by area of practice, working groups, and the member directory. The emphasis throughout is practical, on finding what you need, contributing what your organization knows, and getting a useful answer to a technical question. We close on what the network gains as participation grows, particularly the chance to capture hard-won operational knowledge and build capacity at a pivotal stage in our collective work.
Frank is the Media and Community Systems Specialist for EPCAMR, where he has been for 6 years. He has 25 years of experience in community development, environmental, and civic data work.
PHREEQ-N-AMDTreat Case Study – Ricky Wagner, RESPEC
PHREEQ-N-AMDTreat is a useful, yet complex tool for modeling water chemistry, treatment processes, and associated costs. This presentation demonstrates a real-world application using the two programs in parallel to model a proposed active treatment system in PHREEQ and evaluate alternative treatment approaches, including different chemical additions and passive aeration versus a Maelstrom Oxidizer. The short and long term costs of each treatment scenario are then compared in AMDTreat to identify a cost effective water treatment solution.
Ricky is an Environmental Technician with RESPEC, where he has worked for the last 4 years.
Expanding Brook Trout Populations into Historically Extirpated Waters: The potential of waterways impaired by Abandoned Mine Drainage to Increase Species Resiliency – Brian Cooper, Trout Unlimited, Inc.
Abandoned mine drainage (AMD) has extirpated brook trout from many streams throughout the eastern portion of their native range. The central Appalachian region contains thousands of miles of streams degraded by historic coal mine drainage, with Pennsylvania alone accounting for approximately 5,600 AMD-impaired stream miles. We present results from over a decade of monitoring brook trout population recovery following the installation of AMD passive treatment systems in two watersheds in northcentral Pennsylvania. Brook trout were absent prior to treatment in the treated stream reaches. The probability of brook trout occurrence increased nonlinearly with the number of years following treatment, with most sites becoming established between 1-8 years following treatment. Changes in length distributions of brook trout were concentrated towards the lower portion of the size distribution, with increases in the proportion of young-of-the-year brook trout over time following AMD treatment. Biomass showed a positive trend over time, although the response was highly variable by site and the number of years since treatment. Finally, we completed a statewide GIS analysis for Pennsylvania to evaluate the potential of AMD-impaired streams for brook trout conservation. We identified 1,258 miles of AMD-impaired streams, roughly 22% of Pennsylvania’s 5,600 AMD-impaired stream miles that met criteria for potential brook trout restoration opportunities. These results demonstrate the importance of long-term monitoring of multiple population metrics to evaluate restoration effectiveness and demonstrate that substantial opportunities exist across Pennsylvania to strategically implement AMD restoration to expand, reconnect, and enhance brook trout populations.
Brian is the Pennsylvania AMD Project Manager with Trout Unlimited, where he has been for 3 years. He has 15 years of experience in the field and a degree from Bucknell.
Reclamation of Legacy Mine Hazards: A Multi-Disciplinary Reclamation Approach – Kirk Roderick, Atlas Technical Consultants
How to successfully reclaim a legacy mine site while exploring standard engineering approaches, design challenges and integrated solutions required to reclaim the Rohr Highwall site. With hazards that include 7,300 feet of abandoned highwall, extensive spoil and refuse material deposits, and AMD from abandoned auger holes, the project demanded a coordinated design that balanced geotechnical stability, drainage management, AMD mitigation, environmental protection and property owner objectives.
Kirk has worked as an AML Program Manager for Atlas Technical Consultants for the last 4 years. He has 27 years of experience in the industry.
Meeting The Challenge Of AMD/AML In 2026 And Beyond – Dave Hess, PA Environmental Digest
David Hess is the former Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection under Governors Ridge and Schweiker, and has served in and around state government dealing with environmental and energy issues for over 50 years, holding positions in the Pennsylvania Senate and the former Department of Environmental Resources. He was recognized with a 2011 Mayfly Award from this Conference. He now publishes the PA Environment Digest.
Advancing AML Priorities at OSM – Tom Koptchak, Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement
This presentation will provide an overview of recent updates from the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM), with a focus on key developments within the AML program. Topics will include policy and directive changes, program updates, and a summary of current grant funding opportunities. Attendees will gain a clear understanding of recent initiatives and their implications for Pennsylvania’s AMR community.
Thomas Koptchak is the Field Office Director for the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) Region 1 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. With more than 20 years of experience in environmental oversight, regulatory program management, and mine land reclamation, he oversees implementation of key SMCRA regulatory, abandoned mine land (AML), and environmental programs. He previously served as a Geologic Specialist with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and as a Contaminants Biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, conducting investigations under the ESA, CERCLA, OPA, and RCRA. Thomas began his career as a U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant, serving as a Combat Engineer and Combat Water Survival Instructor.
How Abandoned Mine Reclamation is Changing in Pennsylvania Since Passage of the BIL – Eric Dixon, Ohio River Valley Institute
How is the recent influx in federal AML funds impacting Pennsylvania? That is the question animating a new report in development by the Ohio River Valley Institute. By comparing the four-year periods before and after passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), this presentation will share preliminary findings regarding how this new era in reclamation in Pennsylvania is shaping up–such as how the construction market to reclaim AMLs is changing, and how the amount and type of AML reclamation is changing–for discussion and feedback from stakeholders across the Commonwealth. The forthcoming report will also estimate how many jobs are supported by the program, and the extent to which mine reclamation jobs are local, union, and good-paying. Earlier this year, ORVI published a similar report on the AML market in Kentucky.
Eric is a senior researcher with the Ohio River Valley Institute, where he has worked for the last 6 years. Eric was previously with Appalachian Citizens Law Center. He has been in the industry for 11 years.
Request for Presentations
The PA AMR Conference Planning Committee is accepting presentation proposals for this conference. Please use our Request for Presentations form to let us know you are interested and to submit information about your presentation.
We encourage a wide range of topic submissions, including but not limited to:
- New abandoned mine drainage (AMD) treatment system technologies, tools, and products
- Construction case studies and lessons learned
- Abandoned Mine Land (AML) reclamation, reforestation, and reuse
- Water quality monitoring and other field work
- Operations, maintenance, and rehabilitation of treatment systems
- Non-profit organization capacity issues
- Community involvement, volunteer engagement, education, and outreach
- Coal mining history and heritage preservation
- Mapping, drones, equipment, and other helpful new technologies
- Legislative updates and concerns at all levels of government
- Economic redevelopment, health and safety, and quality of life topics
- Climate change, energy, and mine pool reuse (ex. geothermal and rare earth element extraction)
In the past, we have had such varied topics as the history of baseball in coal patch towns, prevention of Lyme disease, preserving collieries, computer software design technologies, reauthorization of the Abandoned Mine Land (AML) Fund, economic benefits of reclamation, abandoned mine land issues in Germany and Bolivia, the establishment and support of non-profit organizations, and everything in between. If your topic can be related to what our community does, we would love to consider it for the conference!
Submissions and questions should be emailed to Anne Daymut at anne@wpcamr.org.