Autumn events at Lehigh Gap Nature Center
Dear LGNC Members and Friends,
This is a reminder of two Autumn events here at Lehigh Gap Nature Center.
1) Oct. 9 — Bird Walk (8:00 a.m.). This will be a special field trip to Bake Oven Knob to observe the hawk migration. It is peak season for Sharp-shinned Hawks and all three falcon species, and every species that passes the lookout is possible on this date. Meet at the Osprey House at 8:00 a.m. to travel to Bake Oven Knob. The field trip will last until about noon, but you are welcome to leave early or stay late if you drive to the Bake Oven Knob parking lot. The hike to the lookout is about half a mile over very rocky terrain. Hiking stick or ski pole is advised if you are not steady on the rocks.
Bring snacks, water, and lots of warm clothing. It often feels 10-20 degrees colder on the lookout than in the valleys below. Please note that there are no snack or restroom facilities at Bake Oven Knob.
2) Oct. 16 — Autumn Refuge Hike (1:00 p.m.). Join us at this most beautiful time of year for a 6 mile hike through the grassland restoration area and out to the Chestnut Oak Trail. Some short steep uphill grades, some rocky trail, and 6 miles long.
In addition, see the announcement below about a free lecture at Moravian College.
Dan Kunkle
Lehigh Gap Nature Center
P.O. Box 198
Slatington, PA 18080
ph/fax 610-760-8889
http://lgnc.org
Living in a Police State?
http://citizensvoice.com/news/state-homeland-security-monitoring-surprises-local-activists-1.1017812
State Homeland Security monitoring surprises local activists
BY ELIZABETH SKRAPITS (STAFF WRITER)
Published: September 18, 2010
The state Office of Homeland Security made all Pennsylvania Intelligence Bulletins public on its website Thursday, and members of a local organization critical of Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling were appalled to find out their group was frequently mentioned by name.
Gov. Ed Rendell said Tuesday he had just learned the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency’s Office of Homeland Security had been receiving intelligence bulletins from the Institute of Terrorism Research and Response, an American and Israeli nonprofit corporation. Rendell apologized to the groups listed in the bulletin and said he is canceling the contract with the Institute.
The Gas Drilling Awareness Coalition is mentioned liberally throughout those for August and September, listing upcoming events and quoting from Web forums.
GDAC co-founder Dr. Thomas Jiunta originally accepted Rendell’s apology, but now says it’s not good enough. He said the group is talking to lawyers about the possibility of a suit.
“To think our government is using our tax money to spy on us is absurd. It makes me mad. I think it’s slanderous,” he said. “That has a lot of people concerned. If they want to take a trip out of the country, are they going to be on a no-fly list?”
A paragraph from the July 30 bulletin is an example of why they’re upset. It states, “The escalating conflict over natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania may define local fault lines and potentially increase area environmentalist activity or eco-terrorism. GDAC communications have cited Northeastern Pennsylvania counties, specifically Wyoming, Lackawanna and Luzerne, as being in real ‘need of our help’ and as facing a ‘drastic situation.’”
“I’m freaked out,” GDAC member Audrey Simpson of Shavertown said when she heard of the bulletins.
“It does freak me out, too. It’s really freaky, the whole thing,” Jiunta agreed.
“I think the ironic thing is, who’s actually harming our infrastructure and our water supplies? It’s the gas companies. They’ve got it all wrong,” he said. “Our organization is about helping people and preserving the health, safety and welfare of the public.”
Some of the information in the bulletins is questionable. The one for Aug. 30 states branches of the Swiss banking giant UBS AG – including one in Plains Township – could be targeted by anti-mountaintop coal removal activists Rainforest Action Network for protests or illegal actions “including trespassing, lock-downs and vandalism.” UBS AG was allegedly involved in financing mountaintop coal removal mining in West Virginia.
However, the Plains branch of UBS AG was sold in September 2009 and is now the Stifel Nicolaus financial services firm, according to the branch’s manager, who did not want to be named.
In an e-mail, Homeland Security Director James F. Powers Jr. said, “When the Plains Branch of UBS AG was sold in September 2009, the assets/liabilities may or may not have been paid at the time of sale.”
Since the stockholders are the only ones privy to the sale details, Powers said, it is unknown whether any outstanding loans that may have funded mountaintop coal removal methods were paid or transferred to the new owner.
He said the bulletins were provided for “situational awareness.”
“(We) rely on the local owner/operator’s knowledge to determine any mitigating actions based on their security system, etc. I don’t think anyone, regardless of their analytical expertise, would say with any certainty, that the site is 100% secure when these groups openly cite their intent,” Powers stated.
“We never know what our adversaries are thinking. But we know, or should know, the weaknesses of our security plans,” he concluded, “And Hope will never be a Security Strategy.”
eskrapits@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2072
Planner, teacher Susan Gallagher to receive Environmental Partnership Award
http://www.tnonline.com/node/127949
Planner, teacher Susan Gallagher to receive Environmental Partnership Award
Reported on Wednesday, August 25, 2010
AL ZAGOFSKY/SPECIAL TO THE TIMES NEWS Susan Gallagher, chief naturalist at the Carbon County Environmental Education Center, with Keiser, her 8-year-old Australian cattle dog.
By AL ZAGOFSKY TN Correspondent azagofsk@ptd.net
Susan Gallagher, chief naturalist at the Carbon County Environmental Education Center, is being honored for her work as the planner, teacher and coordinator of environmental educational activities at the center.
The Environmental Partnership Award will be presented by the Northeast Pennsylvania Environmental Partners on Thursday, Oct. 14, at the Woodlands Inn & Resort in Wilkes-Barre.
Seven recipients of the Environmental Partnership Award and the Thomas P. Shelburne Environmental Leadership Award Recipient will be honored. Along with that being presented to Gallagher, awards will be presented to: Field Habitat Partnership at Nescopeck State Park, Keystone Active Zone Passport Program, Natural Resource Conservation service coordinator Ryan Koch, Clear Run Elementary Center technology instructor Don Miller, Schuylkill County Sportsman Association and Keystone College biology professor Jerry M. Skinner.
The Thomas P. Shelburne Environmental Leadership Award will be presented this year to Tim Herd of Monroe County for his dedication to providing environmental education and promoting community collaboration over the last 30 years. Joanne Denworth, a land use and environmental lawyer in Gov. Ed Rendell’s Office of Policy, will deliver the keynote address.
Gallagher has been with the CCEEC since 1988 and became the chief naturalist in 1998. She combines her environmental education and wildlife rehabilitation skills to provide CCEEC visitors with a unique perspective of the results of human interaction with our natural environment and wildlife.
She is a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, a volunteer for the Carbon County Ground Water Guardians, a member of the WNEP-TV’s “Pennsylvania Outdoor Life” field staff, and holds a seat on the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Council. Throughout her career she has demonstrated a deep concern for the environment and has devoted her life to environmental education and wildlife. Read more
Three events coming up at Lehigh Gap Nature Center
Dear Members and Friends of Lehigh Gap Nature Center,
We have three events coming up at LGNC.
Saturday, July 3 — Incredible Insects, Join us from 9:00 a.m. to noon as we search the refuge for beautiful butterflies and dynamic dragonflies and damselflies. We will visit the ponds and the grasslands as well as the gardens at the Osprey House in search of these insects, learning about their life cycles, ecology, and identification along the way.
Saturday, July 10 — Members’ Picnic. This is a potluck picnic — everyone bring some food to share — for members and guests. The event begins at 5:00 p.m with an open house for the new visitor and education center which is nearly complete. We’ll have dinner around 6:00, and then tour the new habitat gardens and Brandon Everett’s habitat project under the power lines. This will be the first official group in the new building.
Friday, July 16 — Opening Celebration. Beginning at 10:00 a.m we will open the doors of the new building to the public for the first time. At 11:00, there will be a dedication ceremony for our new energy efficient, “green” buildling.
Hope to see you soon at the Gap.
Dan
Dan Kunkle
Lehigh Gap Nature Center
P.O. Box 198
Slatington, PA 18080
ph/fax 610-760-8889
http://lgnc.org
Whip-poor-will Hike and Summer Camp at LGNC
Dear Members and Friends of Lehigh Gap Nature Center,
ON Saturday evening, June 12 we will host our annual Whip-poor-will Hike beginning at 6:00 p.m. This hike is led by Jim Gabovitz of the Allentown Hiking Club and Bob Hoopes of LGNC. We begin by spotting cars at the end point, then hike up the mountain and arrive at the towers on the summit of the ridge in time for sunset. After that, we hike down Translater Lane in the moonlight listening for Whip-poor-wills.
THis is a 6 mile hike that ascends the mountain — a one thousand foot elevation gain. The trail ascends gradually in most p;laces but is rocky and steep for short sections. The trails winds through our re-vegetated grasslands, forest, and the natural savanna on top of the ridge.
There is a chance of rain, so be prepared in case of a shower. The hike will be cancelled if thunderstorms (lightning) are imminent. That decision will be made at the trailhead.
This is a spectacular hike and a fun event. Whip-poor-wills have become less common in recent decades but are still common on the Kittaitnny Ridge near Lehigh Gap. Meet at the Osprey House at 6:00 p.m.
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There are still a few opening in our Young Ecologists Summer Camp. Any student that just finished 6th or 7th grade is eligible. The camp runs daily from 9:00 to 3:00 from June 28 to July 2.
If anyone is interested in the camp, please contact me at this email address or at the phone number below.
Dan
Dan Kunkle
Lehigh Gap Nature Center
P.O. Box 198
Slatington, PA 18080
ph/fax 610-760-8889
http://lgnc.org
The Lehigh Gap Nature Center is looking for some volunteers
The Lehigh Gap Nature Center is looking for some volunteers to staff our information desk in the new visitor and education center. The building is nearing completion, with a July 16 opening anticipated.
We expect to staff our information desk in the new visitor lobby with volunteer “information specialists.” The job will include greeting visitors and providing them with information and answering their questions. You will also answer the phone and staff a small sales shop.
We are planning on 3 or 4 hour shifts, and we are hoping to have plenty of volunteers so you will only need to be here once a week or less (Unless you prefer to be here more often.). There will be weekend and weekday shifts.
Many of you have expressed interest in volunteering and some cannot do some of the more physically demanding work. Here is your opportunity to fit in.
Please let me know if your are interested in volunteering for this important position. WE are setting up some training sessions so you will be comfortable when we open to the public. Thanks.
Dan
Dan Kunkle
Lehigh Gap Nature Center
P.O. Box 198
Slatington, PA 18080
ph/fax 610-760-8889
http://lgnc.org
Bird Walk at Lehigh Gap Nature Center
Bird walk at Lehigh Gap Nature Center
There will be a bird walk led by Corey Husic on Sunday, May 23 beginning at 7:00 a.m. at the Osprey House. This is a joint program of LGNC and Lehigh Valley Audubon. Families are welcome. Last year on this walk we saw lots of warblers and a pair of River Otters in the ponds.
Dan Kunkle
Lehigh Gap Nature Center
P.O. Box 198
Slatington, PA 18080
ph/fax 610-760-8889
http://lgnc.org
Thousands of nonprofits may lose tax-exempt status
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/17/thousands-of-nonprofits-m_0_n_578670.html?view=print
Thousands Of Nonprofits May Lose Tax-Exempt Status
MOLLY HOTTLE | 05/15/10 02:13 PM |
DES MOINES, Iowa — More than 200,000 small nonprofits across the nation are days away from losing their tax-exempt status because they haven’t filed a new form with the Internal Revenue Service.
Many of these groups already operate on razor-thin budgets and some worry an unexpected tax bill could force organizations to close.
“The nonprofits in your backyards, some of them are going to be gone,” said Suzanne Coffman, a spokeswoman for GuideStar, which tracks data on nonprofits.
It’s most likely the nonprofits aren’t aware of the Monday deadline that only applies to groups that report $25,000 or less in income, excluding churches. Those organizations may not find out until Jan. 1, 2011, when they’re notified they have to pay taxes on donations they thought were exempt. And it could be months before their nonprofit status is restored.
Congress required the form, called a 990-N, when it amended the tax code three years ago and groups with a fiscal year ending Dec. 31 had until Monday to meet the deadline.
The Urban Institute’s National Center for Charitable Statistics, which conducts economic and social policy research, estimated Friday that 214,000 nonprofit organizations haven’t filed the form as required.
Tom Pollak, program director for the center, said organizations that lose their tax-exempt status are no longer eligible to receive tax-deductible donations and are not likely to be awarded grants.
Donors who give to the organizations that lose their status will be able to receive tax-deductions on gifts until January because the revocations won’t be public until then.
In Iowa, the Warren County Historical Society was among more than 2,700 small nonprofits that hadn’t submitted the form. The group’s president, Linda Beatty, said she’d never heard of a 990-N until contacted by The Associated Press.
Beatty said she would scramble to get their application in, but if the society lost its nonprofit status, donations likely would drop and members would struggle to pay taxes until they could get the situation resolved. The group maintains a small museum and historical library in Indianola, south of Des Moines.
Stephen Baldassare, president of the Catwalk Theatre Guild in Arvada, Colo., said loss of its tax exemption would have endangered the college scholarships his group awards annually to two high school students and limited other programs.
“It’s huge giving those scholarships,” he said. “We’d also have to figure out how to do the rest of the functions we do. We would have to change how we bring in money.”
In West Chester, Pa., the A Cappella Pops performing group also hadn’t heard about the deadline.
Money already is a problem for the 40-member singing group, marketing director Bruce Koepcke said, and would have been far worse if donations dropped or the group faced a big tax bill. He said tax-exempt donations make up 25 percent of the group’s revenue.
“We break even in good years,” Koepcke said. “We can’t afford to lose one iota of funding.”
Bobby Zarin, an Internal Revenue Service director who works with non-profits, said the agency sent out press releases and letters to more than 500,000 nonprofit organizations to get the word out about the 990-N forms. She didn’t know why the change was catching so many groups by surprise.
“I can honestly say this is the most extensive outreach we have done,” Zarin said.
Ultimately, Zarin said the requirement would be helpful because it would eliminate defunct organizations from IRS records and provide more transparency for the public.
“It will give us a much cleaner list of organizations that actually do exist,” Zarin said. “More organizations will be filing, so more information will be available.”
