Over 158 elementary and secondary teacher, students, professors, technical professionals, watershed organizations, and local citizens spent the day at Saint Vincent College on November 16, 2000.  The Eighth Annual Monastery Run Project Symposium's "AMD and Wetland Education" program highlighted the accomplishments of the Monastery Run Improvement Project, the college's "new" Environmental Education Center, Powdermill Nature Reserve and the Mountain Watershed Association's Programs in Abandoned Mine Drainage education.

The Monastery Run Improvement Project originated in 1994, when designs and plans for constructing manmade wetlands to treat abandoned mine drainage were developed.  The passive wetlands were designed to slow the flow of mine water long enough to allow the iron oxide deposits to settle to the bottom before being released into the streams.  The iron oxide deposits, with their distinct orange color, can be seen as one drives along Beatty Road, behind Saint Vincent College.  The 20-acre passive wetland treatment system is retaining over 260 pounds of iron oxide a day, which is not entering the Loyalhanna Watershed.  The iron oxide may adversely affect aquatic life. 

Wes Gordon, USDA, Natural Resource Conservation Service, described the wetlands system, it's maintenance, and future plans for construction at the project site.  In April 2000, the original "Bubbler Pipe", that captured the artesian flow of mine water along Fourmile Run, and which feeds Wetland #3 of the project area, corroded and leakage occurred.  The pipe was replaced and the mine water was recaptured.  Two Growing Greener Grants were awarded from the PA DEP to repair the leaking mesocosms or student experimental wetlands, and to capture and redirect an additional mine drainage seep at the footbridge located by Wetland #3.  The mesocosms have been repaired, and the additional mine drainage seep was captured and rerouted to the drainage basin of Saint Vincent Lake.  A second Growing Greener Grant allowed for the strengthening of the deteriorating bridge supports and streambank stabilization located along the walking trail of the project site.  To correct excessive erosion and pollution, NRCS developed a plan to regrade the bank, place quarry rock riprap along the bank, and revegetate all areas that were disturbed.  The final phase on both projects will include chemical monitoring of water quality along Fourmile Run.

Angela Check, Environmental Education Coordinator for Saint Vincent College reviewed the elementary and middle school wetland and AMD education programs offered by Saint Vincent Environmental Education Center.  Since Spring 1999, over 2000 students have participated in abandoned mine drainage education utilizing the passive treatment wetland project area.  Future plans for the center include an AMD and Wetland Curriculum and modules for secondary students that focus on the interdisciplinary nature of abandoned mine drainage and wetland habitat and characteristics.  In addition, the development of a secondary and elementary teacher training on wetlands and the passive treatment of abandoned mine drainage.  Renovation of the environmental education classroom, located in the historic Saint Vincent Gristmill will continue throughout the winter. 

Tammy Colt, Environmental Education Assistant at Powdermill Nature reserve vividly illustrated how middle school students investigate the Successive Alkalinity Producing System (SAP) at Friedline Mine.  The system is remediating abandoned mine drainage affecting Laurel Run in Rector, Pennsylvania.  As a partnership program with Saint Vincent College's "Critters and Chemistry" middle school program, students can dually see the difference in the biology and chemistry of the two different treatment systems at Frielding Mine and the Monastery Run project areas.

Beverly Braverman, Executive Director of the Mountain Watershed, Inc. enlightened the audience on how impoverished communities strive to understand the affects of abandoned mine drainage to their local water quality.  The watershed assists in the education and empowerment of the residents of the community of the Indian Creek watershed to take action towards remediation of mine drainage sites, by attending town meetings and providing in school activities. 

Ending the morning presentations, Pam Milevac, PA DEP Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation provided the participants a look at the successes, problems and lessons learned in the reclamation of AMD abatement projects sponsored by the Department of Environmental Protection.  With 19 AMD treatment facilities constructed since 1992, the Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation have seen the gamut of passive treatment options, including Pyrolusite limestone beds, aerobic wetlands, anoxic limestone drains, vertical flow systems of different variations, and semi-active lime dosing systems.  Most of BAMR's systems are operating successfully.  In all cases, effluent water quality has met or exceeded expectations.  Long-term results will likely be dependent upon the effectiveness of maintenance components integral to these systems.

Afternoon activities included a warm welcome from Fr. Paul Taylor at the historic Saint Vincent Gristmill and environmental education classroom.  Since 1854, the Benedictine monks of Saint Vincent have kept the Saint Vincent Gristmill in continuous operation-serving the needs of the monastery, college, seminary, prep school, and the needs of the local people, especially farmers.  The Gristmill renovations are still continuing, and guests saw "first-hand" the working of the mill and the graphic story of the wetland project inside the environmental education classroom.  The Gristmill will offer visitors a taste of the history, heritage, and environmental legacy the college, seminary, and community have cherished and continue to build.

Braving the bitter wind and enjoying hot apple cider and Saint Vincent Gristmill bread, hikers walked the wetland project area seeing first-hand the benefits of a passive wetland treatment system to the health of our local watershed.  The interpretive trail in Wetland #3 offered less adventurous folks to "walk-through" the process of passive wetland treatment technology without hiking the 20-acre project site.

The 8th Annual Monastery Project Symposium, "AMD and Wetland Education" exceeded the Saint Vincent College Environmental Education Center's expectations.  The vision of the Loyalhanna Mine Drainage Coalition for a "Beautiful and clean stream running through Latrobe nurturing wildlife and beneficial to the community" is becoming more and more a reality, rather than a vision.  With the cooperation of organization, government, academia, nature and environmental education centers continued watershed restoration within Southwestern Pennsylvania is growing.  Future project symposia will include ecological assessment of passive wetland treatment technology, mining and environmental history, and industrial used of passive treatment wastes.