Press releases

July 20, 2001

I was astonished to read that Northumberland County Commissioner Chairman Allen Cwalina was named a member of the Watershed Management Advisory Committee of the National Association of Counties (NACo). I was even more startled to read that Cwalina actually accepted the appointment. Irony and hypocrisy do not even begin to describe this scenario.

I suppose we could give Cwalina the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he misunderstood the purpose of the committee. After all, the term "watershed management" is a bit ambiguous. And it's possible, I suppose, that in his mind, watershed management IS placing a prison and additional industry on top of a watershed. He did certainly "manage" to actively solicit the Bureau of Prisons to review the watershed for the placement of a prison. And if he "manages" to succeed, he'll destroy a reservoir, wetlands, and, of course, various types of wildlife.

If the ambition and goals of the Watershed Management Advisory Committee are to determine alternative uses for pristine watersheds that include blasting and paving, then Cwalina will fit right in! Perhaps at the next committee meeting, Cwalina can take along pictures of Trout Run in its natural state and photos of the prison and industry once it is built to illustrate how he effectively "managed" to wipe out an entire watershed.

On the other hand, if this committee does have intentions to preserve and protect our nation's watersheds, then Cwalina should become more involved in the struggle right here in Northumberland County to preserve Trout Run. If Cwalina cares about the environment and the protection of these valuable resources, let him prove it. The county should withdraw the Trout Run Watershed as a potential site for a prison or future industrial development and focus attentions on alternate sites.

I am not sure how NaCo chose the individuals for the Watershed Management Advisory Committee, since obviously a commitment to local natural resources was not a requirement. I do hope, however, that Cwalina uses this appointment as a learning tool and realizes the value of Trout Run before it is too late!

Nicole Dormer

Vice President, Brush Valley Preservation Associa