Disaster’s Edge Marks 1689 Johnstown Flood
LORETTA GOLDEN
Cambria Co. Correspondent
ST. MICHAEL (Cambria Co.)
The 1995 Cambria County En
virothon held recently was the in
augural event for the new “Disas
ter’s Edge” Education/Rcsource
Center in the 1889 Park, St. Mi
chael.
“Disaster’s Edge” is located on
the banks of what was once known
as Lake Conemaugh, the dam
which broke on May 31 causing
the “1889 Johnstown Flood.”
More than 2,200 lives were lost in
that disaster.
The facility has been a dream of
Cambria County Conservation
District environmental education
coordinator. Joe Emerick. Emer
ick has been employed with the
conservation district for approxi
mately 19 years. Emerick stresses
that each child in the county will
have the benefit of what can be of
fered at the education center.
The building will be utilized for
a variety of environmental pro
grams in conjunction with local
school districts. It contains an
open classroom, storage room, of
fice space, small kitchen, and rest
rooms. Evening and weekend pro
gram can also be set up for local
civic groups and other organiza
tions upon request.
The realization of this building
came about through the coopera
tive effort of many different Cam
bria County organizations and in
dividuals. The site was donated by
the Adams and Croyle Township
Recreation Authority and then
cleared by workers under the
Summer Youth Employment
Training program.
Funding for the building itself
was primarily provided by Air
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burg, a cogeneration plant The
actual construction was done by
prisoners from the Cambria Coun
ty Prison. The Long Bam of St
Michael furnished materials at the
lowest possible cost and also pro
vided use of equipment when
necessary. The Cambria County
commissioners have provided ta
bles, chairs, and a bookcase along
with agreeing to fund the utilities,
insurance, and upkeep.
Emerick has been overwhelmed
by the response which he has re
ceived in a appeal to local school
districts and individuals. At last
count more than $12,000 has been
donated for the purchase of equip
ment and funding of programs.
During the “Envirothon,” five
different “stations” Soils, For
estry, Wildlife, Aquatics, and Cur
rent Issues were set up inside
and outside the educational center.
These stations were manned by
personnel from Cambria County
Environmental agencies. These
agencies included Natural' Re
source Conservation Service,
Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry,
Pennsylvania Game Commission,
DER Bureau of Land and Water
Conservation, and the Penn State
Extension Service.
The students were tested on a
variety of subjects in each cate
gory but the major emphasis this
year was on ground water, its im
pact on rural life, and how easily it
can be destrdyed.
Eight teams from Cambria
County competed in the event.
These teams included: Bishop
Carroll, Blacklick Valley, Cam
bria Heights, Central Cambria,
Conemaugh Valley, Forest Hills,
Glendale, and Northern Cambria
High Schools.
Each team was comprised of
five to six students and the top
honor this year went to the stu
dents from Northern Cambria
High School. As first place win
ners, they will represent the coun
ty in a regional “Envirothon” in
June. The contest then continues
to the state and national levels.
A real highlight of the day cttne
at the conclusion of the “Enviro
thoh.”
The Pennsylvania Game
Commission brought in a female
black bear and cub which had
Members of the first place Cambria County Envlrothon team are, first row from left,
Theresa Grybosky, Kim Kirsch, and Karen Keefe. Second row, from left, Dawn Myers,
Jim Roman, advisor Ron Yuhas, and Tony DeSalvo.
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been caught in a trap in the Baker
ton-Carrolltown area. The stu
dents were able to view firsthand
the game commission’s bear man
agement program.
The bear was tranquilized, the
ear was tagged, she was tattooed
inside the lip, and a tooth was ex
tracted. The tooth will be cross
sectioned and this will help deter
mine the bear’s age. The partici
pants were very excited to be able
to photograph and “pet” the bear.
The “Envirothon” concept ori
ginated in the early 1980 s by a
conservation manager from Ful
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Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 27, 1995-811
ton County with the idea to make
young people more aware of the
environment Cambria County’s
new “Disaster’s Edge” facility is
definitely a step in the right direc
tion.
Commenting on the day’s acti
vities, Emerick noted that any stu
dent who participates in an event
such as this will surely remember
it for a long time to come.
He challenged the students with
the words: “May the choices you
make help our world be a better
place for all life and the environ
ment!”
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