Jeff's May Update

Throughout May, work continued at a good pace. Many existing projects were finished, while others were picked up and we are moving ahead on. I finished reading through many old plans about the Monongahela River, finding what recommendations are relevant to our work, and discarding others. I synthesized all of these recommendations into one document for our program. I had meetings in both California and Fredericktown-Millsboro, to set up town assessments in those communities. Those town assessments will take place in early June. I also worked to arrange bicycle trips for the corps, in order to get an on-the-ground perspective of some of the recreational opportunities. Finally, I began work on a grant to commission a work of public art in Fredericktown-Millsboro.

May also had lots of out of office work. First and foremost, I attended the Partnership for the National Trails Conference in Abingdon, VA. For five days, I met and worked with representatives of all of the National Scenic and Historic Trails, as well as a number of related organizations. I made many professional contacts and brought back lots of ideas for work here in Pennsylvania. Upon our return, we had a display at the Fayette County Children's Water festival. Approximately 300 students came by to learn about water pollution. Later that week I was in Pittsburgh for a meeting with the Pennsylvania Environmental Council. We discussed working on an existing smart phone app that will have tourist information for the Upper Monongahela River Valley. Last but certainly not least, we ended the month with the Albert Gallatin Regatta, an annual event in Point Marion, PA, on Memorial Day weekend. We had been planning the parade throughout the month, and spent the day organizing and running the parade on the ground. It was a great event to end a productive month.