Dana Sword, Hazleton, PA and full-time Junior at Bloomsburg University as a Professional Geology major recently joined EPCAMR as a Watershed Outreach Specialist for the Summer 2014. She’s expecting to graduate in May 2o15. She is a member of MPERS Geosciences Club at Bloomsburg University. Dana’s first day with EPCAMR was the first day of our 16th Annual PA Abandoned Mine Reclamation Conference in State College, PA and her first night was a tour of the night life with EPCAMR Staff and long-time colleagues who happen to know how to entertain conference attendees following a long day of technical presentations on AMD and abandoned mine reclamation. She assisted with the registration of the Conference, setting up exhibits, and the Silent Auction. In addition to interning part-time with EPCAMR, Dana also works as a part time server and bartender at the Battered Mug in Hazleton, PA.
She goes on to say, “When I’m not working or studying, I enjoy outdoor activities such as camping and hiking. I’m also interested in our Anthracite Mining History and am fascinated by all things paranormal. Ghosts are my favorite! I love to visit haunted or historical sites whenever I can. One of my favorite places to tour is Gettysburg.”
Dana Sword, EPCAMR Watershed Outreach Specialist, at one of the Gettysburg Battlefields.
She is an animal lover and has two guinea pigs and a dog. She is also an Eckley Miners’ Village reenactor and volunteer. She plays local intramural volleyball as a hobby.
Having asked her what she thinks her internship with EPCAMR will do for her, she responded on a positive note and said “I feel that my internship with EPCAMR and working with Robert, Mike, the other interns and the rest of the professional and laid back Staff, will provide me with great hands on learning experiences where I will be able to get out into the community throughout the Coalfields and make an actual difference. I will actually be able to see and understand the effects that past coal mining practices have had on the environment in Northeast PA and become an actual active environmental steward with EPCAMR, learning how we can work to help resolve some of the pressing environmental impacts to our rivers, streams, and abandoned mine lands that have resulted because of less stringent laws that were historically on the books. I’ve already seen the difference that can be made when people come together for environmental community service projects such as the Line Street Illegal Dump Site coordinated by Robert and funded by EPCAMR through a grant from the PA American Water Company on Pollock Enterprises and DelBaso Ford properties in the City of Nanticoke, PA last Monday. I also know I will learn valuable technical skills and tons of useful information on the geology of the Anthracite Region from Robert, who has over 20 years experience in geology, hydrogeology, and watershed restoration principles and processes that will teach me to be ready to get out into the work force following College. He’s like a walking encyclopedia of all things Anthracite, rivers, and streams! I’m seeing them working on projects that involve water quality monitoring and testing, macro-invertebrate and stream habitat surveys, photo-assays of streams, GIS Mine Mapping projects, AMD Treatment System operation and maintenance, underground and surface Anthracite mine map reading, illegal dump site cleanups, and much more.”
Robert stated, “Dana will have the opportunity like all of our other interns to get the most out of the internship with EPCAMR by paying close attention to details on all projects that we’ll be coordinating over the Summer and writing down the names of people, places, organizations, community groups, State Agency, County Agency, and Federal Agency partners that she will come across in a very short period of time. She’ll also have to dive right into each project that is given to her and make the very best of the opportunities. There will be plenty of times to get her hands dirty, be it sampling mine drainage, conducting an illegal dump site or litter cleanup, scraping paint from an old historic Colliery sign from the Huber Breaker, or planting and measuring trees on mine sites. She’s going to do fine. She’ll be accompanied by several other interns and EPCAMR Community Service Volunteers throughout the Summer to make her experience that much more memorable. It’s good to have a buddy system out on these sites that EPCAMR works on. She’ll be sure gain a lot of knowledge from EPCAMR that she’ll hopefully be able to talk up during future job interviews as she continues on with her career. Seeing that she has another year until she graduates will give her an even greater opportunity to possibly work with EPCAMR in the Fall and quite possibly over the Winter or through the early Spring of 2015.”
“Like I’ve told many, many Freshmen College students before, don’t wait to take advantage of an internship until you are Senior, if you don’t have to, when you can get several seasons under your belt, even if the internships are non-paid, volunteer positions. Robert emphasized. “
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