EPCAMR is pleased to welcome Rachael Grube and Abigail Keefe as AmeriCorps Environmental Stewards through our partnership with the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation & Enforcement (OSMRE) and the Conservation Legacy nonprofit organization, who is providing administrative support, position stipends, and Educational Awards throughout this one-year grant.
Rachael Grube will work with EPCAMR on our GIS mapping and 3-D mine pool modeling projects. She will also develop training workshops for AmeriCorps/OSMRE and assist in monitoring water elevation of mine pools, sampling water quality of mine pools, and monitoring flow and chemistry of regional abandoned mine discharges.
Rachael, in Iceland for her senior research thesis
The GIS work Rachael will help with is mine pool mapping in the Rausch Creel watershed and at the Mocanaqua AMD Tunnel within the Susquehanna River watershed, in partnership with the Susquehanna River Basin Commission and others.
Originally from a farm in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Rachael is a 2016 graduate of Gettysburg College with a degree in Environmental Science with a minor in Studio Art. Rachael’s studies focused heavily on Earth Systems Science and GIS, giving her a solid background in the mapping and AMD work EPCAMR does. Her field experience ranges from surveying the geology of abandoned strip mines in Central Pennsylvania to collecting elevations, coordinates, and sediment samples with her professor in Northern Iceland as part of her senior research thesis. Rachael spent the summer interning for the Lackawanna County Conservation District. In her free time, she enjoys painting, running, hiking, traveling, and playing with her cat, Ralph. “I am incredibly excited to put the skills I have learned in the classroom to use in a way that can actively help to improve my community,” Rachael stated.
Abigail Keefe, born and raised in Mountain Top, Pennsylvania, has always had a love for being creative and a passion for environmental issues ever since she could remember, so you can imagine her excitement when learning about the Outreach & Education position with EPCAMR and Americorps/OSMRE. “Combining a position with communication and environmental outreach opportunities? What could be better? I’m very excited and can’t wait to help create programs and educate the community on how much of an impact elements from our historical past has on today’s local environment and society,” Abbie enthusiastically stated.
Abigail on a hiking adventure with her boyfriend, Nick
Abbie received a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from a small social justice institution in suburban Philadelphia, Cabrini College. She dedicated her time to serving as the Managing and News Editor of the student-run newspaper, the Loquitur. She also lobbied at the nation’s capital for poverty-focused international assistance, with an emphasis on natural disasters. After graduating in May of 2016, she traveled to Arbolito, Ecuador for a service trip, where she aided in after-school programs and community activities. There, she learned first-hand about the hardships the impoverished community faced, such as the lack of clean water. Abbie’s love for animals is perpetual, as she spends most of her free time hanging out with her furry white feline, rescued pit bull, leopard gecko, among others. When she’s not home with he pets, you can assume she is hiking, kayaking, painting, eating pizza, or taking pictures.
Abbie will assist EPCAMR with our social media presence, telling stories about and taking pictures of the lands we’ve reclaimed and restored in our mining-impacted region. She will also be reviewing our marketing, branding, and recently updated Strategic Plan to see how she can build on EPCAMR’s mission and to let our mining-impacted communities know we are here to assist them. Finally, she will help organize education, outreach, and community events around AMD and watershed restoration for our partners and community volunteers. Hopefully, we can build on our RECLAIM Crew volunteer program that encourages volunteers to not only come to our community cleanup events, but also allow them to ultimately spearhead their own environmental volunteer projects.
Welcome aboard, Rachael and Abbie!
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