To: Charles Jones, President and Nick Austin, Regional President
Protect Our Trails from Penelec
We, the residents of the Greater Johnstown area call on Charles Jones, President of Penelec, and Regional President Nick Austin, to cease indiscriminate herbicide use near public lands and work with the Cambria County Conservation and Recreation Authority, government authorities and citizen groups to manage important public space and wildlife habitat in a responsible way. We call on Penelec to restore habitat they ruined, including the James Mayer Riverside Trail, by planting native flowers and trees. We ask for a signed agreement guaranteeing responsible management going forward into the future, to be presented to the Cambria Country Conservation and Recreation Authority.
Why is this important?
The James Mayer trails, where my family walks, runs and bikes, was recently targeted by herbicide spraying by Penelec. One side of the trail is now dead, including the milkweed necessary for our declining monarch butterfly population, the raspberry bushes my kids would grab berries from, and many more. If Penelec spent more time and care, they could manage their power lines in a way that preserved the environment for wildlife and our families.