Lost & Found In The Loyalsock

Anadarko Petroleum Corporation stake on Sullivan Mountain.

A map of Anadarko's planned well pad site.

Responsible Drilling Alliance got lost in the Loyalsock State Forest this week and found a secret well pad site. Happy accident? Perhaps not for Anadarko, who last week told PA House Representative Garth Everett they had "no concrete plans to develop Clarence Moore right now."

Clarence Moore is the tract of land encompassing portions of Rock Run, Old Loggers Path, Masten Ghost Town, and other beloved areas of the Loyalsock State Forest. RDA launched the Keep It Wild campaign earlier this month to pressure DCNR & Anadarko to leave the sensitive area undeveloped. Despite public outcry, Anadarko's intentions to move forward with development are clear.


Anadarko picked a discreet place for their future well pad. It's on the Crandall Town Trail, an offshoot of Old Loggers Path. Despite marshy conditions, Anadarko chose a patch of forest on the broad, flat top of Sullivan Mountain.

Anadarko's proposed site will be built on marshy ground.

Anadarko's planned well pad is between two headwaters, Buck Run that feeds into Rock Run, and an unnamed stream that feeds into Pleasant Stream. Doe Roe is another vulnerable Sullivan Mountain stream with headwaters in Anadarko's bulls eye zone. The snapshot below shows how streams begin in this ecologically sensitive area.

Doe Run headwaters

As evidenced by the pink ribbons tied on tree branches adjacent to the stream, the Doe Run area is a sensitive wetland.

However, the wetland delineation (indicated by the pink ribbons on either side of the stream) seems a bit narrow:

Pink ribbons on either side of Doe Run delineate the wetland.

The well pad stakes aren't the only evidence of the gas industry's footprint on Sullivan Mountain. Seismic flagging litters the forest floor and the dirt road is torn up from heavy traffic.

Road damage on Sullivan Mountain.

 Still, RDA's hike on Sullivan Mountain wasn't all bad news. We saw a snake, a turkey vulture, two does, and lots of bear droppings.

The clock is ticking for the Loyalsock State Forest, and Anadarko isn't wasting any time. Responsible Drilling Alliance will continue to say, "Not here, not now."

Please join us in support of this wild wonder by telling DCNR, Anadarko, and your local newspaper to "Keep It Wild."


by Morgan Myers
RDA Communications & Outreach