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2011 Featured Projects

Rare Plant Survey: Osage-Whiteley 138kv Transmission Line Project
Wilson Ecological Consulting, LLC (WEC) worked as a sub-consultant to the engineering designer for this project located in southwestern Pennsylvania. Proposed, is an approximately 8.8-mile long overhead utility transmission right-of-way (ROW) with a planned width of 100 feet and approximately 6.9 miles of access roads. WEC performed rare plant surveys throughout the 2011 growing season along the entire length of the proposed project.

A total of 362 plant species were documented in the project area. This includes 32 grasses, 22 sedges and rushes, 13 ferns and fern allies, 205 flowering herbs, 11 woody vines, and 79 shrubs and trees. Of these, three species recognized as rare, threatened, or endangered were identified during the study. Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum), a rare species with a tentatively undetermined protective status, was found at three locations within or near the project area and for the most part was growing in very healthy populations. In fact, more than 1,000 sourwood individuals were identified during the course of this study with the bulk of these coming from one location where dense colonies of sourwood are growing in the sapling age-class of a reclaimed surface mine site. St. Andrew's-cross (Hypericum stragulum), a proposed threatened species with no current status, was found growing at one location very near but just beyond the proposed ROW. Likewise, passion flower (Passiflora lutea), an endangered species, was found growing at one location very near but just beyond the proposed ROW.

A 130 page report was prepared that included an Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Color Mapping, Color Photographs, Tables, and Data Forms. The report concluded that the project should have no negative impact on plant species of special concern and made some recommendations for avoidance and minimization of potential impacts. This report was provided to the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for their review relative to the protected plants that were discovered and it will be incorporated into the project's PA Department of Environmental Protection permit applications. Voucher specimens of the rare, threatened, and endangered species documented were collected and are now in storage at a Pennsylvania herbarium.

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Arrington Natural Resources, LLC Atlas Energy, LP C2 Energy Services, LLC Chevron Appalachia, LLC City of DuBois Corbet Construction, Inc. Dannic Energy, Inc. Directed Technologies Drilling, Inc. Drucker Company DuBois Area School District EOG Resources, Inc. Fairman Drilling Company Flatirons Development, LLC Haas Building Solutions, Inc. Highpoint Energy, LLC Johnsonburg Sewer Authority

Lewis Township Municipal Authority MaryPenn Management, LLP MDS Energy Development, LLC Mountain Gathering, LLC Northeast Natural Energy, LLC Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation Paris Industries, Inc. Patton Township Pennsylvania General Energy Company, LLC Private Landowners RGB Clearfield Development, Inc. S&A Homes, Inc. Service Access Management, Inc. Trans-Allegheny Interstate Line Company XTO Energy, Inc.