At least 30 killed in snowstorm-related deaths

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Behind the Business: Mary Bartos adds customized flair at Amore-Bridal Trinkets, Shavertown

Today, the Bear Creek Preserve is in the path of the proposed UGI/PennEast Pipeline. If approved, the pipeline&#8217;s 100-foot-wide construction corridor will transect the preserve from north to south, more than doubling the impact of an existing right of way that was built more than 60 years ago before the land was preserved.Three high-quality, cold-water fisheries cross the property, all of which could be affected by the construction.Pennsylvania&#8217;s newly appointed Pipeline Infrastructure Task Force, which is charged with making pipeline development as seamless as possible for the industry, predicts that more than 300,000 acres of land in Pennsylvania could be impacted by natural gas pipelines within the next decade. Each mile of a 100-foot pipeline right of way directly disturbs an estimated 528,000 square feet, or approximately 12 acres of land, and creates an additional 72 acres of new forest edges, according to the Nature Conservancy.Luzerne County is among the most heavily impacted counties, with five large-diameter pipelines currently in the planning stage or under construction.The Bear Creek Preserve was made possible by a generous gift of land, with the expectation that this land would be protected from incursion by industry or development. The use of preserved land by private corporations seeking the most convenient route to get their products to market is a misuse of preserved land and a matter of concern to all Pennsylvanians who have donated, plan to donate, or simply enjoy visiting preserves for rest and relaxation.Juliet PerrinAlbrightsville

Letter to the Editor: Proposed gas line jeopardizes Bear Creek Preserve and its fisheries