the

Cooperator Belmont Soil & Water Conservation District

Oil & Gas Well Meeting Could you use some extra money? There are few of us that can

say no to that question. Have you considered selling your oil or gas rights? What are the ramifications of these agreements? How and for how long will they affect you and your heirs? Before you sign an agreement, make sure that you are well informed and protect your assets. Within the Marcellus Shale area, natural gas is generally the mineral of interest. Of the 60 permits issued for the Marcellus shale drilling to date, Belmont County leads with 19. Since the Marcellus wells require larger acreages, the Belmont Soil & Water Conservation District is concerned about the impact on farming practices and the soil and water. Belmont Soil & Water Conservation District, Belmont Farm Bureau, Ohio State University Extension and Belmont Technical College are sponsoring two informational meetings to help local residents make better decisions about oil and gas leases and protecting their valuable natural resources, soil and water. The first meeting is Thursday, July 15, 2010, at 7:00 p.m. at the Belmont Technical College Horizon Room, St. Clairsville, OH and a second meeting in October.

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S U M M E R 2 0 1 0

Bryan Smith - Captina Watershed Coordinator

Bryan Smith will replace Eric Gibson as the Captina Watershed Coordinator starting Monday, July 19, 2010. Originally from Shadyside, Smith considers himself a local expert on the diversity, history and geological features of the Captina Watershed. As Smith said, “I am passionate about and keenly aware of the ecological value of Captina and believe it should remain one of Ohio’s pristine warm-water environments.” “Captina Creek holds a higher degree of importance for residents of southern Belmont County. For us, the creek represents our culture and heritage – it is what defines us. If we don’t protect this resource, we will lose the creek along with out identities.”

Smith, an Ohio State University graduate, has taught Biology and Science for the past 9 years.

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THE COOPERATOR SUMMER 2010

Oil & Gas Well Meeting continued from Page 1)

Recently many local landowners have been approached about selling their “mineral rights”. Mineral rights are the right entitling a mineral owner to extract a mineral from the earth or to receive payment in the form of royalties for the extraction of specific minerals and are an integral part of property ownership. Mineral property is considered a real property much like surface property, so it can be retained, transferred and leased in whole or in part. It is possible to own the mineral rights or a property without owning the surface rights.

Once a lease is signed, it may last for many years. Larry Gerhardt. Ohio Farm Bureau Attorney, will discuss the components of a wisely executed lease agreement that will protect the landowner, their heirs, and the property during the life of the well. Points to include in the lease are bonuses, rental, damage settlements, well placement, storage, access roads, pipelines, pooling clauses, “free gas”, development clause, royalty, and termination. Learn more about writing a good lease to protect you and your land.

Besides the financial aspect, landowners must consider the environmental effects. A typical padsite is 3-5 acres, takes 1-4 weeks to construct. 3-4 weeks to drill and then take down the equipment. The company will regularly return to monitor and maintain the site. An average well requires 3 million gallons of water to drill and fracture. Once the well is completed the brine is usually pumped into saltwater disposal wells, but where are those wells located? Once the well is drilled, lines must be installed to deliver the gas. At some wellsites, trucks may return to remove naturally occurring water, which is separated from natural gas during the gathering process and stored in tanks located on the site. You don’t just collect the money and then forget about the consequences of your decision.

ODNR - Division of Mineral Resources Management (DMRM) - Oil & Gas Division’s responsibilities include regulating Ohio’s oil and gas drilling, production, brine disposal, solution mining and underground injection operations. The ODNR – DMRM staff inspects the drilling, restoration, and plugging of all oil and gas wells in Ohio. They also issue permits for all oil and gas, injection and solution mining wells in Ohio. Rick Simmers, ODNR-DMRM State-wide Oil and Gas Enforcement Supervisor, will cover the regulations and how they are implemented.

For additional information for the July 15, 2010 Oil & Gas Meeting, contact Belmont County Farm Bureau at 740-425-3681.

Belmont Soil & Water

Conservation District 101 N. Market Street, Suite D

St. Clairsville, OH 43950

Phone: 740-526-0027 or 0032

FAX: 740-699-2156

Supervisors

Edward Stenger, Chairman

Donald Guindon, Vice Chairman Fiscal Agent

Tim Wojchowski, Secretary

David Lash, Jr., Treasurer

Richard Theaker, Public Relations

SWCD Employees Beverly Riddle

Program Administrator

Brian Porterfield Urban/Ag Technician

Nathan Taylor

Forestry/Wildlife Specialist

Bryan Smith Captina Watershed Coordinator

All services of the Belmont SWCD and NRCS are provided regardless of race,

color, national origin, gender, religion, age,

disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status.

Equal Opportunity Employer.

Interested in Serving as a Belmont Soil & Water

Conservation District Supervisor? Interested individuals may stop by the Belmont SWCD office, 101 N. Market Street, Suite D, St. Clairsville, OH and pick up a nomination petition form. Potential candidates need to secure at least 10 signatures from residents and/or landowners from the county and submit the petition to the district. Candidates meeting the eligibility requirements and deadline will be listed on the ballot for the November election.

Monroe- Belmont Grazing Meeting

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THE COOPERATOR SUMMER 2010

Captina Creek One of Ohio’s Best Streams

Over 1,000 residents attended the Jack Hanna and Friends of Captina Event when the final results were given for Captina Creek. Craig Butler, Ohio EPA, and Rich Milleson, ODA Assistant Director, gave the final results from the recent Total Maximum Daily Load study. Captina has the highest Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) score in Ohio. The mainstem site attained the Exceptional Warmwater Habitat fish and macro invertebrate biocriterion at all 11 sites evaluated (100%). Fifty-four species of fish were found and an impressive 17.5 % of the fish population in Captina was comprised of fish species intolerant of water pollution. Some of Ohio’s highest values for total macro

invertebrate taxa richness (average of 84.3 taxa per site) and pollution sensitive taxa (average 42.4 taxa per site) were documented. Milleson stated, “Captina Creek is comparable to several of the best streams in Ohio.” Jack Hanna reiterated the earlier comments about the significance of Captina Creek’s water quality and preserving it. The Columbus Zoo has been an integral part in some of the studies that have been taking place Captina. Jack has agreed to come back again next year.

Timber Harvest and Soil Responsibilities It is said it takes a hundred years to form an inch of topsoil and around fifty years to grow a saw-sized tree

for timber production on a good soil and site. With those two statements being said, there are several reasons to get advice on timber harvest. If a timber harvest is not well planned and not executed properly the land could be severely set back. Once soil is eroded from a hillside it is hard to replace it. By properly using Best Management Practices you can prevent soil erosion. In the handbook BMPs for Erosion Control for Logging Practices in Ohio states, “Failure to plan for and correctly implement silvicultural Best management practices during forest operations will result in unacceptable Non-point source pollution and can result in regulatory action (s) initiated against the landowner and operator in order to achieve pollution abatement.” According to Ohio law both landowner and operator are to do their part to prevent soil entering into Ohio waters. That is why it is so important to choose a logger carefully, ask for references from past jobs. Insist on a written contract that requires that the logger use Best Management Practices to prevent soil erosion. Landowners and loggers both need to work together to prevent soil erosion. Loggers and/or landowners can file an Operation and Management plan with their local Soil and Water Conservation District office before a harvest begins. An O&M plan is basically a pre-harvest plan detailing what erosion measures are going to be used to prevent soil erosion. O&M plans are not mandatory for timber harvests, but can help landowners and loggers head off problems. Filing an O&M plan signal that a logger and/or landowner take erosion control seriously and lets the SWCD know that a timber harvest is planned in the county. If the SWCD sees a problem, changes and recommendations can be made before the harvest begins. A plan approved by the SWCD can also protect a landowner from nuisance lawsuits as long as the BMPs are being followed according to the plan.

Timber is a renewable resource and with a little bit of planning, knowledge, and respect we will have quality timber for generation to come. For more information on Operation and Management plans contact Nathan Taylor Wildlife/Forestry Specialist at (740)-526-0027.

After Hanna’s presentation, he signed pictures and visited with the audience.

The 30 exhibitors provided hands-on experiences with animals, fish and mussels.

Larry Quaglia –National Photo Winner You Could Be A Winner Too! The Belmont Soil & Water Conservation District is proud to announce that Larry Quaglia, of St. Clairsville, OH won 1st place for his Conservation in Action photo of his wife, Patty, and grandson, T. J. Wilson, which was submitted to the 2009

National Association of Conservation District Photo Contest this winter. Winning photos are used in national publications. Larry received a certificate and $50.00 for his winning photo. To see the 2010 winning photos go to http://www.nacdnet.org.educational/contests/photo. The Belmont SWCD used several of the photos from last year’s contest in their newsletter. They are conducting the photo contest again this year. The contest is open to amateur photographers who are residents of Belmont County. Participants can enter as many as five photos total. Each photo has to fit into one of the four categories: Conservation Practices, Close Up Conservation, Ag/Conservation in Action or Conservation Across America.

One adult and one youth (age 6 to 18) winner will be selected and will receive a prize at the 2010 Annual Meeting. Even if you do not win the locally, we will be glad to submit your photo to the National Photo Contest. When taking pictures of individuals, please make sure subjects understand that their photo may be used in publications, web and/or video. Participants must sign a release form if your picture is submitted to the national competition. Photos must be submitted by November 1, 2010, to Belmont SWCD, 101 N. Market Street, Suite D, St. Clairsville, OH 43950 or to riddleswcd@att.net. For additional information and category explanations and examples and rules, contact Beverly Riddle at 740-526-0027, riddleswcd@att.net or visit our website www.Belmontswcd.org.

THE COOPERATOR SUMMER 2010

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