SUN-GAZETTE FILE PHOTO A view of the Loyalsock State Forest.

A Marcellus Shale Coalition official testified of the benefits of natural gas, of how the industry supports thousands of household supporting jobs and that the company seeking to extract the gas in Loyalsock State Forest will be good stewards of the environment.

Dan Hagan urged the Department of Environmental Protection to approve Pennsylvania

General Energy’s plans to drill 90 wells and create an access road and pipeline on Jacoby Mountain.

His voice was like that of a lone wolf howling in the wilderness muffled by the pleas of those opposing drilling on lands they cherish and say must be protected from industrialization.

“I love this mountain,” Barbara Jarmoska testified during the public hearing.

She noted the precious waters of the streams meandering through the landscape, the wildflowers that bloom each spring.

PGE wants to bring a “radically different springtime” to the mountain, according to Jarmoska.

The claim by PGE that there will be minimal degradation “is insane,” she said.

Bruce Buckle, president, Lycoming County Audubon Society, noted that different bird species are declining and need forest land to survive.

“State forests deserve our highest level of protection,” he said.

People testified as to the natural marvels of the area including the presence of Jacoby Falls which reportedly would be just 600 feet from the proposed gas pipeline.

“It is such a beautiful area that needs to be preserved,” Bridget Irwin said.

Aaron Deffenbaugh, a Lycoming College student, testified that he grew up near the city of Johnstown and has seen how the environment can be adversely impacted by industrialization.

The outdoor recreational opportunities afforded by undeveloped rural landscapes are a reason he chose to go to Lycoming.

“It’s a really beautiful area,” he said. “It’s great we can go to these secluded areas.”

Gary Metzger, past president of the Lycoming County Audubon Society, called the proposed drilling plan, “the wrong project in the wrong place.”

A loss of forest canopy, he said, not only adversely impacts bird and aquatic populations but also groundwater absorption which can lead to increased runoff and flooding.

“People in the Loyalsock Valley know about flooding events,” he said.

Brian Wagner, of the Pennsylvania Council of Trout Unlimited, said, “We believe there are significant risks which will degrade streams and wetlands.”

Ryan Bahr noted the traffic from creation of a road will mean excess runoff and sediment impacting the trout streams.

“We want clean water and healthy streams,” he said. “Changes like this are not easily undone.”

Ralph Kinsberg noted the need to protect the “exceptional water quality” of the forest lands.

“PGE has the right to extract (gas), but you could do this differently,” he said. “Take our exceptional water more seriously.”

Beth Jones noted that hikers, anglers, hunters, and birders will be impacted by drilling.

Outdoor recreation, she added, brings billions of dollars to the state, “and yet we want to give away our most precious resource.”

Ruth Steck urged DEP to abide by its mission statement to protect the environment.

She cited climate change as a significant threat to the future.

“Time is running out and the climate does not negotiate,” she said.

“Enough is enough,” Brook Lenker said. “Industrializing our forests sullies the outdoors.”