Summary: The Pennsylvania AML/AMD network is a distributed community of watershed organizations, conservation districts, environmental groups, state and federal agencies, researchers, and technical providers working to address the legacy of coal mining across the Commonwealth. This page explains how the network is structured, who the major players are, and how AML-Connect supports the network’s shared work.
How the Network Works #
Pennsylvania’s AML/AMD restoration work is driven from the ground up. Watershed associations, conservation districts, and community volunteers who know their streams, have built relationships with landowners, and sustain monitoring and treatment systems year after year are the foundation of the network. State and federal agencies, foundations, and technical providers support and enable that work — but the community organizations doing it are the core.
The network does not have a formal hierarchical structure. It functions through relationships, shared knowledge, and coordinated effort across dozens of organizations operating at different scales — from all-volunteer watershed groups managing a single treatment system to statewide coalitions coordinating technical assistance across multiple regions. AML-Connect is designed to strengthen the connections between these organizations and make their collective knowledge more accessible.
Core Network Organizations #
The following organizations provide technical leadership and coordination at the core of the PA AML/AMD network. Each has its own KB page with more detail:
- EPCAMR — Eastern Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation. Technical assistance, GIS mapping, grant management, and home of AML-Connect. Serves northeastern and northcentral PA.
- WPCAMR — Western Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation. Peer technical network, publications, AMD and Art program. Statewide reach from western PA base.
- Stream Restoration Incorporated (SRI) — Technical practitioner organization for stream restoration in AMD-affected watersheds.
- Clearfield Creek Watershed Association (CCWA) — All-volunteer AMD restoration organization, Cambria County. Model for sustained grassroots restoration work.
- Schuylkill Conservation District — One of PA’s most active conservation districts for AML reclamation and AMD treatment in the anthracite region.
Key Supporting Institutions #
- PA DEP Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation (BAMR) — Primary state AML/AMD program, grant administration, regulatory oversight.
- OSMRE and the Federal AML Program — Federal funding, IIJA investment, AMLER program.
- PA Association of Conservation Districts (PACD) — 66 county conservation districts providing local technical support and grant administration across Pennsylvania.
How AML-Connect Supports the Network #
AML-Connect provides three things the network has historically lacked: a shared knowledge base where practical AML/AMD knowledge is documented and preserved, a resource library where publications and materials from across the network are curated and accessible, and a community space where practitioners can ask questions, share experience, and coordinate across organizational boundaries.
The platform is built on a simple premise: knowledge generated by one watershed organization or conservation district should be available to all. When a group in Cambria County figures out how to sustain a passive treatment system through a leadership transition, that knowledge should not stay in that county.
Where to Go Next #
- Need help with a specific problem? See Where to Get Help
- Looking for technical knowledge? Start in the AML Knowledge Base
- Want to connect with other practitioners? Join the Community
- Have resources to share? Use the Resource Library submission form
Source and Last Reviewed: AMLConnect network database v2 (2026-03); AMLConnect Canon Doc 01; Organizational Capacity and AML Network Support reference document (2026-03). Last reviewed: 2026-03.
Tags: practitioner, program-manager, pa, aml, amd
