A team of IUP students presented their research at the Appalachian Collegiate Research Initiative (ACRI), a grant-funded program of the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC). The 2024 ACRI conference, held December 6–7 in Washington, D.C., featured projects from students representing 15 colleges and universities. These projects addressed a range of pressing regional issues, from economic revitalization to environmental sustainability, showcasing innovative, community-centered solutions.
Since its inception in 2001, ACRI has engaged over 3,100 students from 34 colleges and universities across Appalachia, empowering them to develop solutions to local challenges. The program emphasizes applied research and training to support economic development in Appalachian communities.
The IUP team’s project, Orphan Wells: Sustainable Development through Environmental Remediation in Northern Appalachia, focuses on mitigating the environmental and public health risks posed by abandoned and orphaned oil and gas wells in Indiana County, Pennsylvania. These wells, often undocumented and left uncapped, contribute to methane emissions, groundwater contamination, and other risks. There may be as many as 300,000 undocumented wells in Western Pennsylvania.
Guided by faculty advisors Dr. Amanda Poole, Dr. Abigail Adams, and Dr. Brandon Vick, the team partnered with Indiana County Thrives, a program of the Center for Community Growth, to engage local communities in identifying, assessing, and remediating orphan wells. Using methods from environmental anthropology and ethnographic research, the students conducted interviews and participant observation to explore public perceptions of gas wells, the barriers to remediation, and how local knowledge can inform sustainable solutions.
Students from ANTH 420: Environmental Anthropology engaged in experiential learning, including pilot research and field trips, in order to design their own ethnographic projects on this topic. Students met with representatives from their community partner and from the Pennsylvania DEP, conducted activities at the Northern Appalachian Folk Festival, visited the Tanoma Abandoned Mine Drainage Wetlands site to learn more about environmental remediation efforts related to energy extraction, and attended a tour of CNX energy gas sites to learn more about efforts to monitor and share information about emissions.
Students designed original ethnographic research to meet the project’s objectives, which included understanding community perceptions of orphan wells, examining the motivations for and challenges of remediation, and integrating these efforts into broader initiatives for sustainable economic development. Preliminary findings revealed:
- A general lack of awareness about orphan wells, paired with valuable local environmental knowledge that could support outreach efforts.
- Historical experiences with extractive industries have normalized risks, creating unique challenges for public engagement.
- Local organizations and community-led conservation initiatives are essential for building trust and scaling up remediation projects.
This work aligns with national priorities such as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which allocated $4.7 billion for orphan well cleanup. By emphasizing the importance of community participation and collaboration, the IUP team’s research contributes to scalable models for regional resilience and economic development.
Participating students included Kathleen Gollmer, Seth Koch, Samantha Langley, Deb Slagle, Abigail Trimble, and Katie Vigue, representing majors in Applied Anthropology, Biology, and Criminology. Their efforts highlight the power of interdisciplinary collaboration and community-based research in addressing critical challenges in Appalachia. Four of these students, Kathleen Gollmer, Samantha Langley, Abigail Trible, and Katie Vigue, will be presenting their research at the Society for Applied Anthropology annual meeting, March 27, in Portland, OR.
For more information about ACRI, visit https://www.arc.gov/academies-and-institutes/acri/.