Picnic on the Pipeline
Map
Map
Story & Experience
In the past five years, northeastern Pennsylvania has been under assault by the natural gas industry, which is flattening hills, overusing and polluting rivers and streams, destroying roads, and dividing communities. It is sad and disheartening to live in this beautiful area now, especially since so many people continue to support, even encourage the gas industry, since they hope to make money from leasing their land and receiving royalties from the gas.
We decided to do something completely contrary to reason and take a picnic up to the top of a hill where a gas pipeline was laid last winter, about five miles from our home.
The pipe itself is only about 3 feet in diameter, but the Earth-moving machines cut a swatch 60 feet wide. They did sow beautiful native grasses when they were finished, and on this late afternoon in June, the grasses were silken and luminous in the sun. Blackbirds were nesting in them and we could hear their calls. The breeze riffled the grasses gently, mesmerizingly. From the top of the hill, there was a view of a lake, the Endless Mountains… and the continuation of the pipeline, which cuts through a forest on the other side of the road like a Mohawk haircut in reverse. We enjoyed our picnic very much and spoke of how it is possible both to find and to make beauty under all sorts of circumstances.
In the past five years, northeastern Pennsylvania has been under assault by the natural gas industry, which is flattening hills, overusing and polluting rivers and streams, destroying roads, and dividing communities. It is sad and disheartening to live in this beautiful area now, especially since so many people continue to support, even encourage the gas industry, since they hope to make money from leasing their land and receiving royalties from the gas.
We decided to do something completely contrary to reason and take a picnic up to the top of a hill where a gas pipeline was laid last winter, about five miles from our home.
The pipe itself is only about 3 feet in diameter, but the Earth-moving machines cut a swatch 60 feet wide. They did sow beautiful native grasses when they were finished, and on this late afternoon in June, the grasses were silken and luminous in the sun. Blackbirds were nesting in them and we could hear their calls. The breeze riffled the grasses gently, mesmerizingly. From the top of the hill, there was a view of a lake, the Endless Mountains… and the continuation of the pipeline, which cuts through a forest on the other side of the road like a Mohawk haircut in reverse. We enjoyed our picnic very much and spoke of how it is possible both to find and to make beauty under all sorts of circumstances.
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