Methodology for finding local environmental information:

Determine the names associated with the location

• Locate the topographic quadrangle name for your location. Be sure to determine the name for both the 7.5-minute series (1:24,000 scale) and the 15-minute series (1:62,000 scale). The GNIS is useful for this task for locations in the United States.
• What are the political names associated with the location? County name, township name, nearest town, etc.
• What are the names of the physical features associated with the area? Rivers, valleys, watersheds, mountain ranges, etc.

Search subject databases for information about the location using the names you have identified. (see suggested databases below)

Consider who might publish thematic materials related to the location.

Water - at the federal level, the USGS monitors streamflow. EPA reports on water quality. At the state level - which agency? Any local water authority? How about NGOs (non-governmental organizations)?

Geology - at the federal level, the USGS. Any state agency? How about local planning commissions or county government?

Soils - at the federal level, the Soil Conservation Service. Any state or local agencies?

Environmental history - the EPA and the state equivalent. Check local newspapers or historical societies for history of land use.

Databases to consult:

GeoRef:

1785-present. Good source for references related to geology.
Coverage: Covers the geology of North America from 1785 to the present and the geology of the rest of the world from 1933 to the present.

 

Environmental Sciences Databases:

Good source for pollution and environmental information.

 

GeoBase:

1980-present. GEOBASE contains citations and abstracts to worldwide literature on geography, geology, ecology, international development, energy, hydrology and related disciplines.

 

CAB ABSTRACTS:

contains agricultural and biological references from over 8500 journals both US and International covering all aspects of agriculture including plant sciences, entomology, forestry, soils and fertilizers. CAB originates in the UK so beware of British terms and spellings.

 

AGRICOLA:

is an agriculture database produced by the U.S.D.A. National Agricultural Library and covers a wide variety of plant sciences information. Choose the "Article Citation Database" to find journal articles and the "NAL catalog" to find books or videos.

 

Water Resources Abstracts:

Index to the literature relating to water.

 

COMPENDEX:

This database indexes the engineering literature. Go here to find articles on how to solve specific engineering and environment problems.

 

Web of Science:

This database is very useful for current journal articles and to do citation searching (track references to an old paper forward through time).

 

NewsBank

This database provides fulltext access to local newspapers around the U.S., including the Centre Daily Times.

 

Digital Collegian

Access the Daily Collegian back to 1988. For older issues, a database of older issues of the Collegian is being developed.

 

NTIS:

Provides access to technical reports and publications from government agencies.

 

FirstGov:

This search engine indexes federal, state, and muncipal government information sites. It is a good compliment to the NTIS database.

 

Penn State (Univ. Park) geology:

This webpage lists resources describing local geology and geologic landmarks.

• Quehanna Site
• Bear Meadows Site
• Stone Valley Site
• Shale Hills Watershed