by Jenny Blanchard

This week the Office of Personnel Management in Washington issued a draft proposal that would implement a government-wide non-disclosure agreement for all federal employees. Under this proposal, all new and current civil servants would be required to protect any "non-public, confidential, or proprietary information". The stated purpose of this requirement was to cut down on unauthorized leaks of information to the press and media, especially those that might threaten national security. Violators could face potential firing, civil penalties, and even criminal charges.

There are many inherent dangers to this proposal. It could undermine whistleblower protections. Employees could be easily intimidated, making them hesitant to report fraud or corruption. The use of the terms “confidential” and “non-public” are purposely broad and expansive, creating confusion among federal employees and empowering government officials to silence their critics.

We feel compelled to ask: Who owns information? Most certainly some information is private and confidential – your medical history, as an example. Job interviewers cannot ask questions that reveal protected characteristics such as race, religion, age, or disability status. At the national level, disclosing the identity of an intelligence agent immediately endangers lives. There are instances where we are compelled to safeguard information.

When the Freedom of Information Act was passed in 1966, this law gave any person the right to request access to the records of any government agency. Consumer groups have used this act to retrieve undisclosed reports on infant deaths linked to dangerous products. Investigative journalists obtained records revealing that the Department of Homeland Security was monitoring social media accounts to track dissent.

Going public with information has changed the course of events in our country. Daniel Ellsberg leaked the classified documents the Pentagon Papers, revealing that successive U.S. presidential administrations had systematically and secretly misled the American public and Congress about the scope and the likelihood of success in the Vietnam War. An employee of the U.S. Public Health Service named Peter Buxtun leaked information to the press to expose the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, an unethical, decades-long experiment on Black men.

The distinction between private and public information is far too complex to be reduced to this sweeping and authoritarian NDA. Most egregious of all, the NDA requirement inhibits the public’s right, our right, to know. This right to know is at the foundation of our democratic principles. It allows us to hold public officials accountable, it forces government agencies to operate transparently, and gives each one of us the power to make an informed decision. What we don’t know can most certainly hurt us

by Lindsey Riddell

Founded by a military veteran, Jeff Swire, Patriots Cove offers more than a retreat—it’s a 40-acre sanctuary nestled in the mountains of Noxen, Pennsylvania, complete with an accessible trout stream, fruit orchard, lodge, pavilion, ADA Hunting blinds, food plots, Caregiver center, and accessible trails. Designed to invite physical rest and spiritual renewal, the property is fully wheelchair accessible and thoughtfully outfitted with fishing docks, rest areas, and communal gathering spaces.

The Cove retreats serve those who were ill or injured in the line of duty—and those patriots whose situation is terminal, as well as the dedicated caregivers who support them—offering free meals, lodging, fishing, and hunting gear. But beyond the comforts of a getaway, Patriots Cove cultivates community, healing, and a renewed sense of purpose.

They foster camaraderie through environmental stewardship, inviting veterans, first responders, and caregivers to serve as mentors, fishing guides, and volunteers, uniting participants and volunteers alike in revitalizing the Beaver Run waterway and strengthening bonds through service.

At their core, they are devoted to serving those who have served, helping them heal, and empowering them to embrace life’s next chapter with renewed purpose and belonging.

For more information, you can check out their website at www.PatriotsCove.org. 

bby Eoin Carroll

Many of the environmental problems we have today have a common cause, habitat loss and what we have replaced that habitat with.  Some of these problems are:

• Reduction of bird species
• Loss of insects especially pollinators
• Increases in flooding
• Excess sediment and nutrients draining from our watersheds
• Native trees and shrubs at risk from imported insects and diseases

We have replaced our forests and meadows with lawns, trees, and shrubs from Asia, Europe, and South America.  They were picked for their decorative value with no thought to how they will interact with the native ecosystems. In doing so we have created ecological deserts.  These plants are unable to support the complex food webs that are necessary for healthy ecosystems.

An even larger problem is that some of these non-natives become invasive and cause a great deal of damage.  They are laws that prevent me from throwing my garbage over the fence into my neighbor’s yard.  However there are no laws keeping me from planting a highly invasive shrub like Japanese Barberry that produces a lot of seed and has become a serious problem in our forests.

Even if we had the political climate that would support creating new national parks, they would still be too small and separated from one another to preserve native species in the amount needed.  What is needed is to restore some of the habitat in our front or backyards to support our endangered world.

However this doesn’t mean that you have to remove all of your landscaping and replace it with expensive native plants.  Most homes today have a lot of lawn.  If you are using it then great leave it alone.  However if the only time you walk across it is to mow you should consider replacing parts of it with native plants.  If every homeowner would replace 10% of their lawn with native plants we would have the equivalent of a really large new national park, hence the name Homegrown National Park.

This new park would also have the very important function of creating corridors for our native species.  You can think of each of them as being part of a puzzle that once assembled will produce a lovely picture.  You can learn much more at the website homegrownnationalpark.org.

I recognize that getting started can be scary and you may feel pretty intimidated by the task.  I recommend that you start small.  A great way to start is to add rather than subtract.  Try some native trees or shrubs.  Later this summer the Master Watershed Stewards will be having our native tree and shrub sale.  You place your order on-line and then pick-up the plants on a date in the Fall.  I will send out more information when it is available.

The Master Watershed Stewards also has a native plant sale which has just started.  There are five different kits featuring a selection of native plants for different types of locations.  They are being sold as plugs which is a great way to buy native plants, although you do need to baby them for the first couple of months.  The sale will go on until July 4th or until we are sold out.  You will pick up the plants in September which is a great time for planting native plants.  Please talk to me if you would like to know more.