“[On October 20th], I attended the Frostburg city council hearing which discussed Frostburg's current ban on fracking. The current ordinance does not protect from fracking for natural gas. Although it doesn't allow vertical drilling in protected areas, the ordinance does not cover horizontal drilling into or under these protected areas. In addition, Frostburg and the surrounding areas has a well-known history for coal mining. The ground on which we walk already consists of geologic fractures and unknown pathways of water. The risk is truly unknown, although the risk here is greater than areas with higher geologic integrity. The Frostburg and surrounding community clearly expressed their concerns for their and their families' wellbeing if fracking was not completely banned in and around Frostburg. Already, western Marylanders are affected by Pennsylvania fracking and hope to make Frostburg a step towards frack-free Maryland. This was my first rally as an environmentalist and I am honored to have met the people I did tonight and stand by them as we all are protecting our water. I hope that I can convince anyone at all to research fracking on your own, even if you already know about it, and write to our governor. Fracking is a new advancement and the risks are unknown on top of the effects already observed. Please be involved and do your research. Water is something we can't live without.”
I share this because it is so important as a college student to be involved with your community. As a student, you live there too and I believe we owe it to the communities to show a little interest and participation.
In my personal experience, the people of Frostburg shared the same view: we don’t want fracking in Frostburg. Although I don’t live there permanently, frack-free Maryland is a common goal and I would’ve never gotten involved without the Frostburg community.
Community involvement opens doors to opportunities whether it be asking for a reference for a job, looking for one within the community, or looking for financial aid through scholarships.
Finally, you want to give your school a good name. Have your school be the one that the surrounding community regards highly or the one that people want to visit.
