Have you ever had one of those days where you wake up thinking, “I love my job!” and actually mean it? If you haven’t I am sorry to brag, but I seriously love my job. Sure, Bill and I put in a lot of hours and spend 3/4 of the week driving to different counties and states, but at the end of that drive we get to do some pretty awesome stuff with the various landowner groups throughout the Marcellus, and every once in awhile the event we’re attending for “work” is anything but. This past Friday was no exception as we drove out to Binghamton for the JLCNY annual clambake!

Prior to Friday, I thought I knew the JLCNY as we love heading up to New York to help with their various coalitions’ events and are usually there at least once a week. When I saw the hundreds of people in attendance for the clambake, though, I realized I had only scratched the surface of this organization’s membership and was delighted at all of the new people I got to meet. Most importanly, they all had smiles on their faces–from good food, yes–but also because finally, after 2+ years of waiting, they have a glimmer of hope and can see their efforts paying off with the recent release of the SGEIS.

Check out this video of Bob from Vestal discussing how he thinks drilling in New York is going to impact his local community.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGbQsUd8j_8

As part of the event, organizers held an auction to raise money for the JLCNY. It was definitely fun as people tried to have the item that would beat Sue Dorsey’s famous $300 eggs that had sold the year before. From what Bill told me, some of the Steuben coalition ended up leaving with items they had brought with them–not realizing their neighbors were the ones auctioning them. All in all, the JLCNY was able to raise a good amount of money to keep the coalition running, keep educating their communities, and offer valued advice on leases and other natural gas related documents that landowners need to be aware of.

I definitely had a great time and am very thankful you all let us be a part of your big event! There have been times when we have seen you look  frustrated while you waited for answers, but you have never given up, and it was a breath of fresh air to watch you finally have something to smile about. So, keep up the good fight, and thank you for letting us be a part of your lives and soon to be success stories!