Penn State introduced a new online field guide for helping landowners, land managers and gas companies to understand how the environment is changing with shale gas development.

Here’s some more info:

“The guide provides information on ecological concepts, pre-development issues, invasive plant management, restoration and goals, revegetation, restoring and creating wildlife habitat, sample leases looking at natural resource considerations, and best management practices. There is also an area for people to subscribe to a forum on various issues. A picture gallery is provided to demonstrate what different elements of drilling infrastructure and landscape change look like, and users may upload their own photos as well.”

The guide strives to not take sides on the politically charged debate about fracking. Instead, the field guide provides information that is useful for environmentalists and industrialists, alike.

The website is organized in a very simple manner, allowing the information to speak for itself. Penn State has taken care to keep the language and the concepts approachable and easily digestible.

The Penn State Cooperative Extension, the College of Agricultural Sciences and the Center of Environmental Informatics developed the website with the financial support of the Heinz Foundation.

Visit the website here.