It was a nice morning and I decided to take the kayak out for a clean-up. With the water still as cold as it is, going out on the river just isn't safe. If you are an inexperienced boater, lakes aren't safe at this time of year either. I drove over to Tuscarora State Park and got the boat on the water. I didn't take any garbage bags with me, I didn't think there would be enough trash for that and the goal was to clean the shores all the way around the lake.
I started working down the lake towards the dam. Relatively clean, the amounts picked up as I got closer to the dam. That was really to be expected though. Items in the lake long enough will eventually be pushed down to it.
More trash as I paddled closer to the dam.
There was a lot of trash washed up alongside the dam. A couple of time I pulled my kayak out of the water and walked along picking through the rocks. The above item isn't something I want to find. There was nothing in it, it isn't dangerous in any way, it means though that there are probably syringes somewhere around the lake. So far I have come across on syringe in Tuscarora and that was several years ago on one of the trails. They are always a concern so know that they are out there.
A line of bottles on the dam edge.
Yesterday I was unable to get a can because it was to far out in the Delaware. Today I had a long paddle and there wasn't a single can in the lake that I could see that I wasn't able to get. It is nice when you have the right tool along to get a job done.
This corner where the dam meets the mountainside had the greatest amount of concentrated trash. Plastic bucket handles were the most abundant item.
Never could I have imagined I would find a flamingo fork and a slide whistle in the same day.
From the dam I worked my way back up the opposing shore. By the time I got to the inlet for the boat launch I had a full boat, so I paddled across and emptied it out. Trash went in the can by the parking area and the recyclables went to my car.
About half of these were caught it trees or other vegetation, the other half were just washed up on the bank. Only the one on the far left can't be used again. After putting these in my car as well I set out to clean up the upper portion of the lake.
Paddling out the inlet to the main lake these mallards swam past fairly close. I didn't see any other species of duck on the lake and there were only a few geese.
I paddled across the lake again and continued on. There wasn't nearly as much as around the dam, but I did find these two tires and decided they needed to be taken out as well. The tire on the right I did see last year and it was on the checklist for items to take care of this year. They balanced nicely for paddling, one one each end of my boat.
In the summer it is much easier to see wildlife on this side of the lake. This area fills in with a good amount of aquatic vegetation. That makes it hard to paddle through and if you don't like insects, this would be an area to avoid in warmer weather. Today there was hardly anything, but I did have two Bald Eagles go over head. Their photo is at the end of this post.
Another freshwater mussel with its foot out! If you look closely you can even see the waste trail it is leaving behind as it moves.
I would never suggest that anyone paddle like this, especially in cold water. Tires or other garbage make the boat top heavy and tippy. For me, paddling like this is simple, I have been doing river clean-ups for a long time and I was not pushing my comfort zone with this one.
Made it back to the launch without any problems. There were items I couldn't get to. Most of those were lodge in multiflora rose out of paddle reach. I can't believe I even have to deal with that plant when I am on the water.
This was it for the upper portion of the lake. I did reach my goal and made it all the way around the lake. It was a good first paddle of the year!
At the upper portion of the lake where locust creek flows in, I had two Bald Eagles fly overhead. They were a good distance off and my photos of them were not that great. This one is cropped and enlarged. The eagle on the right looked to be an immature and the one on the left an adult. I have seen more Bald Eagles this year than I had previously seen my entire life.
You too can help with taking out the trash! If you get out hiking take a grocery bag with you, give it a second use and fill it with trash while you are out! Every bit helps. You can also help contributing to this project here: Help Fund Taking Out the Trash
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