When I arrived at Mauch Chunk Lake I was happy to be there. The sun was shining, it was warm, there was no wind and there was no one else on the lake that I could see. I knew it was going to be a great clean-up and it was.
Some items against the shore like this can and sandal I was able to reach with my paddle.
Balloons. These I had to reach with the paddle as well. There was no solid ground that I could step out on and the mud was deep. I thought when I retrieved one the rest would come with it. Of course they were not all tied together anymore. It took some time, but I did remove them all.
I have said it before and I am saying it again. If you do use balloons for a party, do not let them go into the air. They do eventually come down and someone or something will have to deal with them.
This is a female Eastern Painted Turtle. I picked her up for a look and some photos then slid her right back into the water. Eastern Painted Turtles are a common species in PA and can be found in lakes, ponds, streams and rivers.
More piles from places where I got out and explored the woods. Most were older items, I don't think many people get to the back portion of the lake anymore where these were found.
Picked up a few more lures. Not nearly as many as the lower portion of the lake, yet some good ones.
This is a sickly looking male Red-Eared Slider. Red-Eared Sliders are not native to Pennsylvania. They are very common in the pet trade and when people loose interest in their pet turtle they often find there way to places they do not belong. Releasing any turtles into the wild is unlawful in Pennsylvania. There is more than one reason for this. The first is that turtles from different areas may carry different diseases. Releasing a turtle infected with something a population has never dealt with before could be disastrous to the native population. The second is that some non-native species, like the Red-Eared Slider, will out complete the native turtle species for resources. If you have a pet turtle you do not want, please find it a new human home and do not drop them off in the wild. This specific turtle is not doing well at all. I will try my best to help it recover and if it does I will find it a home.
Picked up a few more items after catching the Red-Ear, not much though. When I got to an area a cleaned up about a week or so ago I paddled back across the lake to the launch. A calm lake is a very nice thing to paddle on.
This was everything I took out of the upper portion of the lake on this trip. Not much more shoreline to work on Mauch Chunk and I will be back to complete it soon. To end this post I have four photos of birds which I took out there today...
Buffleheads in flight.
Male and female Wood Ducks. The female is the one that is really hard to see.
Pied-Billed Grebe. This was at the very end of the day and I just got a glimpse of this bird in the cattails. I waited about 15 to 20 minutes for it to swim out so I could get this photo.
Before leaving I found this and another Killdeer in the parking lot. Generally Killdeer will nest in rocky areas, but some find parking lot edges suitable.
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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