Locust Lake State Park (30-July-2016)

Just as I was getting ready to set out for a river trip the skies grew dark and thunder echoed from above. That quickly made me change my mind about the river and instead I headed over to Locust Lake State Park for a hike and clean-up. I thought the storms would just pass by and I wouldn't be in the rain that long. I was wrong about that. I started my hike off as I usually do at Locust Lake, parking in the visitor lot and heading down the paved road to the lake. On the way down I did something different though. I walked up what I thought was just a turn around for park vehicles and instead it turned out to be an old access road. Having never known it was there it peeked my interest and I started up the road. 

Older bottles were the first trash items I found. These were not far up the trail and with finding them I thought there might be a lot more along this road.

At the places I left the road to pick up trash I noticed that there were a lot of fungus popping up. This surprised me. I thought it was too dry lately. I believe this this particular species is Monotropa uniflora, commonly called Indian Pipe, I could be wrong though. 

There was trash here and there off the side of the trail, no big piles. This was the most trash I found in one place that could fit into frame. Three pieces, that's all. I like these kind of hikes. Just a pack works for hauling out the trash and it is nice to know the area will probably stay clean for some time. 

There were a few Coral Fungus like this around and a variety of other fungal species that did not photograph well in the rain. I do not know the specific species for this Coral Fungus. 

The oldest find of the trip. I haven't looked up the age yet, it definitely predates me though. 

Through this section I started finding golf ball after golf ball on the road. I knew there was a country club close, but where it is doesn't match up with where I found these. They definitely came from higher up on the mountain. Someone might just be practicing and thinks its a good idea to hit them into the state park. If so that really isn't cool.  

Just a few of what I picked up along the road. 

At the top of the mountain I took game trails down. I expected to run into one of the parks trails on the far side of the lake from the entrance, that never happened though. I ended up coming out in the campground. On the decent I saw many Red Efts walking around the forest floor. As I have stated in previous posts, Red Efts are the juvenile stage of the Red-Spotted Newt. The Red Eft dwells on land where the adult stage if fully aquatic. 

Before returning to my car I walked around the lake. By this point every bit of me was soaked, my glasses were fogged and I could hardly see more than the trail. If there was trash along the path I had no way of knowing it. 

After three hours of hiking in a constant downpour I didn't even have a full pack. I did get to see a new area of the park I had never been too before. 

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

Like this project? Like it on Facebook: Taking Out the Trash in Eastern PA

Lehigh River: Lehigh Gap (29-July-2016)

The original plan for today was to get down to the lower Lehigh around Allentown and Bethlehem. I just didn't have time to do so. Instead I went with Lehigh Gap and I was glad I changed my plans. Lehigh Gap really needed some help. I put in at the launch just below the Lehigh Gap Nature Center, paddled across and then up river along the bank. 

The trip started with the normal plastic bottles and other watersport related trash washed up on the bank. 

These items were all washed down from the expressway above. Like Beltzville the other day, there was no catch designed for the drainage into the river. I just want everyone to be aware of this. Trash from our roads can flow directly into our waterways during rain events. At this point I was sure I was going to leave the river with a boat full of trash, but I couldn't have imagined what was to come. 

This was the second day in a row a Green Heron stuck around for a photo. This is one of the joys of cleaning up our rivers and lakes. They are just a magnificent bird. 

This was also the second day in a row I found a beer can with a properly labeled fish on it. This again is a fish not found in the waterbody I was on, at least it is educational in some way. 

When I put in the water I met a father and sun that were also taking their kayaks out. They had paddled up river ahead of me and I eventually caught up with them at a rope swing. As I was passing they informed me the area above the rope swing on the bank was trashed. I got out and found that they weren't kidding. It was a mess. They even offered to help me clean this up. I said thanks for the offer, but they should enjoy their day. This pile was pretty disgusting. Most of the beer cans still contained some beer and the smell was not in the least bit pleasant. It took me a little over an hour to pick everything out of this fire pit, crush all the cans and sort out all of the non-recyclables. There was even a raft in there that was partially burned. 

When I was done it still wasn't perfect, I removed just about everything, I didn't go as far as picking out all of the small half burnt items though. I then did a sweep around the area. Cans and a few bottles were strewn everywhere. This was the worst party site I have come across on the Lehigh so far. 

I think this is what draws the partiers. I did not take the flag down, I probably should have. It will end up in the river and it shouldn't. It is not patriotic to mount an American Flag on a riverbank where it will not be maintained. 

With the site cleaned up I had to then load everything onto my kayak. This wasn't the easiest feats. The bank here is man-made and steep, all hand laid rock. The water is deep and is close to a strait drop down at the edge. Some how I managed and was able to get back in without getting soaked. 

With my boat just about filled I started heading back to the launch only making a few stops for some cans. 

With everything unloaded from the kayak I still had time to waste. I threw away the non-recyclables and loaded the rest in my car. Grabbed another trash bag and set back out on the water for a second round. 

This time I headed down river. Last year I found that many items would get caught up on the left side of the river here where water flows into the old canal system. I went down river right and then looped back to the left. 

Seven Spicebush Swallowtails were getting a drink on the shore. I often see small congregations like this on sandy banks on the riverside. 

It may be hard to see. There is a Solitary Sandpiper near the center of the photo. The can was removed from the bank. 

A look back towards Lehigh Gap. 

This area is a popular fishing site. There is trash here on almost every paddle I make through this area. I cleaned it up again and decided to call it a day. 

The second round did not yield as much as the first, still something though. 

With both rounds I took out more trash than I anticipated I would find in this section and I had really hoped to cover more ground on this paddle. I will be back out on the river this weekend and this coming week I will make sure to get out on the lower Lehigh!

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

Like this project? Like it on Facebook: Taking Out the Trash in Eastern PA

Mauch Chunk Lake (28-July-2016)

Right after the first thunderstorm rolled through I loaded up my kayak and headed over to Mauch Chunk Lake. The rain offered a nice break from the heat and I was happy to get out on the water for a clean-up in the nice cool air. I worked on the lower end of the lake, starting at the first boat launch you come to if driving from Jim Thorpe. 

The first item I picked up. Nothing wrong with it and it was in good shape. Where it was, someone probably set it down and just forgot about it. 

Unlike my last trip on the upper portion of the lake there were not many cans. This tucked away on the lakeshore was the first of only a couple I found on this trip. This can was something different. It had a properly labeled fish on the side of it. I like this idea. It would have been better if it was a fish native to PA, but at least it had some accurate depiction of wildlife on it. If more companies did something similar, maybe the people drinking would take the time to learn about the wildlife on the can and not litter. Ha, I know none of that would ever happen. 

First of three lures found on this trip. The Nalgene bottle offered me a place to store them. 

From a commonly trashed fishing spot. Some of the other places that normally have a lot of trash didn't. I think there are others cleaning up the area. If there are and you are reading this, Thank You, the lake needs as much help as it can get. 

This young Green Heron wasn't bothered by me at all paddling by. It was on the hunt and I watched it until it took a stab at something in the water. It was unsuccessful, still interesting to watch. 

At the one corner of the dam there are debris piles where it seems most of the small floating items come to rest. I picked through it the best I could. Drink caps were the number one item found here. 

This was the coolest item found the whole trip. In all of my trash collecting adventures I think this was the first Seahorse I have come across. 

A look up the lake before I started cleaning the dam. It looked like it might have been raining at the upper portion. 

It is unwise to dock against a dam like this. Especially with wind and choppy water. If you end up falling for some reason you will be falling on rocks and that's never good. I only did this a couple times and spent a good amount of time walking and picking through the rocks on the dam. 

This was just some of the stuff collected off of the dam. 

Before I was finished the rain was coming down again. I didn't mind it one bit. 

This was the haul for the day. Non-recyclables went to a trash can and the rest was packed into my car. For the next few clean-ups I should be back on the river!

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

Like this project? Like it on Facebook: Taking Out the Trash in Eastern PA

Beltzville State Park (27-July-2016)

Another hot day and another walk by a stream in Beltzville State Park. I have been to the Sawmill Trail numerous times for clean-ups and there is always trash to be found. On this trip I set out to find the source. Many items I have found here in the past are large and not things hikers would carry in just to dump in the stream. I know some items come down from Pohopoco Drive, but there is a pretty good vegetative buffer from that roadway. I thought that the turnpike might be a source of the trash so the goal of the day was to make it to the turnpike and see what if anything was there. 

This photo has nothing to do with the trash clean-up and isn't really even a good shot of the dam. This was however the coolest place to stand on this hot day. Cold air seemed to emanate from the falls. I took several minutes taking it all in before moving on up stream. 

Picked through some debris piles and pulled out bottles and other small plastics. Then I came across these items. The piece of an air conditioner especially is not something normally found in this type of setting in a state park. 

Just where are these items coming from?

I ventured through this first tunnel where Pohopoco Drive runs over the stream. Not far on the other side I could see the turnpike and a run coming down from it full of trash. 

I found at least one of the sources where much of the trash is coming from on the stream. I think that people have a perception that trash thrown on the side of the road is picked up by crews and that it doesn't matter much. In many cases this is where it ends up. Rain water washes it down into our streams and rivers. Our roadways could be designed with catches so this is prevented, but those catches would have to be maintained. Here the fence to a certain degree did act as a catch, now it is busted out and new items coming down just run right over the top. I took out what I could and this is what I ended up with... 

This topped off my pack and filled up the extra bag I had along. I would not be surprised if there is a similar run on the other side of the turnpike tunnel. With my bags full I decided not to venture any further and returned back to my car. 

Every little piece dropped on a trailside, thrown out a window or just forgotten when placed down does have an impact on our environment. We all need to do more to properly dispose of our waste. A small section of stream in any of our state parks should not have this much trash. I hope those of you that read this blog see the problems and help come up with solutions!

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

Like this project? Like it on Facebook: Taking Out the Trash in Eastern PA