Beltzville State Park (27-Jan-2017)

I wanted to see if there were any accesses around Beltzville Lake that I hadn't yet been to for a clean-up. I thought there might be another on the route 209 side of the lake and I was right. It was at the lower end of the lake and only had a small parking area. From what I found there doesn't seem to be any trailheads here, but there is an old access road down to the lake. 

One of the first pieces of trash I picked up someone kindly placed on the gate and it was an old pull tab can. I don't recall ever finding this brand can before. 

With the water still low in the lake I was able to walk the edge for my trash search. Areas like this would only be accessible by boat when the lake is at normal levels. For some items, like plastic bags entangled in downed trees, it is much easier to remove them when on foot than from a kayak. 

The first finds by the lake were fishing gear, of course line and part of a rod too.

Some things, like this plastic container full of rocks, just make me wonder... What are people doing? Was someone collecting rocks from this spot? Were they trying to hide the container they no longer wanted in the lake by sinking it with rocks? These a questions I will just never have the answers too.  

Balloons are a very common find. You may not think you are littering when you release a balloon into the air, but they do come down eventually and end up where they do not belong. I know I am repeating myself, but if you choose to use balloons for a party, please make sure they are secured and pop and dispose of them properly after the party is over.

I only went a little further than the downed tree in this photo. Most of the trash was around the access point and I wasn't finding much working my way up the bank. 

I did discover this Turtle Platform. Too heavy to move out by foot, this is something that I can come back with a kayak for in warmer weather. You may see these floating generally in coves around lakes or ponds. This one is upside down, the capped pvc pipes keep these tiny rafts afloat and they are tethered to the bottom of the lake. Turtles will use these platforms to bask and in areas that do not have a lot of natural basking spots artificial platforms are perfect. Hopefully the park will be able to use this again!

This was all I collected from the first stop. After loading the trash into my car I headed further up the lake to the Preacher's Camp access.

At Preacher's Camp I took trails that lead down the lake and hit the points where the trails generally meet the water. Most of the time these are the trashiest places. 

This is a small pile from one of the trail access points. Most of the trash was normal except for a bag that looked like it could have been a laptop case. It may have held someone's fishing gear, who knows?

Penny found herself once again tied to a tree as I cleaned up another access to the lake. I think for the most part she enjoys going on these clean-ups, she just doesn't like the waiting when we come to an area with a lot of trash. She does get extra treats when I make her wait tied up like this. 

I walked back along the edge of the lake and collected a few more items. There were some things along this section that I could see on the shore that I just couldn't get to due to thick thorns. When the lake if full I may try to get back along here in the kayak with tongs. I did remove the bottle in this photo. 

The second pile of the day was a little larger than the first. Non-recyclables were disposed of and the recyclables were loaded in the car. Overall it was a good haul for a day in January. 
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