Lehigh Gorge State Park (12-May-2016)

Headed back to work on the Lehigh Gorge on this hot and sunny day. The riverside is the best place to be on a hot day. The goal for the day was just a bag and a pack full of trash. I am still considering my options of how to remove tires from this specific area. There are a lot of them, but every way I can think of to remove them is extremely difficult.

More cans! There are always more cans. Please, if you visit the Lehigh Gorge and end up drinking out of a can take it home with you. Nearly every can on this trip was full of sediment, breaking them open and cleaning them out isn't fun and often leads to can cuts.  

From a distance I never know if items like this are going to be a part of a real gun or a toy. This of course was a toy, there is always a possibility though of finding real weapons that were thrown into the river. 

I didn't take any tires out, but I did remove this one from the riverbank and put it away from the water in a place I will be able to easily find it in the future. For this one I was able to save the saplings growing inside. 

Disappointment was what I felt when I looked at the bottom of this bottle. I was not disappointed by the label, it came from the top being broken. If the bottle was intact I would have added it to my ever growing old bottle collection. 

Before and after. Too much of the Lehigh's bank looks like the before. I am really hoping for a day when almost all of it looks like the after.

Another before and after. Who knows how many shoes are in an next to the river.

To me this is absolutely beautiful. It is just sad that so much trash can be found on the banks. More need to appreciate and respect areas like this. 

If you ever pass by a sandy area take a closer look. You may see small cone shaped impressions. If so there may be a Doodle Bug at the bottom. Doodle Bugs are the larval stage of an Ant Lion and the cone shaped impression is their trap. The was the trap works is simple an ant or other small insect walking on the sand comes to close to the top edge of the cone. The sand gives way and they slide down to the bottom. There the Doodle Bug is waiting to snatch up its prey item with its large mandibles. 

Items like this bother me. It is in plain sight from the river and it is from one of the rafting companies. They have had plenty of time since last season to send crews through to look for their lost items. This particular one is from Pocono Whitewater. I have found more of their paddles and paddle parts than any other of the rafting companies. They make a profit off of this river, they need to step up and work to lesson their impact on it. 

This is another item that I can trace directly back to Pocono Whitewater. It is another lost camera and after looking at the photos on the memory card it was lost on a Pocono Whitewater trip. The rafting companies can do more to ensure their patrons do not loose items in the river. 

A small portable speaker. This is another item I would like to know the story behind. How did this get into the river in the first place? I will never have the answers. 

Did the high water leave these items like this or did someone walk through and hang them this way. I couldn't tell. I found it really odd that there was a pair of sunglasses on the hat. This is how I found it. 

A full sack and a full pack to be carried out. 

The haul for the day. Lots of shoes, lots of hates and lots of sunglasses. There is much more to be taken out of the same area and I will continue to work on it. 

The first Spicebush Swallowtail I have seen this Spring. 

This American Toad went hopping by me and I noticed something strange. If you look on its back there is a lighter colored substance. From the look of it, the substance was coming from its parotoid gland. The parotoid is a poison gland and something may have tried eating this toad. When pressure is put on the gland the toxic substances it produces are released. So it may have escaped being devoured by something or possibly it is just having a problem with its gland. I don't know for sure, but it was strange to see. 

This was the best trash find of the day. With it, I could start the legend of the Lehigh River Monster. 
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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