Delaware River: Near Wi Hit Tuk Park (24-June-2016)

I had an errand to run for a family member that took me to Phillipsburg, New Jersey. Before returning home I decided to go down river a bit on the PA side to Wi Hit Tuk Park and do a clean-up on an island in the Delaware. Last year I worked on this site and I am trying to get back to every place I was able to get to last year. 

Before walking out to the island I picked through some strainers and debris piles. In these areas I found almost all of the recyclables of the day. 

After wading out to the island I started spotting washed up Shad. These fish recently left the ocean and traveled up the Delaware to spawn. I think most people are more familiar with Salmon, which make the same kind of journey. Unlike Salmon, not all Shad die after spawning. The ones that do, like those above, help to ad nutrients to the river system and will feed a variety of wildlife.

Plastics bags quickly became the theme of the day. Small and large, they were all over the island.

A Fowler's Toad, the first of the species I have seen this year. How can you tell a Fowler's Toad from an American Toad? Look at the darker spots on the toads back. Fowler's have many warts in each spot, where American Toads only have two or three warts per spot. Isn't that an odd way to determine a species. Often Fowler's are much lighter in color as well, that is not always true though. 

The largest plastic pieces of the day. Most of the bags were found like this as well caught in trees on the islands edge. 

If you decide to go inner tubing on the river, please make sure that you have a tube that can handle the river. I often find discarded pool toys like this that easily pop. If the item is labeled for pool use, please do not take it on the river. Especially if the item pops in a set of rapids you could be putting your life at risk. 

Just over two bags of trash off of the Delaware on this trip. I will be back to this area this coming month and will try my best to get this island cleaned up as best as possible.  

This was it for recyclables. I expected to find more.

Crossing the rocky bank to get to the tree line where most of the trash was caught up, I had two pairs of Killdeer making some noise. Killdeer nest in these rocky areas and they have a very cool way of getting predators away from their nest. The adults fly away from the nest, land and act as if they are injured. If you walk towards them they will fly again and do the same display a little further away. Displays like this could easily draw away a predator like a fox. I have seen this display many times before, but I had never seen a nest. My only intention was to make it to the tree line, I watched my step and too my surprise I actually spotted the nest and it was full...

I know it isn't much of a nest, it is though, the home to these four juvenile Killdeer. This photo was taken with a zoom lens and I kept my distance from them. I also did not stick around long. It was extremely hot and I did not want to stress the parents anymore than I already had by walking through. 

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

Schuylkill River (8-Sept-2015)

Excited this afternoon I headed out for the Schuylkill River. I have walked the riverside before and I have wanted to paddle it for a long time. Not that familiar with the river, I have been looking at maps and different access points. I settled on a section just below Landingville. I had no idea what to expect, but to be honest I was really hoping for a trash free river and an afternoon of carefree paddling. As you can see above, I wasn't having a lucky day.  

Picked up a small amount of trash in the parking area, but compared to other sites it was very little. This was my first view of this section and I couldn't wait to get out on the water.

Discovered this as I was getting into my boat. With its large size and skull shape I believe it was a carp, but I could be wrong.

Following the bank up river, there were some pieces floating and a few tucked behind the plants. Overall it was starting to look like an easy day.

For some reason I looked up and scrambled to get my camera out of my dry bag. Above me was both a Bald Eagle and an Osprey and they were both relatively close together. Only an Osprey in the photo, wasn't quick enough and the Bald Eagle went right over my head and beyond the tree line. A bit disappointed I didn't get the shot, not complaining though, it was still great to see.

Not the first hatchling Snapper of the season. This one was just hanging out floating in the water. Hopefully I gave it a good scare and it will do a better at hiding from predators. Wishful thinking, I know.

The water began to get shallow on the side I was traveling up, so I paddled to some debris piles in the center that had a few bottles wedged in. Then this caught my attention. I grabbed the bottles and went  closer. The banks around this island had the same issue as the other side and the water kept getting shallower and shallower. The bottom was silt and who knows how deep, I couldn't get out and had to push my way through it. When I got close enough, I took a good look at this, what I think is a fridge. Then I looked around and started laughing at the ridiculousness of it. There are no cattails around me except for in the fridge. There were non-native plants on both sides of me, but for some reason the cattails here only do well in the fridge.

So close yet so far. I wanted to take this chair out, I really wanted to. The water here though is only an inch or two deep and I was still pushing my way through the silt. I didn't risk getting stuck and pushed my way to deeper water.

There were a number of shorebirds on the mud flats in this area. I think this Killdeer knew because of the shallow water I couldn't get to it and actually moved toward me to begin with and did not seem to mind I was so close. I followed a shallow channel upstream and then found a deep channel behind the island this Killdeer was on. This gave me access to the opposite shore from where I started. Down trees and more mud acted again as a barrier for me to get to any trash on the bank. I finally found an opening I could get my kayak in and I was about ready for a break from sitting anyway.

I hopped out on shore and found what I was there for. More trash than I could have imagined. I started working on collecting recyclables. 

The entire shoreline was just covered. New and old. There were several two liter bottles that were at least from the 90's. They had the round bottoms with the little cup on the bottom. More oil containers than I have ever seen at a single site. Actually I think I got more oil containers here on this one bank than I have collected all summer. Multiple containers of antifreeze and much more. I point out the oil containers and antifreeze, because if the containers make it into the water, where does the used oil or antifreeze go?

It was hot and I just kept collecting and thinking. I hadn't seen any amphibians and there were plenty of basking sites for turtles, but the only turtle I found was a somewhat pollution tolerant species. Where was all of the herp life? Finally I flushed this Green Frog from the bank and that made me feel a bit better, but seriously, where is everything else that I should have seen?

This isn't everything, this is just when I decided to take the photo. I crushed what was in the pile down as best as I could and began working on filling two contractors bags. I was using the other bag that you can see in the photo with the red ties to collet and redistribute in the larger bags because it was easier to carry through the thick brush.

It got to the point that I thought it was never going to end and I just kept collecting. I eventually got to points in both directions where it wasn't possible to walk any further. Each time I was relieved. I couldn't fit a single more piece in any of the bags and my hull was filling up. I paddled back very slowly with one bag over my cockpit. It was awkward and I was just waiting for a wind gust or motor boat to go by and roll me. I was extremely happy when I got back to shore.

The remainder of the trash you couldn't see in the first photo. Removed this from the hull after returning home. 

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