Beltzville State Park (1-Dec-2016)

Out to cover another portion of the lakebed at Beltzville State Park. This time I parked at the first large lot past the main office and accessed the lake just above the swimming area. Being so close to the swimming area and soccer fields, which both receive a lot of use during the summer I thought there would be a lot of trash. 

As I was walking down to the lake a Northern Harrier did a fly by. This is the second time I have seen a Harrier at Beltzville, this one I just got a brief glimpse of. The last one was hunting over a field. 

Right on the waters edge was really muddy and that is where I found a good portion of the trash. 

When you do enough clean-ups you start seeing certain trends of where certain trash items end up. Walking this portion of the lake I found a line of plastic cups. There were more here than any other place along the lake I have been to so far. I think this could have to do with the shape of the items, composition and the currents within the lake. It could also have to do with the proximity to picnic areas and the beach area where these might be used.

Looking down the lake I could see where I should have been doing the clean-up. This, not because there was trash, but because it was the only place in the park where sun was shinning down.  

Footprints clearly indicate that others are walking the lakebed and cans in those footprints tell me that some are picking up items. I just don't understand why they leave them in footprints instead of taking them out. 

This I was going to drag up to a lakeside trail to take out on my way out, but my hiking partner put a stop to that. As soon as I started dragging this large item, Penny started to attack it. I quickly realized I wasn't going to make it that far with this item and Penny so I had to leave it. Hopefully I can get back here without Penny before the lake is filled up again. 

I made it as far down as the bridge. In this photo Penny's attention is on something over at the Pine Run Launch across the channel. She really has no interest in collecting trash, seems to like the hikes though. 

Beach balls only float for a certain amount of time, then they like many other plastics end up at the bottom of the waterbody they ended up in. 

Took a lakeside trail back. This trail wasn't too bad and I have worked on it before, but as always there was trash. Some of which I couldn't reach. 

Not sure how I spotted this, but I did. Another lakeside diaper. This is another thing that you should think about when swimming at public beaches. I have found a lot. I have read several articles about E. coli outbreaks at Beltzville that close the beach area. They often blame waterfowl. Although waterfowl are a likely cause, this should also be a main consideration. 

This was the haul for the day. I think my favorite find was the snorkel on the right. The dumpsters at the park had been put away for the winter, so I packed everything up and had to drop the trash items off at a receptacle in another parking lot. I thought it was a pretty good haul for the day. 
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 (29-Nov-2016)

This was my first stop to the Preacher's Camp Access at Beltzville State Park since the water level was lowered. The day was cold, with a light rain. I worked my way down past the boat launch and the first thing I noticed was something on one of the artificial fish structures on the newly exposed island. 

With a closer look it was a Bald Eagle. What a cool sight with the fog over the lake. 

Portions of the lakebed in this section are really muddy. I was able to grab most items I found, but some were in deeper mud than I would go into on a cold day. Both of the above items were taken.

A different type of artificial fish habitat than was on the island. These can be found at many locations around the lake. Each of these boxes has a hole on one side giving smaller fish a place to hide from predators. 

This was everything from the Preacher's Camp Access. I didn't go that far and my goal was just to fill my pack which I accomplished. 

Before heading home I made a quick stop on the other side of the lake. I was wet and cold so I didn't go far, still collected this small line of items. 

Ending this post with what I came across when I first pulled into the Preacher's Camp Access. Two male Pheasants just hanging out in the parking lot. There was a recent release of these birds in surrounding gamelands for hunting. These individuals found a safe area to go to. 

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 (20-Nov-2016)

It was a dramatic change in temperature from the day before. A cold day with light rain in the air and I decided to go work on another section of the lakebed at Beltzville State Park. There is an unbelievable amount of trash that can be removed now that the lake is at lower levels. I know I am only going to be able to cover a small portion of it all, but every little bit does help. 

When I first got down to the lake, I could hear a Belted Kingfisher on the opposite side of the cove I was in. It landed next to the waters edge and I was able to snap this photo of it. 

On the lakes edge, just above the normal water line there were the usual items. Bottles, plastics and one of these...

Another diaper. I have found too many of these this year. Beltzville is one of the areas that I have frequented that has had a lot of them. I believe I have found one now at every access of the DCNR access to the lake and at some of the Game Commission accesses as well. 

After walking half the channel, I hit a portion of the main lake. I was really starting to get cold and I didn't go too much further past this point. 

I also didn't pick up too many items in this area. There were a few items, but everything was pretty spread out here and it didn't seem like much actually get caught up in this area. 

Penny is with me on almost every single hiking clean-up. I do pick up after her and I have never felt the need to toss her waste in a little plastic bag off of the trail or place it along the trail for others to pick up. I find dog bags along trailsides in many places, this is one left atop a coal waste deposit station. I don't know why people find this acceptable, they are still leaving their dog waste behind and they have added to it by also littering with plastic.

I had only taken my backpack with me and completely filled it. I will be back again soon to work on more of the lakebed before it fills up again!
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 (4-Nov-2016)

Took the Christman Trail back to the Wild Creek channel in Beltzville State Park. I thought this area might have more trash on the bottom than most places around the lake because the rope swing here draws a lot of people and with them, a lot of trash in the summer. From what I could see I believe this may be as low as the channel will go as long as there is a flow coming in from the creek. I began to pick cans and bottles out of the mud right away, I was limited to how close I could get to the water due to the depth of the mud. 

Cans were the most abundant item on the lake bed. Nearly every one was full of mud and had to be broken open and emptied out. This task would have been much easier if I could had easy access to the water.

This adult Red-Spotted Newt was in one of the first cans I opened up. As the lake was emptied it must have sought shelter where there was remaining water. I helped it get back into the lake. 

 In addition to the newt I also found two crayfish in other cans. I tossed them back in the lake as well.

These older cans with pull tab tops were in the water near the edge and I went for them. My feet sunk in about a foot into the mud when retrieving them and they were the last cans I pulled out of the water. 

I walked as far up the channel as I could. I was blocked from going any further by a rock face that I couldn't climb up and I couldn't cross the stream without getting soaked. In the photo above there were deep pools around the large rocks. They had trash in them and I had no way of getting it out. I find it extremely frustrating when I can see trash and I know I can't pick it up. 

Along the normal water line in the above channel I found a few pieces of footwear.

This is not the first flip flop that I have found like this. I wonder just how many Muskies attacked this one. So far I have only seen darker flip flops, black and gray, torn up like this. 

The sticker is still intact, it can't be that old. This doesn't bother me as much as all of the other trash, I am sure the owner had no intention of loosing it or leaving it behind. 

Walking the channel towards the lake I found a couple areas where trash collected on the bottom. These were mostly places where there was a change of topography of the lake bed that acted like catches. This pile was from one of those spots. 

When I paddled this I always thought it was deeper. Only the channel to the left really has much depth to it. In this area cans and bottles were scattered throughout. 

At first I was annoyed when I saw this bag hanging from the sign. When I looked through the contents it didn't bother me as much. Inside were all items that someone had picked off the bottom. They at least gathered the items, would have been nice if they took it out. 

The largest find of the day. It looked to be a raft. This too was filled with mud and took a lot of shaking to get everything out. This didn't fit in my bag and I was left with finding a way to attach it to my pack and it dragged behind me on the way out. 

This was almost everything. I also filled up my pack on the way out. The burlap sack was heavy and it wasn't the easiest hike out. 

Everything collected from the channel. Half of a skateboard was about the most surprising thing that I found. Everything else was the average lake trash. How much more is further down in the depths of the lake? 

Before heading home I stopped at the Pine Run Launch to get rid of the non-recyclable items. I was glad I did. The lake was lower than my last visit here and I was able to pick up more trash and there was something big flying over the water. 

Didn't pick up much at this spot, I was just here not too long ago though. 

This Bald Eagle was the big thing flying over the water. The sound of crows directed me to it and when it landed I was happy to see this...

A second eagle! Hopefully they are a pair. I don't think there has been a nest around Beltzville in recent years, it would be awesome if they are sticking around and make one. 

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