Appalachian Trail (8-Dec-2015)

After Tuscarora I called the vet and found out Penny would not be discharged until five, so I decided  to use the afternoon to go out on another hike. This section I have cleaned multiple times this year and chose to do it again, because it is close to where I had to pick Penny up at.

I went to the gamelands parking lot first and found the bottles on the left. The lot was close to full and when a truck pulled in with a hunter in full blaze orange it dawned on me that it was deer rifle season. Somehow I forgot this. I decided to move my car to a pull off that is not on gamelands and leave the spot in the lot for hunters. At the pull off I collected the items on the right, grabbed an orange vest I have tucked away in the back of my car and set out on the trail. If you decide to take a hike on gamelands during riffle deer season you should have a hunting license and it is now the law that you must wear orange. The orange must cover at least 250 square inches on your head, chest and back and must be visible from all sides. 

There was only one piece of new trash since my last hike up. I did find some older items that I would not have been able to see earlier in the year. How easily can you spot the can in this photo? 

Mountain Laurel is a common plant in the mountainous areas of Eastern PA. It also produces our state flower when in bloom in the summer. It is an evergreen and in the winter months like the pines adds a little more life to the bland colors of PA's winter forests. It can be confused with Rhododendron which is also common and found in the same habitats. Rhododendron has much larger leafs and generally has a larger stature. When found side by side these plants are extremely easy to tell apart. 

The border signs along the AT were a constant reminder that it was hunting season and I was happy to be wearing bright orange. 

I definitely passed right by this several times this year. It must have been sitting there for some time. 

When I photographed this leaf I did so just because I thought it looked neat with the water droplets resting on top. Little did I know I was photographing tiny critters too. There are a few tiny gray specs between the water droplets and when I zoomed in on the photo I found out they were Colembola. They are commonly called Springtails and these arthropods are almost everywhere there is soil, even in the soil surrounding your houseplant. They are so small most people don't even know they are there. In the winter large emergences of Springtails over the snow sometimes get us to notice them. It is also the reason they can be referred to as snow fleas as well. They are harmless and fascinating. 

More cans that I missed on previous trips. These were in the cracks and crevices of a rock outcrop. I have scoured this outcrop and I can't believe I am still finding items I missed on previous trips.

The sun was starting to go down and I had a Penny to pick up at the vet so I headed back down the mountain. On the way down I ran into some hunters who thanked me for wearing orange. They had already come across a couple hikers not wearing any florescent colors. I wished them the best and kept on to the car. 

This was it by the end. A little over a full pack. It really is amazing just how much trash is on these trails and how much I missed on previous hikes.

As for Penny she had a portion of her back paw pad removed that just would not heal. I have decided that she is now retired from trash collecting adventures. When she heals, she is only going on safe hikes and will most certainly never walk a trashy roadside again. Thank you to Blue Ridge Veterinary Clinic for taking great care of this pup!

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 at: gofundme.com/takingoutthetrash

Tuscarora State Park (8-Dec-2015)

I had to drop Penny off at the vet for another procedure. The patch up done last week did not take and she had to have a portion of her paw removed. I took the time I had in the morning to go for a short hike at Tuscarora State Park to get my mind off of things. Like every hike this one too ended up turning into a trash clean-up.

I worked my way down from the parking area to the lake. Not many items along the path, but the ones I did find looked as though they had been there for awhile. This really is one of the best times of year to do these clean-ups. The summer vegetation has died down and the fallen leafs have settled and compacted a bit, so there really is the best visibility for finding trash items. 

Same old thing on the lake shore and a mixture of new and old items here. Way too many people come to our state parks to drink. This past summer I have found an exorbitant amount of bottles and cans. To those that do this, follow the rules, don't drink in our parks, if you go to them to enjoy nature you really need nothing else.

This was the first trash can drop off. As always I know the glass is recyclable, I just don't like carrying a lot of it around in my pack.

When I got to the boat house where I had to leave the shoreline and head back up to the trail I found this. Who does this? The slot was packed full. There are even garbage cans a short distance away.

From the lake I took the road from the boat launch access to the main office. Heading down some side trails from the office I found this surprise. I think this is the first year I have seen Sulfur Butterflies in December. There were two of them on this hike, fluttering around the sunny fields on the hillside below the park office.

I did see several species of birds along the walk, but most do not stick around long enough to snap a shot. On the left is a Mockingbird and when I came upon it, it was feeding on the red berries that surround it in the photo. On the right is a Dark-Eyed Junco, also called a Slate Colored Junco, both names are acceptable for this species. Juncos are almost always seen in groups and are very common in this area. 

This was the majority of the trash for this hike, there was the other small pile I left in a trash can along the hike. To me after doing several clean-ups of the same area this year it was a lot. Hopefully now that it is finally starting to get colder there will be less people in the park and no more trash. I thought with having to pick up Penny this would be my last hike of the day. I was wrong and another post will be up soon.

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 at: gofundme.com/takingoutthetrash

Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center (5-Dec-2015)

On Saturday I headed over to Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center to help with a end of the year clean out of the center's hummingbird garden. Normally at this time of year events such as this are unthinkable, but with the unseasonably warm weather we have been having the staff at Jacobsburg along with Master Gardeners decided to give it a try.

The volunteers met in front of the office where Educator Rick Wiltraut gave a short talk on what we would be doing for the day. I thought the turnout was excellent and I was happy to see that so many people cared and were willing to participate. We then headed over to the garden where we met the Master Gardeners who were already at work. They took the time to talk about invasive species and had examples of several species that still can be identified at this time of year. Everyone then formed into small groups working on different sections of the garden.

The first truckload was accumulated quickly. I ended up with the very simple task of helping Rick dump the unwanted vegetation at a composting area in a different section of the park. 

A good portion of the fence surrounding the garden was overgrown. The volunteers did an excellent job of not only clearing off the fence, but also fixed the broken rails as well. 

Here a volunteer works on cutting back the Trumpet Vine that envelops the arbor at the entrance to the garden.

This group removed some of the heaviest items of the day. They worked on a non-native that had to come out roots and all and they did this in large chunks. This photo was taken after most of the work was already done in this section. 

The wetland grasses being trimmed down in this photo are an non-native and unwanted species that has engulfed the artificial wetland made here. The idea is to first trim them down and then they will be covered for an extended period of time with the hope of eliminating them from the area. Once this is complete native wetland plants can be added to replace them. 

Every time we returned with the truck it was instantly filled back up again. I had no idea this much was going to be accomplished.

I would like to point out that the majority of the plant matter filling the trucks is from non-native/invasive species. Many of these species made their own way into the garden and are very abundant in the surrounding area, some however were planted, most likely by individuals with good intentions. This garden, like other similar ones in other state parks, is there for educational purposes and specific plants are planted and labeled in the beds here. Some think that adding a plant that they might like helps out the park, sadly it does not and leads to more work for park employees and volunteers. If you ever have a plant you want to donate to a garden such as this please check with the main office first to make sure it is native and would be a helpful addition. 

The amount of pruning and weeding done on this volunteer day is evident in these photos. All of the volunteers worked hard and the difference in this garden is amazing. I wish I could have gotten to the park early enough to have taken before pictures. 

Starting in the spring volunteers will be helping to maintain the garden throughout the year. For visitors to Jacobsburg the Hummingbird Garden is a great place to not only learn, but also connect with wildlife. When its native flowers are in bloom the garden attracts a variety of birds and insects. The pond at the back of the garden serves as a breeding site for several native frog species. There are also mammals that frequent the area as I found out when taking the shots above, I came across a small rodent that I couldn't identify and it was out of site quick enough I couldn't snap a photo. 

After everyone left I took a short walk down to the Bushkill Creek with a stop at the bird blind. On the left is a Tufted Titmouse an abundant and common species that often comes to feeders. If you look at its right leg this one was banded. On the right is a Nuthatch another common species.

I would like to thank all of the volunteers that attended this clean out of the Hummingbird Garden. The work you put into this project does make a difference and next year will help to educate those who visit Jacobsburg about our native plants and wildlife!

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 at: gofundme.com/takingoutthetrash

Update (4-Dec-2015)

At the beginning of the week I had the intention of getting out and cleaning up some roads. I was unable to accomplish this because Penny has to be watched over constantly after her injury. I will find out on Monday when her sutures can be removed and when I will be able to get out again. She seems to be recovering well. I started taking her for rides yesterday, I figured if she has to sit around at least a change of scenery would be nice. The photo above was taken at Flagstaff looking towards Lehigh Gap. I did pick up a few pieces of trash at the lookout, but it was just a handful of items. 

Tomorrow I should have someone that is able to watch Penny so I am going to try to make it to Jacobsburg State Park/Environmental Education Center for a volunteer day there. The event runs from 10am to 3pm if anyone is interested in attending. The main focus of the event will be cleaning up one of the native flower gardens there. If you are interested in helping out and learning about native and non-native plant species, it should be a good time. 

Lackawanna State Forest (29-Nov-2015)

For those of you who regularly read this blog, sorry for the delay on this post. As you will see Sunday was a beautiful hike, the problem was it ended up with Penny going to the ER right after and I went to the ER the next morning. Both injuries occurred on this little trash collecting adventure, Penny's was the priority and it is going to take her much longer to recover. Was happy to have some help on this clean-up and set out with Jeff Comiskey in a small section of the Lackawanna State Forest. The site is one I have been to several times before and there are always piles of trash. It is one of the nicest places one can hike in the area, yet others see it as their personal dumping ground. 

On the walk down to the stream there were items here and there, a little more than most hiking trails. When I went to pick up one piece about twenty feet or so off of the trail, Penny took a different route around a sapling. The leash connected to her and my arm on opposing sides bent over the sapling and somehow it flung up with a branch hitting me in the eye. I did't think anything of it and we continued on. Near the stream was a buried pile of bottles, plastic bags, plastic utensils and other items one might use camping. The trash from the walk down and this pile filled the bag. We were able to get most of the items out.

Two sizes of batteries were pulled from the buried pile. These I do keep separate and make sure they are disposed of properly. 

While I worked on collecting the items on the left which were by the stream, Jeff worked on a campsite on the right. A lot of the items looked like they had been left recently.

While we were cleaning Penny was howling at us to hurry up. She wanted to get moving, there was much more for her to see and sniff. 

Who knows how many cans are at the bottom of the stream here, pulled these three cans out of a pool on its side. Glad to have the tongs. Even though it has been warm it was a hike in November and the water is a tad chilly.

An older pile of glass bottles made the second bag rather heavy. Only removed the unbroken bottles. I will be back in the future to get rid of everything. I know groups have cleaned up this area before, but piles like this are often missed by volunteer groups. In order to really clean up a place you have to look behind every rock and in every crevice. 

I know I am repeating myself, but I just can't comprehend how anyone would go to an area this beautiful and trash the place. Do they never plan on coming back or do they just expect someone else to clean up their mess?

This was the total taken out of the area. Like I said I do need to go back to remove more. There looked to be an active encampment there, so I am sure new trash will also be there when I return. I would like to thank the Comiskey's for disposing of the trash! That was a huge help!  

The second hike of the day was to a nearby falls. It was all for the hike and I only brought my pack along even though it ended up being filled with recyclables by the end. I had never been to these falls before and they were definitely worth checking out. 

At the top of the falls was this deep pool and another small fall. 

Penny seemed to be having a good day and that all changed on the way out. We decided to take the road instead of a briar filled path on the way out and that is where Penny found some type of refuse that nearly cut off a large portion of her biggest pad on her back paw. There was a lot of blood and I am thankful the Jeff was with me and was able to help me get her back to his house and get the wound cleaned out and bandaged. The rest of the day was spent driving to and waiting at an emergency center where Penny was patched up. After finally getting her home I realized I had an issue with my eye. Early Monday morning with no sleep between my eye and watching over Penny I decided I needed to go to the ER. There I found out that the tree branch early in the day put a nice gouge in my eye. I received drops and went back home to take care of Penny. Went all summer long with no incidences like this for either of us and in one day we both got hurt. With the drops I am just about recovered, Penny had another vet visit yesterday afternoon and has another one tomorrow. She has about two weeks left to recover. If everything goes alright I will be back out and posting again either tomorrow or Thursday!

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 at: gofundme.com/takingoutthetrash