Swatara State Park (10-Nov-2016)

I took a break from the blog for awhile. I have kept the Taking Out the Trash in Eastern PA Facebook Page up-to-date though. Earlier this month I did visit Swatara State Park for a hike and clean-up. My first stop was at a section along Swatara Creek accessed at Sand Siding Road. At the access you can either take the Swatara Rail Trail or smaller paths that lead down to and follow the creek. I chose to go right to the creek. 

This was not my first visit to this spot, but I didn't remember seeing tires on my last visit. After finding several I decided I would be taking them along with me on the way out. None were buried so I did not feel the need to contact the park before moving the out to the access. Had they been buried I would have notified the park because it would leave a disturbance behind and some parks would rather just leave the tires in that case.

There were small items here and there, but really the small trails along the creek weren't really that trashy. This is a really beautiful area that I do want to paddle sometime. 

I found two tires in the creek itself. This is the before and after of the only one I could remove. The other was in deeper water and it was too cold to retrieve it.

Some of the small items found along the creek side.

The view up the creek. The access I started at is on the other side and around the bend. 

On the way back to the car I grabbed the tires. Like what I did in the Lehigh Gorge I would take two carry them up the trail, drop them off and go back for the other two. Only four in total on this trip.

Penny is never pleased when I carry out tires. She has to go back and forth with me and doesn't seem to enjoy that at all. 

In no time I had the tires out to the access. I left them at the trailhead for the DCNR to dispose of. Hopefully they will be properly disposed of and will never make it into or along our waterways again.

This was everything else from this stop. I sorted out the recyclables from non and loaded them into the car. From here it was off to another trail and another area I have previously worked on. 

The second stop of the day. My goal here was not only to pick up trash, but to go further than I have before on these trails. The Trout Run Trail led me to the Moonshine Trail, which then led me to the Swatara Trail. Both the Moonshine and Swatara aren't really trails, but old closed roads. 

A couple of the items on the short Trout Run Trail. How did a toilet float get there?

A portion of the Moonshine Trail which for a short section parallels the main road. 

The Swatara Trail. On a previous trip I had made it to this trail, but didn't go far. This time I followed the road until I had a sack full of trash. 

This Ring-Necked Pheasant was lucky I wasn't a hunter. It came right out of the brush in front of me. Ring-Necked Pheasants are not native to Pennsylvania or even this country. They were originally imported from Asia by sportsmen. Most of the Pheasants in PA today are raised in farms and released for hunting. Generally they do not have long survival rates although there are some areas that do have breeding populations. 

Off the side in a turn in the road I found a whole pile of bottles. This must have been the place to litter when the road was open. Almost all of the items looked like they were from the 80's to the early 90's, I am not really sure when this road was closed to traffic. 

This was certainly the coolest bottle find of the day. I did some searching and this was a sarsaparilla bottle. None of the other bottles I found had any good graphics on them. This was different and the first time I have found one of these. 

All the trash from the second hike of the day. It might not seem like much, but the glass made it a heavy haul out. It was nice to see that most of the trash here was older and there wasn't too much newer trash along the trail and closed roadside. 

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

Nescopeck State Park (8-Nov-2016)

Went back to Nescopeck State Park for this post. Over the weekend I did a short hike there and found new trails I had never been on before. I didn't have time to take them on the weekend, so I was happy to return. I started on the Farmstead Trail with no real idea of what to expect. 

A family member told me about this portion of the park a few weeks ago. The trails here don't connect to the main parking area and that is the reason I never knew they were there before I was told. I found four pieces of old farm equipment off the side of the trail and although I couldn't tell what some of them actually did, they were still pretty cool. 

This piece had awesome all metal wheels even with metal tread. I wonder how long these have been sitting there? They all look like with a little bit of work they could all be used again.

There were no big piles of trash along the trails. Just single items here and there.

The Farmstead Trail is about half through uncut fields and half through wooded areas. I was hoping to see more birds with these two different habitat types, nothing was flying or calling though. 

By the stream I ran into the Lupine Loop and took it, diverting away from the Farmstead Trail for awhile. Half the loop followed the stream and half was through the woods. 

Just like the Farmstead Trail, no piles of trash, just the occasional piece.

Throughout this section the stream is calm and looks fairly deep in some places. Along the trail there were remnants of old foundations on the creekside and pieces of old bridges. 

There were several places where it was evident there used to be a bridge across the stream. This was the only one where the cables were still up. At this point this bridge is not certainly not one that can be crossed.   

On the wooded section of the Lupine Loop I noticed this old foundation. Inside were a couple old bed frames and outside even a kitchen sink. Generally when I find a foundation like this they tend to be filled with newer trash. It was nice to find one with only the contents of the old house that once stood there.

After finishing the Lupine Loop it was back to the Farmstead Trail. There are a lot of off shoots to this trail and portions that connect to one another. I took as much of it as I could, even taking some of the accesses out to the road. 

The most trash was found near one of the parking lots. Wasn't much, but it was a pain to get. I can't say that I enjoy removing trash from Green Briar.

Back to the car I snapped this photo then dumped out the trash. 

About a pack full. Overall I was really happy with how little trash were along these two trails. I anticipated finding much more than this. In all this turned out to be a really nice day of hiking. 

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

A Post for the Owls (7-Nov-2016)

As I said in the previous post, I was invited up to a banding station to observe Northern Saw Whet Owls being captured and banded. Banding is done to monitor certain bird populations. Not only are the birds banded, there is a lot of data collected on the individuals as well.

Not just anyone can go out and band birds in their backyard. Both state and federal permits are needed to be able to band our native birds. Much training is needed to ensure these birds are not harmed during the banding process and this training goes along with the permitting. Here Steven Kloiber is removing one of the caught Saw Whets out of a mist net, fellow bander Corinne is helping him with light on the other side of the net. These mist nets are specifically made for this purpose and are designed not to hurt the birds in any way when they are caught. There are also specific sizes for specific species. 

Once the birds are caught they are then processed. Some, like the individual above being weighed, cooperate and make things easy for the banders. In addition to being weighed the owls are also checked for fat reserves. From what I was shown it is fairly simple to tell weather the owls are nice and plump or are in need of a few meals. Out of seven owls that were captured while I was there, only one looked like it needed to eat a little more. 

Measurements of the wings and beak are also taken. All of the data recorded is compiled and is available to researchers in both the US and Canada who are working with this species. 

After measurements are taken the Owls then get a band. The bands are issued by the federal government and come in an array of sizes for different species. A special tool is used to determine the proper size for the individual bird. Most Saw Whets get the same size band, but not all. Just like humans, there is variability between individuals and some do need a slightly smaller band. Each band has a unique identification number and a phone number to call if the band is found. This allows researchers to track an individual from place to place when they are recaptured. If you ever find a dead bird check its legs for a band and if you find one, call the number. Even knowing where a bird died can tell something to researchers about the birds life. 

The last two checks before release were to get an estimate of the owls age. Under a blacklight new feathers turn pink. On the left is a first year bird. All new feathers glow bright pink. On the right you can see gaps in the pink. The ones not glowing are older feathers. I find it amazing that researchers were able to figure this trick out. 

Another way an approximate age can be determined is by looking at one specific feather and the white spots or lines on it. These spots and lines change throughout the birds life as it looses and replaces this feather. If I remember correctly the lines on this one indicated it was an older owl.

The data collection is a relatively quick process and before being released the owls are held out in the dark for five minutes before being released. This helps them to acclimate back to the dark after dealing with the lights of the banders. 

I would like to thank both Steven and Corinne for allowing me to observe them working with these astonishing creatures. I would also like to thank all of those who spend their time banding and collecting data on our native birds. It is very important that we have an understanding about the health and migration routes of our wild bird populations. This research can help with current and future conservation efforts to keep these species around for a long time to come.  
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

Tuscarora State Park (7-Nov-2016)

On Sunday I did go out and hiked trails at Nescopeck State Park. I only picked up a handful of trash, so I decided not to do a post on it. For this trip I was limited on time so I kept it close to home and went to Tuscarora State Park. I had received a text earlier in the day inviting me up to a banding station to watch Saw Whet Owls being captured and banded. This is why I only had time for a short clean-up. At Tuscarora I just walked the high traffic areas around the beach and along the shore. 

In no time I was picking up trash and most was in places along the shore where I normally find it.

Penny tried sniffing out who left this one behind. No surprise, she couldn't tell me who did it. 

For this item I had to tie Penny up and inch my way out on this downed tree to retrieve it. I was not thrilled when I pulled it out of the water. It was stinky. I had to look at the jug for a minute to determine what it was used for and what had been in it. The top was cut and half of a water bottle was shoved upside down in the top. It was a home made bait container and inside were minnows that had been in there for a long time and were no longer whole. I pried the water bottle out and dumped out the smelly contents. 

I was able to hit the majority of high use areas along the lake. Not a whole lot of trash, still good for the time I put into it. Threw out the trash, loaded up the recyclables and it was off to go get ready for the banding station. The next post will be about the owls! 
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

Mauch Chunk Lake (5-Nov-2016)

This was just a short paddle at Mauch Chunk Lake. I paddled to the opposite shore from the launch and started at the same point I did last time, on this trip I headed up the lake. There normally isn't much trash on the upper portion. Most items make their way down the lake towards the dam. So I knew I wouldn't find much, but I still wanted to cover this area.  

The water conditions were much different than my last paddle. Then there was no wind and the lake was completely still. On this trip there was lots of wind and a lot of chop. The above picture was from one of the calmest point in the paddle across the lake. 

There really were no surprises with this clean-up. Everything was the average lakeside trash. Fishing gear and cans were the main items of the day. 

Someone lost their whole bag of fishing gear. The scissors and sinkers were still in good condition and will see use again. All of the rest was headed to the garbage. 

After picking through a fairly long stretch of lake shore I headed back. The colors are starting to fade in this valley now and soon winter will be here and I won't be able to get out on the water. 

I knew it wasn't going to be a large haul. Still I did remove something and was able to get some things on the exposed lake bed that I wouldn't have seen from the kayak when the water is at the normal levels. Threw out the trash and packed up the recyclables and headed home. 
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