Beltzville State Park (28-Jan-2017)

This was a very cold day and most of the time I won't post if I didn't pick up that much trash. In this case, I am really only posting for the last photograph. Only did a short walk around the Pine Run Launch and it was on my way home that I took the last photo. 

Just a handful on a very speedy walk around the fields at the Pine Run Launch. 

On my way home I noticed something out on the ice at the Wild Creek Reservoir. It was an immature Bald Eagle! Bald Eagles are becoming a very common sight in the area. Recovery efforts have worked and a species that just a decade ago would have been hard to find can now be found in good numbers around the state. 

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Beltzville State Park (27-Jan-2017)

I wanted to see if there were any accesses around Beltzville Lake that I hadn't yet been to for a clean-up. I thought there might be another on the route 209 side of the lake and I was right. It was at the lower end of the lake and only had a small parking area. From what I found there doesn't seem to be any trailheads here, but there is an old access road down to the lake. 

One of the first pieces of trash I picked up someone kindly placed on the gate and it was an old pull tab can. I don't recall ever finding this brand can before. 

With the water still low in the lake I was able to walk the edge for my trash search. Areas like this would only be accessible by boat when the lake is at normal levels. For some items, like plastic bags entangled in downed trees, it is much easier to remove them when on foot than from a kayak. 

The first finds by the lake were fishing gear, of course line and part of a rod too.

Some things, like this plastic container full of rocks, just make me wonder... What are people doing? Was someone collecting rocks from this spot? Were they trying to hide the container they no longer wanted in the lake by sinking it with rocks? These a questions I will just never have the answers too.  

Balloons are a very common find. You may not think you are littering when you release a balloon into the air, but they do come down eventually and end up where they do not belong. I know I am repeating myself, but if you choose to use balloons for a party, please make sure they are secured and pop and dispose of them properly after the party is over.

I only went a little further than the downed tree in this photo. Most of the trash was around the access point and I wasn't finding much working my way up the bank. 

I did discover this Turtle Platform. Too heavy to move out by foot, this is something that I can come back with a kayak for in warmer weather. You may see these floating generally in coves around lakes or ponds. This one is upside down, the capped pvc pipes keep these tiny rafts afloat and they are tethered to the bottom of the lake. Turtles will use these platforms to bask and in areas that do not have a lot of natural basking spots artificial platforms are perfect. Hopefully the park will be able to use this again!

This was all I collected from the first stop. After loading the trash into my car I headed further up the lake to the Preacher's Camp access.

At Preacher's Camp I took trails that lead down the lake and hit the points where the trails generally meet the water. Most of the time these are the trashiest places. 

This is a small pile from one of the trail access points. Most of the trash was normal except for a bag that looked like it could have been a laptop case. It may have held someone's fishing gear, who knows?

Penny found herself once again tied to a tree as I cleaned up another access to the lake. I think for the most part she enjoys going on these clean-ups, she just doesn't like the waiting when we come to an area with a lot of trash. She does get extra treats when I make her wait tied up like this. 

I walked back along the edge of the lake and collected a few more items. There were some things along this section that I could see on the shore that I just couldn't get to due to thick thorns. When the lake if full I may try to get back along here in the kayak with tongs. I did remove the bottle in this photo. 

The second pile of the day was a little larger than the first. Non-recyclables were disposed of and the recyclables were loaded in the car. Overall it was a good haul for a day in January. 
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Mauch Chunk Lake Park: Switchback Trail (26-Jan-2017)

I started off the day at Owl Creek Reservoir to try to get some photos of Red Crossbills that were overwintering there. Although distant, I was able to get a couple shots, one of which I have at the end of this post. I didn't want to go too far from Owl Creek for my clean-up so I decided to check out the condition of the Switchback Trail below Mauch Chunk Lake. You can access this trail by the dam or further towards Jim Thorpe where the trail ends. I tend to start at the access closest to Jim Thorpe. 

For the most part it was the usual kind of trail clean-up. A bottle here, a bottle there just off of the side of the trail.

I did find a couple places where there was a pile. Here someone bagged up bottles and other items and threw them in some Rhododendron. Near by there was another larger Rhododendron that had a lot of loose items underneath it. Through my experience of doing these clean-ups I have learned that a lot of people like throwing garbage into Rhododendrons and these plants do hide it well. In some cases it also makes retrieving the items much harder than it needs to be.

I went strait down the trail to the lake and back. On the return I found some items I didn't see on the way out. I wasn't sure if I would be able to get these bottles or if the debris caught on the log would support my weight. Luckily it did and I was able to retrieve them. I did have to leave some items I saw on the opposite side of the stream. It was too cold and I had no place to cross to retrieve them. 

This was a lot of trash for this section of trail. It really isn't that far from the lake to the end. This area gets a lot of traffic during the summer, both tourists and locals. I wish I could think of some way to reduce litter in areas like this. Many would say it's the tourists that leave the place a mess and I know that isn't always true, locals are just as bad. How do you just get everyone to pick up after themselves? It should be easy and more people should care. 

These next three photos are all from Owl Creek Reservoir earlier in the day. Above is a Brown Creeper. It blends in nicely with the tree and if you are having trouble spotting it you can click on the photo to enlarge it.

There were many Red-breasted Nuthatches within the pines at Owl Creek. Most tend to only briefly check me out then go about their business. This individual stuck around for awhile and allowed me to photograph it. Red-breasted Nuthatches spend most of the year further north. During winters where there is a lack of food in there northern range they will head south to areas with a greater abundance. This year I have seen more Red-breasted Nuthatches than any other year and even have a regular one at my feeders. As the temperatures rise in spring they will migrate back north to their nesting areas. 

Another visitor from the north. This is the Red Crossbill. I have tried on multiple occasions to photograph this species at Owl Creek. I do not see them on every visit and when I do they do not stick around in one place for too long. They seem to like to feed towards the top of the pines and have many different trees that they like to frequent. I found that the best way of finding them is not to look for them at all. Just go on a hike and hope that they show up in a nearby tree. Like the Red-breasted Nuthatch this species will migrate back north to nest. 
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Appalachian Trail (25-Jan-2017)

The section of Appalachian Trail between Little and Lehigh Gap is one that I hike often throughout the year. I decided I was going to hike a loop that was around eight miles and I called up Stephen Kloiber to see if he wanted to go along. He met me at the parking lot and the above photo is what we found when we arrived. Since this was on Gamelands, I called a state employee with the DCNR who has a direct contact to the Game Commission's local Wildlife Conservation Officer. He informed the WCO, who was already aware that the items were there. Both the Game Commission and Fish and Boat Commission do investigate illegal dumps like this, so this pile is not something I would deal with. I have found their investigations can take a long time, but individuals do get prosecuted for these actions. If you ever come across someone who is illegally dumping items please contact law enforcement immediately.

The parking area was the trashiest part of the hike. The trailsides had a few items, but for the most part we didn't find all that much. The top of the mountain yielded amazing views. This is looking towards the Carbon County side.

In a few of the puddles along the trail we found Springtails. Springtails, also called Collembola, have been in several of my posts. This particular species is often referred to as Snow Fleas, because they are often found in large numbers on top of snow at this time of year. An appendage to their rear gives them there name and allows them to spring up as one method of moving around. They also have appendages that allow them to walk around. Springtails in general a common. They inhabit leaf litter and topsoil and most people don't even know they exist.  

Remnants of an old forest still can be found standing at the top in this section. These trees died decades ago from the deposition of heavy metals created by a zinc smelting facility in the nearby city of Palmerton. Restoration efforts have helped bring new life to the mountain top and slowly this once desolate landscape is sprouting new life.

Fences now restrict access to large sections of the mountain top. This is part of the restoration effort and keeps deer from browsing on young trees that are sprouting up. I have been going to this site for over fifteen years. When I first started hiking this area there were hardly any trees, no grasses and vast areas were just exposed rocks. Even the soil has washed away. Things are much different now and every year the mountain gets a little greener. 

We made a quick stop by a vernal pond that is off one of the trails. In the spring and summer this pond will act as a breeding site for several species of amphibians. Vernal ponds/pools fill up with snow and rainfall in the winter and spring and by mid to late summer are usually dry. This means  predatory animals like fish are not around, giving the amphibian offspring a better chance at survival. This does not mean there are no predators. There are many insect species that inhabit vernal areas that do feed on amphibians and there larvae, certain reptile species will visit these ponds for a quick bite to eat and too will some bird species like the Barred Owl. So vernal pools are the safer option for breeding amphibians, but still come with an assortment of hazards for them. 

Throughout the entirety of the eight miles I don't think we came across any birds other than a couple of Juncos and a Turkey Vulture. This will change in spring as migratory birds return and start to nest. I am looking forward to the Warbler's return. 

An abandoned campsite right off of the AT. Over the years I have found many abandoned campsites off of the AT. Why people do not clean up after themselves is beyond me. Tarps and tents are not single use items and I have found that many people treat them this way. This tarp looked to be brand new and was probably only used for one night. Stephen helped me fold it up and take down the line it was on. I will make sure this tarp is used again and it will not be just thrown away.

For the amount of ground covered this really is a tiny amount of trash. Others do work on this section of trail, still there is generally more than this. I will probably do this hike again in lake spring to early summer, who knows what I will find then. Mr. Kloiber, as always thank you for coming along on this hike! 
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Hickory Run State Park (22-Jan-2017)

For this clean-up I decided to hit a trail at Hickory Run State Park that I had never been on before. Well, I had been on a small portion of this trail, but never did the full loop. I parked at the top of an access road and walked it in to the trail head. 

The access road was bordered by old campsites no longer in use. I have found a couple areas like this in Hickory Run and I wonder if the camping was moved to the area it is today or if it is just that the park saw a lot more campers in the past.

On the roadside I found the usual bottles and cans. There were not too many, but it was enough to keep my attention on the sides.

If there was any more leaf litter I probably wouldn't have spotted this balloon. If you are intent on using balloons at a party, please make sure they are secured and pop them when you are done. When released balloons can end up anywhere and they are often the only trash I find deep in the woods.

The loop trail was nice and several sections ran through large Rhododendron. There were a few patches of ice along the loop, but nothing that bad. 

Along the trail there wasn't much trash, but I did see a couple items that I just couldn't get to at this time of year like this can in the stream. 

In all it ended up being a nice hike with beautiful views along the loop. The trail only followed the stream for a short distance, but the views along that section were spectacular. I wish I could paddle this section of water!

I was pretty happy that this trail didn't yield that much trash. The nearby trail to Hawk Falls is often a mess. I guess the falls just attract more people who like to litter. 
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Green Lane Park and John Hienz NWR (21-Jan-2017)

The main purpose of this trip was scouting out trashy areas and hoping to see some rare birds. Green Lane Park, in Montgomery County, had some recent sightings of White-fronted Geese and an Iceland Gull. So I started the day there. On my way down I called up some friends and they were interested in going to John Hienz National Wildlife Refuge, in Philadelphia and Delaware Counties. Roosting Northern Saw-whet Owls and a Black-headed Gull had recently been spotted there. As you can see from the above photo, there was not much bird activity on the lake at Green Lane. I did a short walk along the bank and found a couple areas along the edge that could use a clean-up during warmer weather. These places involved going in the water to get the trash, not something I am going to do on most days in January. 

I did pick up a handful of items from along one of the trails at Green Lane. Then met Joe Greco and was off to pick up another friend before heading to John Hienz. I was a bit disappointed in not being able to see the White-fronted Geese and most likely they were still in the area, probably feeding in a nearby farm field. 

John Hienz didn't look all that much different than Green Lane with the fog. There were more birds though and as I would find out, a whole lot more trash.

Can you see it? Andrew Curtis was the first of our small group to spot this Northern Saw Whet Owl. You may think, how did he find a tiny owl in that whole refuge? Well employees at the Refuge made it a whole lot easier than you would think. These owls come back to just about the same spot every day to rest. Signs were put up on the trail at the two spots the owls have been frequenting. Even with the signs it did take a couple minutes to find the first one and the second was harder to spot. 

On the water we did not find the Black-headed Gull we were looking for, but there were many Northern Shovelers.

Along the trailside we also got to see some common songbirds like this Golden-crowned Kinglet. The ponds and the trailsides were for the most part trash free. I picked up a few items and it really wasn't bad. 

Things changed when we got to the Darby Creek. This section of the creek is a tidal marsh and as you can see it was full of trash. I really wanted to go out and just start picking through the mud, but that isn't the proper way of doing things. 

When I made this post on Facebook I was happy to get a response from someone who lives near by John Hienz. She informed me that the refuge does have an annual clean-up in spring and even got me the dates. I plan on joining the clean-up and getting boats on the water to help clean this mess up. Our  National Wildlife Refuges should not look like this! Hopefully the tide will cooperate for the clean-up so I can actually get into these areas. 

This was all I took off of the trails in John Hienz. Like I said they are pretty clean. It is mainly just the tidal areas in the Darby Creek that need a whole lot of work. I know everything in that area can't be taken care of in one clean-up, so I do hope that this year I can make it down to the refuge to work on it multiple times. 

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