TOBYHANNA CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION 2018 ANNUAL NEWSLETTER

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1 TOBYHANNA CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION 2018 ANNUAL NEWSLETTER March 2018 Conservation, a state of harmony between man and the land, and the proper harvesting of fish and game so as to retain nature s delicate balance, shall be the purpose of this organization. In the belief that nature s bounty in providing man with fish and game is not inexhaustible, and that man, through sincere efforts, may aid in the propagation of fish and game species, and the improvement of their environment, the members have united to form an organization dedicated to the preservation of hunting and fishing in the spirit of true sportsmanship through example. Members are dedicated to aid nature s species in their struggle for existence. From the Tobyhanna Conservation Association Charter, May 1966 Trout Fishing - The club waters fished well last year. We stocked 300 thirteen-inch brook and brown trout and five 16 trout on April 12 from Blooming Grove Hunting and Fishing Club at a cost of approximately $1600. We installed two fish food feeders, one above the Swimming Hole and the other at the Long Hole. The fish held well and members enjoyed great fishing well into late spring. Children s and Handicapped Persons Fishing Area -The area continues to be well used by kids and disabled persons. We did some maintenance/repairs and posted signs. We are discussing the need for replacement of the docks and access ramps. Fluctuating water levels have taken a toll on the structure. Youth Programs Monroe County Conservation Camp. The Club sponsored junior member Jacob Smith to the camp and he gave a presentation at the club picnic about his experiences at camp. The camp is a week-long program with programs on conservation, hunting, fishing, and trapping for kids from 14 years of age to graduation. We sponsored a bluebird nesting box construction program and a muzzleloader program for the campers. Thanks to Steve Merchant for the use of his workshop to cut the lumber. We are looking for students to sponsor for Youth Field Day. Several members assisted with the Monroe County Youth Field Day at Camp Trexler in September. This program educated approximately 200 youngsters about hunting, fishing, trapping, dog-handling, shooting, conservation, and much more. Cooperation with other Organizations PA Fish & Boat Commission - Club members assisted the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission with trout stocking on the Tobyhanna Creek (including the Beagle Hole) on April 11 and May 3. Page 1 - over

2 Federation of Sportsmen s Clubs- TCA continued to be active in the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs and also at the Monroe County and Northeast Division levels. The club provided input on resolutions that were debated at the State Convention. Trout Unlimited Members participated in various Brodhead Chapter TU events and projects. We again provided prizes for their annual banquet raffle consisting of a day on the TCA club water for 2 anglers. Members attended a TU meeting with PA Fish and Boat Commission Director John Arway, who spoke about the Commission s efforts to protect and conserve the state s 35,000 miles of wild trout streams, sustain our fisheries, restore habitat, protect water quality, and provide fishing access. Bill Leonard did a presentation about the Tobyhanna Conservation Association at a Brodhead TU Chapter meeting in May. There were also presentations by representatives from Brodhead Hunting and Fishing Club, Pohoqualine Fishing Club, and Brodhead Forest and Stream. Tobyhanna Township Austin Blakeslee Preserve Several club members attended a meeting in April with Tobyhanna Township representatives and representatives from Brodhead TU, and Western Pocono TU to discuss fishing access and regulations changes to include possible catch and release, on the Lower Tobyhanna Creek at the Austin Blakeslee Preserve. Several potential approaches were discussed and Township officials are anxious to implement some enhancements to the fishery. Brodhead Heritage Center at For Evergreen Preserve The Association donated $100 towards a building at the former Penn Hills Golf Course for offices, public education, displays, and a fly fishing museum sponsored by the Pocono Heritage Land Trust, Brodhead Watershed Association, and Stroud Township. A nice section of the Brodhead Creek on the property is open to the public for catch and release fishing at the site. Pocono Heritage Land Trust - Don Miller and some members of the Pocono Heritage Land Trust had a meeting at the Mountain Center (former Coolbaugh School on Rt 611) in July to discuss and tour possible access for hunting and fishing at the Mountain Center, a conservation easement along Tobyhanna Creek on Dog Goods Company property, and possible protection of the Bob Miller property. PA Department of Environmental Protection - Jim Connor attended a meeting with Dan Ackers from the Swiftwater Office of the PADEP. They spoke about sewage treatment plants and Jim shared information with him about our findings concerning Pocono Country Place and Tobyhanna Army Depot treatment plants. DEP has a hotline to report problems. Chestnuthill Township -Chestnuthill Township (in the West End of Monroe County) is planning to construct a children s and handicapped persons fishing dock. The TCA offered technical expertise since we have experience with our dock. Page 2

3 Legislative Watch Senate Bill 30: Fishing License Increase - The cost of a fishing license has not increased for over 12 years. The Senate passed SB 30, that would give the PFBC authority to set its own fees, subject to legislative oversight and public comment, but the legislation is stuck in the House. TCA sent letters to PA House Representatives Maureen Madden, Rosemary Brown, and Jack Rader asking them to support this bill. SB 135: Dogs for the Recovery of Wounded Deer. We continue to follow proposed legislation which would amend the game code to allow the use of a leashed dog to assist in the recovery of wounded deer. Senator Mario Scavello had introduced SB 135 and he indicated the Senate had passed the bill in September but it was hung up in the House as there was an amendment relative to Sunday hunting. We sent letters to PA House Representatives Maureen Madden, Rosemary Brown, and Jack Rader asking them to support SB 135 without amendments. Water Quality We contacted PA American Water Company (operator of Pocono Country Place Sewage Treatment Plant) and the Tobyhanna Army Depot concerning our recent Benthic Macroinvertebrates sampling that showed considerable impairment on Dresser Run and impairment on Hummler Run. Dresser Run - Several club members attended a meeting with representatives from the PA American Water Company on July 6, They indicated they are concerned with water quality in Dresser Run. They acquired the plant in 1995 and have been using ultraviolet light for tertiary treatment since approx Their permitted capacity is 1.25 MGD and they are treating 0.8 MGD. Their permit was just renewed in Oct 2016 for 5 years. It was a good meeting to let them know we are watching them. Hummler Run - The Tobyhanna Army Depot Commander responded and indicated they completed a major construction project on their sewage plant in 2015 which significantly improved the quality of the wastewater, and they stand ready to work with us to enhance the water quality of Hummler Run. They anticipate doing another survey if funding permits. Guest Speakers at Club Meetings PA Game Commission - Ryan Gildea, the Pennsylvania Game Commission Wildlife Conservation Officer for northern Monroe County, attended our April meeting and spoke about current Game Commission issues and he fielded questions on various issues including; otters, fishers, osprey hacking towers, UXO clearing, game lands access, and deer culling. Monroe County Conservation District - Annie Mikol, Watershed Specialist from the Monroe County Conservation District, attended our June meeting. She spoke about water quality and soil erosion in Monroe County and indicated she depends on local organizations to inform her about local concerns. One current issue Annie spoke about is the upgrade of Tunkhannock Creek to Exceptional Value (EV). EV designation will help deter water quality degradation to protect trout habitat. We shared information with Annie about Hummler Run and Dresser Run sewage discharge issues and stream water temperatures in Tobyhanna Creek. Page 3 - over

4 Tobyhanna State Park Dam Replacement - We have been in contact with Tobyhanna State Park Manager, Devin Buzard, about the planned dam replacement project. We requested that they consider bottom discharge to enhance water temperature downstream. Devin indicated that our proposal was forwarded to their designers and during the design phase of the project the feasibility for bottom discharge will be determined. The projected start date is We passed along data from our water temperature logger at Leonard Lane bridge and were granted a permit to install water temperature loggers above and below the lake in Club Picnic The picnic was held on August 27 and our guest speaker was David Kinney, Mid- Atlantic Organizer from Trout Unlimited who spoke about protecting Pennsylvania s wild trout streams. Jacob Smith, club member who attended Monroe County Conservation Camp, did a presentation about his experiences at camp. Auction items included a wicker creel, decoys, bamboo fly rod, muzzleloader, and tackle box/lures, and all had a good time. Survey on Fracking - Sarah Dieck, a student at the University of Michigan, conducted a study for her honors thesis regarding the perceptions that outdoor sportsmen and sportswomen hold about hydraulic fracturing (fracking) practices. We forwarded her survey to members of the Tobyhanna Conservation Association. Sarah will pass along results of her thesis work. Property next to the clubhouse - The 2-acre property north of the clubhouse was offered for tax sale on September 13 with an upset price was $2045. No one bought the property. Litter Pickup Twelve members retrieved 32 bags of trash, 10 tires, and a sawed-off shotgun along 7 miles of roadway in May. The fall pickup was cancelled due to foggy conditions. Coolbaugh Township Assistance - The Coolbaugh Township Board of Supervisors provided funding to the Tobyhanna Conservation Association for conservation work in the township. These funds are used for to pay for steam water quality testing and other projects/programs to benefit the citizens of the township. Member Donations - Many members made donations to the club for the general fund, for Junior Membership/Youth Programs. Thank-you for your generosity! Christmas Tree Recycling - Local residents dropped off Christmas trees at the clubhouse and they were recycled for fish and wildlife cover. Claybird Shoot - Our Annual Labor Day Saturday claybird shoot was again successful with a dozen shooters. Clubhouse and Grounds Maintenance John Hay continued to maintain the landscape and cut the grass at clubhouse and Kid s Fishing Area. Dan Vashlishan and Bill Kreiter again kept the woodpile in the clubhouse stocked for the woodstove. Stream Improvement- Some members did some stream improvement at the Round Hole last winter to improve the fishery. Additional work on other parts of the stream is planned. Page 4

5 Trout Movement Study Discussed tagging trout or possibly telemetry to determine movement of trout in club waters. TCA Website - The Tobyhanna Conservation Association website at is maintained by Walter VanNess. Contact for Walt is waltervanness@gmail.com Stream Temperature Monitoring We purchased 2 additional temperature loggers for the stream. One was put in the stream at Leonard Lane Bridge on June 1, 2017 and the 2 additional were installed above and below the Round Hole on July 6, The water temperature peaked at Leonard Lane Bridge on June 14, 4:00 pm at 78.9 o. There were 5 consecutive days of high temperatures of over 70 o in June. The latest date the temperature exceeded 70 o (which is a critical temperature for catch and releasing trout) was September 27. Daily high temperatures were typically at 4:00 or 5:00 pm and low temperatures were typically at 8:00 am. The average daily fluctuation from high temperature to low temperature was 8 or 9 degrees. The water temperature peaked at the Round Hole Inlet on July 20, 4:00 pm at 82.3 o. The water temperature at the Round Hole Outlet averaged 2 or 3 degrees cooler than the inlet, probably due to springs or the inflow from Singers Run. The temperatures at Leonard Lane Bridge were approximately 1 o cooler than the Round Hole Outlet. There could be some additional springs cooling the water in this section of stream. Trout are severely impacted by these high temperatures. We reduced the fish feeders to once a day in the morning in June. Fish feeders were removed in July. Some data from the temperature loggers: Tobyhanna Creek at Leonard Lane Bridge: Maximum temperatures: 78.9 o June o July o Aug o Sept o Oct 10 July 20 Round Hole Inlet Round Hole Outlet Leonard Lane Bridge High temp - 4:00 pm 82.3 o 79.6 o 78.7 o August 9 Low temp - 8:00 am High temp - 5:00 pm Round Hole Inlet 65.4 o 74.3 o Round Hole Outlet 63.6 o 71.5 o Leonard Lane Bridge 62.6 o 70.8 o Page 5 - over

6 We will install water temperature data loggers above and below Tobyhanna State Park in the spring. Membership/Officers - We have a total of 72 members in the Association; 55 regular members, 7 junior members, and 10 honorary/lifetime members OFFICERS BOARD OF DIRECTORS President...Dan Vashlishan Gary Beehler Vice President...Dave Radle, Jr. Dennis Regan Treasurer...Jim Connor Norm Gardner Secretary...Bill Leonard, Jr. Monthly Meetings -Our meetings are held on the third Wednesday of each month (except December) at 7:30 pm at the clubhouse on Lakeside Drive. NEW Address: Tobyhanna Conservation Association, Inc Lakeside Drive Tobyhanna PA Website: tobyhannaconservation.org William L. Leonard, Jr. Secretary Page 6