Susquehanna Chapter of Trout Unlimited

As part of the River of the Year Celebration, Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association has partnered with the Pennsylvania DCNR to allow for a day of events to be held.

The day long event, starting at 10 am, is filled with fun and activities for all ages and interests and everything is free.

The Susquehanna Chapter of Trout Unlimited with be there from 10 am till noon and will be demonstrating fly tying, fly fishing gear, aquatic bugs, and fishing strategies along the creek and casting instruction.  If you would like to help in any way, please let us know at susquehannatu@gmail.com

The PA Fish and Boat Commission will also be there with information on how you can enjoy the great fishing Pennsylvania has to offer and members of the Lycoming College Clean Water Institute will be there showing the aquatic bugs that can be found in Lycoming Creek and demonstrating electro shocking.

At noon, there will be a picnic lunch provided and then an afternoon of programs and workshops that include nature and wildlife photography, quick sketch poetry, song writing, hands on activities that will explore birds of the watershed, freshwater mussels with Bucknell University, nature journaling, and much more.

Many business’s within the Loyalsock Creek Watershed will also have tables and displays so they can showcase their products and services.  At 6 pm, there will be a concert along the creek by the Jamcrackers of the Adirondack Mountains

For more information on this great event, please see the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association website at http://www.middlesusquehannariverkeeper.org for more informaiton.

     The Fish and Boat Commission (Commission) has approved guidelines with regard to encouraging public participation on possible changes to the designation of streams, stream sections or lakes for special regulation programs. Under 58 Pa. Code Chapter 65 (relating to special fishing regulations), the Commission designates certain streams, stream sections and lakes as being subject to special fishing regulations. Under the Commission’s guidelines, a notice concerning the proposed designation or redesignation of a stream, stream section or lake under special regulations ordinarily will be published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin before the matter is reviewed by the Commissioners.

     At the next Commission meeting on October 15 and 16, 2018, the Commission will consider a proposal to add Section 05 of Penns Creek to its Catch-and-Release Artificial Lures Only program under 58 Pa. Code § 65.5 (relating to catch-and-release artificial lures only) effective January 1, 2019.

     At this time, the Commission is soliciting public input concerning this designation. Persons with comments, objections or suggestions concerning the designation are invited to submit comments in writing to Executive Director, Fish and Boat Commission, P. O. Box 67000, Harrisburg, PA 17106-7000, within 60 days after publication of this notice in the Pennsylvania Bulletin. Comments submitted by facsimile will not be accepted.

     Comments also may be submitted electronically by completing the form at http://www.fishandboat.com/regcomments. If an acknowledgment of electronic comments is not received by the sender within 2 working days, the comments should be retransmitted to ensure receipt. Electronic comments submitted in any other manner will not be accepted.

FOR THE PENNSYLVANIA FISH AND BOAT COMMISSION:

John A. Arway

Executive Director

The comment period runs through September 19, 2018

Announcement of slide show/seminar on September 11, 2018 at Lycoming College Heim Science Building G-11 Lecture Hall at 7:00 PM. Doors will open at 6:30 with free refreshments and an opportunity to meet the author.

Wild and Scenic Rivers: An American Legacy, published in 2017 by Oregon State University Press, presents an illuminating portrait of the world’s premier system for the protection of natural rivers. This book by award-winning author and photographer Tim Palmer reveals the history and essential policies of a unique program and showcases 160 spectacular color photos of designated rivers from all parts of the country.

Tim will show photos and tells stories about this vital public initiative at 7:00 PM September 11, 2018 sponsored by The Lycoming College Clean Water Institute (CWI) and Jerry Walls, retired Executive Director of the Lycoming County Planning Commission. Please join us in celebrating this path-breaking approach to conservation as we near the 50th anniversary of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act in 2018.

Tim Palmer is the author and photographer of 25 books about rivers, the environment, and adventure travel. As a writer, citizen conservationist, and environmental planner he has been involved in the Wild and Scenic Rivers system almost since its founding. After graduation from Penn State Tim worked as Environmental Planner for the Lycoming County Planning Commission. See his work at http://www.timpalmer.org.

Endorsements of Wild and Scenic Rivers: An American Legacy:
Tim Palmer has created a glorious book of photos, but Wild and Scenic Rivers is far more than that. Read it from cover to cover! All who shoulder responsibility for administering our wild and scenic rivers will find this narrative not just useful and entertaining, but also essential to what we do.
Chris Brown, Director, Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers, U.S Forest Service, retired.

With his book about our Wild and Scenic Rivers, Tim Palmer has made a great contribution to America. Having been directly involved in this program, I’m grateful that the legacy of all who have worked to protect these rivers will be known and appreciated. President Jimmy Carter.

There is magic in rivers and in the camera and pen of Tim Palmer. Read this book to understand how and why moving water has become a key component of our environmental ethic.
Dr. Roderick Frazier Nash, Professor Emeritus, University of California Santa Barbara and author of Wilderness and the American Mind.

Through a lifetime of passionate connection with the allure of moving water, Tim Palmer has achieved a rare and fluid eloquence in his words as well as his images.
Kevin Fedarko, author of The Emerald Mile.

Tim Palmer’s enchanting photographs and engaging story-telling remind me why saving free-flowing rivers from harm is essential. Read Tim’s book to be inspired!
Rebecca Wodder, former President and CEO, American Rivers.

The following statement was made by Executive Director John Arway on July 31. This statement is taken from https://paenvironmentdaily.blogspot.com/2018/07/john-arway-executive-director-of-fish.html?spref=fb&m=1.

Commissioners, Boating Advisory Board members and Fellow PFBC staff,

Retired friends have told me that you will know when the time has come to retire. I now understand. I have advised Board leadership that I will be retiring from the position of Executive Director of the PA Fish and Boat Commission effective 02 November 2018. I would like to take this opportunity to inform the Board of Commissioners, Boating Advisory Board members and fellow PFBC staff of my planned retirement. Today’s announcement should provide the Board sufficient time to conduct the necessary search for qualified individuals and appoint someone before my departure. I have advised President Hussar that I will do everything I can to make the transition to a new Director as simple as possible.

I have been with the agency for over 38 years, during which time I have had many motivating and rewarding experiences. Working for the PFBC has been a privilege, nothing less. Never did I think, back in the fall of 1979 when I stopped by the PFBC’s Pleasant Gap Office and visited with Jack Miller and Ronni Tibbott to discuss a possible semi-skilled laborer position working on fish habitat projects, that I would wake up 38 years later as the retiring Executive Director of an agency I always respected and admired. I would like to thank all of the people both inside and outside the agency for their support and assistance over the years. I have worked with the best of the best. I feel truly blessed to have been able to serve by your sides while we worked to protect, conserve and enhance our Commonwealth’s aquatic resources and provide Commonwealth anglers and boaters with first class fishing and boating opportunities. Our list of accomplishments is long and will remembered in the next history book as our legacy in the proud tradition of the second oldest fish or wildlife agency in the nation. Bravo Zulu!

When Commission President Tom Shetterly called and offered me the job as Executive Director over eight years ago, the vision I had of the position was soon replaced by the reality of the unusual blend of politics, science, state and national public policy, economics, and social media and personal interactions with anglers and boaters all across the Commonwealth. My only regret is that I failed to achieve a sustainable future for the agency and its programs. The plan we created eight years ago put us on course to control our own destiny. We executed painful cuts across programs to be able to the pay rising expenses of government. We saved sufficient revenues to be able to sustain operations until others provide funding to satisfy the public service demands of a government business. I leave the agency in good hands and am confident that the Board and PFBC staff will maintain the courage and resolve to continue to do the right things for the right reasons for not only the current generation of PA anglers and boaters but more importantly for generations yet to come. The plan for the future should include the defense of agency independence, living within our means and not spending more than we earn. This simple formula will insure continued agency success far into the future.

I know that my leaving will present challenges for a new director but will also create opportunities. I am preparing plans for my replacement that outline in detail each step that is needed to complete the tasks at hand. I will also be available to assist my replacement in an orderly transition in any way that I can.

During my retirement, I will be enjoying the bounties provided by Penn’s waters and woods. I may even stray outside our state border from time to time to see if the grass is really greener in other places. I will remain available for advice, counsel or friendly discussion in case there is anything I can do to assist you or the agency. I’ll be spending more time in a town called Lynch in the middle of the Allegheny National Forest. It’s the camp with the green metal roof and I’ll be the one sitting by the campfire surrounded by an army of grandkids roasting marshmallows and identifying constellations in the night sky. To fulfill a life’s dream and begin a new journey spending time with family and friends, I am truly grateful.

Thank you all very much for the wonderful memories. I look forward to following the continued successes of this great agency. It has been a true privilege and honor to end my professional career as the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Fish and boat Commission. Carpe diem!

Your Director,

><(John{(°>

Do Your Duty and Fear No One….. R. W. Abele

The following article was taken from the PA Environment Digest, Issue #719, April 9, 2018.

New research from Susquehanna University’s Freshwater Research Initiative finds that brook trout populations suffered most as a result of natural gas development if their habitats were already made fragile by other land uses.

They also predicted future loss of brook trout if natural gas development continues unabated.

Jonathan Niles, director of Susquehanna’s Freshwater Research Initiative, is a co-author of Brook Trout Distributional Response To Unconventional Oil And Gas Development: Landscape Context Matters, published in the latest edition of the journal Science of the Total Environment.

Niles, along with researchers from West Virginia and Loyola universities and the U.S. Geological Survey, assessed the role of landscape context, or pre-existing natural habitat quality, in predicting the response of brook trout to natural gas development.

Researchers compiled 2,231 brook trout collection records from 2006 to 2013 from the Upper Susquehanna River Watershed. Niles and his students, through their work with the Fish and Boat Commission’s Unassessed Waters Initiative, provided some of the data.

Researchers found that the streams most impacted by natural gas development were already endangered due to pre-existing land uses such as agriculture, residential and commercial development, or historic mining.

The additional stress of natural gas development, researchers predict, will further decimate brook trout populations.

“What this tells us is that we’re dealing with ecosystems that are already challenged,” Niles said. “Our results could be used to guide regulatory and conservation decisions by identifying streams in which additional stress will likely result in an adverse result for brook trout populations.”

Some of the samples examined by researchers were collected from streams pre- and post-natural gas development.

Of those samples, 13 percent lost brook trout after the occurrence of natural gas development.

“Some of the best things we can do from a landscape context is to better situate roads, limit duplication of pipelines that are crossing streams and reduce the size of well pads,” Niles said. “This is especially the case where the landscape has gone from forested to more impervious surfaces, as those changes can impact brook trout.”

Click Here to read a copy of the article.

Susquehanna’s Freshwater Research Initiative provides field-based measurements of the ecological health of the Susquehanna River watershed to state environmental agencies, conservancies, nonprofits and the public; and collaborates with more than 45 nonprofit groups, government agencies, and colleges and universities within the Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay watersheds.

The FRI trains Susquehanna University students for careers in environmental research and conservation in both field and laboratory settings.

For more information on their research, visit Susquehanna University’s Freshwater Research Initiative webpage.

The Susquehanna Chapter will have a table at the upcoming Science on the Sock Event on April 22 at the Consolidated Sportsmens on Route 87 north of Montoursville.  We will have table with brochures about Trout Unlimited and the things that we do as well as have fly casting instruction.  We are hoping to have a fly tying demonstration as well.  If you would like to help, please let us know.

Information was taken from the press release put out by the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association and is as follows:

River of the Year Focus of Family Earth Day Activities

 SUNBURY (April 10, 2018) – With all eyes on the Loyalsock Creek watershed as Pennsylvania’s 2018 River of the Year, the public is invited to join Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association and its watershed partners for two free Earth Day programs on Sunday, April 22, along and near the Loyalsock Creek.

Earth Day will step off in the morning with a hike to Jacoby Falls with partner Keep It Wild! The DCNR trail adventure to the 29-feet-high Jacoby Falls is about three miles roundtrip. Families with children are encouraged to attend, and four-legged, well-behaved leashed dogs are welcome to stroll and sniff too. Depending on Mother Nature’s plans for unveiling the new season, participants may witness first spring wildflowers blooming under a canopy of hardwood and coniferous trees. Please bring water, a snack, and dog waste bags. Sturdy shoes are recommended. This public hiking trail is located near scenic Wallis Run just northeast of Williamsport. The trailhead can be found north of State Route 973 along Wallis Run Road (State Route 1003). Registration opens at 10:30AM at the parking area for the trailhead with the group departing at 11:00.

In partnership with Lycoming College Clean Water Institute, Science on the ‘Sock will run from 1PM to 4PM along the Loyalsock Creek on the grounds of Consolidated Sportsmen of Lycoming County, directly upstream from Pier 87 Restaurant along Route 87 in Plunketts Creek Township. Organizations and agencies will provide hands-on science activities for families, including a river table for water flow exploration, macroinvertebrate and fish identification, birding, tree identification, fish printing and other environmental crafts, a hellbender learning station, groundwater exploration, and more. There will be a river-related puppet show each half hour. Participating organizations include Loyalsock Creek Watershed Association, Lycoming County Conservation District, PA DCNR Department of Forestry, PA DCNR Worlds End State Park, North-Central Pennsylvania Conservancy, USGS, Lycoming Audubon, Chesapeake Conservancy, PA Department of Environmental Protection, Sierra Club-Otzinachson Group, Pennsylvania Amphibian and Reptile Survey, Susquehanna Chapter Trout Unlimited, Susquehanna River Basin Commission, and American Rivers. Participants will not be entering the creek. All activities are on land. Young scientists are encouraged to bring along their parents and grandparents for an afternoon of family learning fun.

Both the morning and afternoon events will be held rain or shine. Participants are asked to dress appropriately for weather conditions.

These projects were financed in part by a grant from the Community Conservation Partnerships Program, using Environmental Stewardship Funds, under the administration of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation and administered by the Pennsylvania Organization of Watersheds and Rivers.

For more information, please contact Middle Susquehanna RIVERKEEPER® Carol Parenzan at 570-768-6300 or midsusriver@gmail.com.

You can get your copy of the April 2018 issue of the Susquehanna Ripples by clicking here