Author: Susquehanna Chapter of Trout Unlimited

Welcome to the Susquehanna Chapter of Trout Unlimited. Founded in 1964, we are one of Pennsylvania’s oldest chapters, and help protect many miles of central Pennsylvania’s finest streams. Some of our waters include Muncy Creek, Loyalsock Creek, Black Hole Creek, Pine Creek, Slate Run and Lycoming Creek

Fishing Event at New Trail Brewery

Come out to the New Trail Brewing Company on Sunday March 31 from 12 to 3pm. The Chapter will be there teaching fly tying, talking fishing and meeting new friends. This is the first event of its kind with our Chapter and Lycoming Colleges Clean Water Institue and Northcentral PA Conservancy and others will be there as well. A great event to come out to and this is a family event for all ages and to get ready for the upcoming fishing season.

 

Tell PFBC to Approve Class A and Wild Trout Streams

At the April meeting of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, the PFBC will vote to approve new Class A and Wild Trout Streams in the Commonwealth. We need your voice to tell the commission that TU and its partners stand for Wild Trout protections.

To view a map of proposed streams in your area, click here!

Water quality protections offered by the Wild Trout and Class A designations allow for Pennsylvania’s wild trout to continue to thrive and grow in our beautiful waterways.

Click here to view the full list of proposed Wild Trout Streams

Click here to view the full list of proposed Class A Trout Streams

File your public comment to support the
designation Wild Trout and Class A streams

Comments are due to the Commission by April 9, 2019.

 

DEP Open House: Maintaining Streams in Your Community

If you couldn’t make it to our Chapter meeting on March 13, or if you want to learn more about stream cleanup and speak to agencies one on one, there is another great opportunity for you.  DEP has teamed up with Clean Water Institute of Lycoming College, and many other agencies to provide this great meeting.

“The Department of Environmental Protection’s Northcentral Regional Office and the Clean Water Institute of Lycoming College will hold an open house on March 18 to provide information and resources to landowners and municipalities seeking to work in streams impacted by flooding and erosion.
           The meeting will be held at the Mary Lindsay Welch Honors Hall, Lycoming College, corner of East Fourth Street and Basin Street, Williamsport from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
           During the open house, DEP staff will provide an overview of Restore Pennsylvania, a bold, four-year, $4.5 billion statewide initiative that will provide funding for critical flood control infrastructure, including large-scale stream restoration and maintenance work.  
           Attendees can also speak one-on-one about their stream work and flooding questions with staff from DEP and eight other state, federal, county, and non-profit agencies, and view educational displays and demonstrations.  
           In addition to DEP and the Clean Water Institute, other agencies participating in the open house include the Fish and Boat Commission, PennDOT, PA Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service, Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy, Lycoming County Conservation District, and the Lycoming County Department of Planning and Community Development’s Hazard Mitigation Division.
           Questions should about this event should be directed to Megan Lehman, DEP Northcentral Regional Office, 570-327-3659 or send email to: meglehman@pa.gov.
            For more information on stream maintenance, download a copy of DEP’s Guidelines For Maintaining Streams In Your Community”

Public Meeting on Cleaning Streams after Flood Events

In light of the record amounts of precipitation and flooding we have had on many of our local streams, the issue of cleaning out streams to remove debris piles and gravel bars has been a concern to many, and Susquehanna TU has arranged for Dr. Larry Brannaka of the U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service to present a program on scientific practical approaches to post-flooding stream cleaning.  Dr. Brannaka has years of experience in designing and supervising stream restoration projects, and all local and county municipal officials are encouraged to attend this timely presentation.  The meeting is open to the public and will be held on Wednesday, March 13 at 7 pm at the Covenant Central Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall, at the rear of 807 West Fourth Street in Williamsport (enter off of Campbell St.)

DEP has issued a booklet, Guidelines for Maintaining Streams in your Community, and can be downloaded here

 

 

Fly Tying Class Cancelled for tonight

Because of the weather and the forecast for continued rain and ice throughout the day and into this evening, the fly tying class for tonight (February 12, 2019) is cancelled. Please be safe and stay inside and off the roads.

We will meet next Tuesday, February 19, 2019 at 7 pm for the next class.

Annual Fly Tying Class Registration Closed

The Chapter will be holding its annual fly tying class starting February 5, 2019 and running through March 26, 2019. We had set the class size at 24 students and we reached that number within a short time of advertising the class and can not accept any more registrations.

We will have an update in the March issue of the Susquehanna Ripples and we want to thank everyone who signed up for the class.

 

Introductory Message From New Fish & Boat Commission Executive Director Tim Schaeffer: It’s Great To Be Back!

“Timothy D. Schaeffer, the new Executive Director of the Fish and Boat Commission, penned this introductory message that appeared in the January/February Pennsylvania Angler & Boater magazine, along with a great photo of his 2 sons Erik and Kurt enjoying the water–


      It is great to be back. As a bit of background, I worked at the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission (PFBC) from April 2008 until December 2017 before leaving to serve at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP).
     When people asked why I went to work at PA DEP and why I returned to PFBC, the answer is the same—to make the biggest difference possible in the conservation of Pennsylvania’s natural resources.
     That is my reason for getting into this field in the first place, and the chance to serve the Commonwealth in my current capacity is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join a team of talented, dedicated professionals and volunteers who believe in the agency’s mission to protect, conserve, and enhance aquatic resources and provide fishing and boating opportunities.
     Some of the hallmarks of a good mission statement are that it is concise, easy to remember and captures the essence of the agency. Ours certainly meets those criteria, and we implement it while keeping the Resource First.
     Thank you to the Board of Commissioners for entrusting me with the implementation of that mission.
     During the interview process, I was asked about my vision for the future of PFBC. I will repeat what I told the Commissioners.
     It can be broken down into complementary categories: one is related to its employees and another is connected to how the agency serves the resources and people with whom it interacts.
     The ultimate success of PFBC—and of any organization— lies in the strength of its workforce.
     My vision is of PFBC staff members who possess expertise in their respective fields, are equipped with the financial resources and tools to carry out their jobs, have a clear direction about the priorities of the organization, and who feel they are valued by the agency.
     I envision and am committed to a culture in which they feel motivated to come to work every day.
     Thank you to PFBC’s staff for everything they do and for the opportunity to become a member of their team. They work diligently both in the public eye and behind the scenes, and it is a real honor and privilege to be working alongside them to identify and advance the agency’s conservation, recreation and public safety priorities on behalf of Pennsylvania’s anglers, boaters and aquatic resources.
     On the outside, I see other agencies, legislators, sportsmen’s and conservation groups, citizens, and businesses looking to PFBC as a trusted source for science-based data about the aquatic resources it serves.
     I envision fish, reptiles and amphibians being protected by data-driven decisions and first-rate Waterways Conservation Officers and Deputy Waterways Conservation Officers who enforce natural resource laws and continue to be leaders in aquatic resource conservation, water rescue and boating safety.
     I see anglers and boaters relying on and recognizing the role of PFBC in providing quality recreational experiences that are supported by nationally recognized fishing and boating opportunities and well-maintained infrastructure.
     These visions are connected and will result in the continuation of an independent PFBC that is relevant, respected and sustainable.
     As part of the application process, I was also asked about my leadership style. I told the Commissioners that one of the guiding principles I use at work and in life is to assume good intentions.
     In an era of increasing cynicism, people often default to negative assumptions about why someone is or is not doing something.
     This should not be confused with being naïve; rather, it means starting from a position of understanding why another person may be taking a course of action and working toward a mutually beneficial solution.
     With that underlying assumption as a backdrop, I will work as hard and as diligently as possible each day to advance PFBC’s mission.
     To close this introductory message, please accept this sincere thank you to you and every other angler, boater and person who cares about Pennsylvania’s incredible outdoor world and for being a part of what we do.
     You and your passion for the resource sustain the momentum for conservation at a time when competing activities and demands distract many away from what makes Pennsylvania such a special place.
     It is a real pleasure to be back with the agency and to have the chance to work with you.

           

For more information about programs, educational resources, grants and initiatives of the agency, visit the Fish and Boat Commission website.  Click Here to buy your fishing license to support Commission programs.  Click Here to get on Commission social media, get the Commission app and to receive press releases.”

above is taken from http://paenvironmentdaily.blogspot.com/2019/01/introductory-message-from-new-fish-boat.html