Susquehanna Chapter of Trout Unlimited

The next Chapter meeting will be Wednesday September 11 at 5:30 pm (the Susquehanna Ripples incorrectly stated 7:30 pm) at the Montoursville Boat Launch (at the foot of Mill Street , next to the old Green bridge on Broad Street).  The topic will be Kayak fishing and there will be a demonstration on the use of kayaks and Country Ski and Sports will have some available for use.  We will also be having casting demonstrations and instruction (both fly and spinning) and fishing in the Susquehanna River.

We will also be having a picnic and hope that you can all attend this great event.  The picnic is free and all we ask is that you bring something to share.  The Chapter will be providing hot dogs, corn on the cob, chips and water and lemon aid in addition to all cups and eating utensils and condiments.  It will be a time for everyone to get together and share memories of the summer and to make new ones.   There will be a grill available if you wish to bring something to grill.

The September 11 motorcycle ride also takes place this night and is scheduled to go through Montoursville.  The ride starts in Montgomery at 6 pm and is expected to get to Montoursville around 6:30 pm. Because of this, there will be traffic delays along Broad Street and getting to or from the boat launch will be delayed. We ask that everyone arrive early to avoid being caught in any delays.

 

On Saturday August 24, 2013, there will be a rededication of Trout Run Park (off Old Rt 15 now Lycoming Creek Road extension. Just south of Trout Run Village about 1 mile) from 11 am  – 4 pm. The Park is a beautiful property and this event will re-introduce the public to the park and its recent improvements.  The Park offers great opportunities to experience nature; the path and fishing platform make Lycoming Creek easily accessible for fishing; the driveway and trails are great for walking, the creek side land has great habitat for bird watching, and the new playground entertains children.

The Susquehanna Chapter of Trout Unlimited will have an informational booth at this event and will be conducting casting demonstrations on the stream and showing off the fishing platform. If you can help out in any way (casting demonstrations or helping at the TU table), please contact Dave Craig.

Food will be available, Live Music from Sean Farley and Friends, the States Wood mobile, and some local government officials will be on hand.  We hope to see you there!

Mike Ditchfield (member of the Lewis Township Planning Commission, Lycoming Creek Watershed Association, Trout Unlimited, and the Lycoming Creek Angler’s Club) contributed to this article.

 

The Susquehanna Chapter of Trout Unlimited invites everyone to its September 11th meeting and picnic at the Montoursville boat launch at the south end of Mill Street. Picnic will begin at 5:30 pm (BYO main dishes) followed by a demonstration of kayaks, paddling, and fishing techniques, and a chance to try them out. Short meeting will follow including discussion of upcoming meeting topics, projects, recap of this summer’s unassessed waters survey results, and no doubt, some fishing stories.

The Susquehanna Ripples and our previous entry incorrectly listed 7:30 as the starting time.  Please make the necessary changes to your calendar and hope to see you at the meeting at 5:30 pm.

The next Chapter meeting will be Wednesday September 11 at 7:30 pm at the Montoursville Boat Launch (at the foot of Mill Street , next to the old Green bridge on Broad Street).  The topic will be Kayak fishing and there will be a demonstration on the use of kayaks and some will be available for use.  We will also be having casting demonstrations and instruction (both fly and spinning) and fishing in the Susquehanna River.

We will also be having a picnic and hope that you can all attend this great event.  It will be a time for everyone to get together and share memories of the summer and to make new ones.  More information about the picnic will be coming in the near future. Please mark you calendars now and plan on attending this great event.

Here is a list of  formerly unassessed streams ( 72 ) that have been assessed.  Dr. Jon Niles and one of his teams assessed these tribs. They will be changed from red to blue on the map pages soon.

You would be surprized how many of these little tribs have trout ,  like 75% of the Pleasant Stream tribs. And we got a 13 1/2″ wild brookie in a trib to the ‘Sock.

We would like to thank Steve Szoke for providing this information

2013-06-24 Unassessed waters update

Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Biologists have, as a result of routine monitoring, detected the presence of the invasive diatom Didymosphenia geminata, also known as Didymo, in the Pine Creek watershed, Lycoming County PA.  Representative specimens were sent to The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University where Dr. Marina Potapova confirmed DEP’s identification.

Living Didymo diatoms were obtained on June 18, 2013 from Pine Creek at a location upstream of Waterville in the vicinity of the Hamilton Bottom Canoe Access Area; Lycoming County.  This represents the first evidence of this invasive diatom in this watershed.  In fact, prior to this discovery no Didymosphenia geminata diatoms were known by DEP to exist in Pennsylvania waters except at verified infestations sites in the Youghiogheny River and the West Brach/mainstem of the Delaware Rivers.

All Water Quality professionals should take precautions against spreading Didymo by properly cleaning and disinfecting aquatic gear prior to working in other waters. For more information, please visit PA Fish & Boat Commission website for a fact sheet and further guidance at: http://www.fishandboat.com/water/habitat/ans/didymo/faq_didymo.htm

 

State Agencies Issue Alert to Contain Invasive Species in Lycoming County

HARRISBURG, Pa. (July 11) – After confirming the presence of the invasive aquatic algae known as didymo, or “rock snot,” in Pine Creek, Lycoming County, anglers and boaters are reminded that cleaning their gear is the easiest, most effective means of preventing its spread to other waters.

“Our biologists have not seen any evidence of a full bloom of didymo in the creek or nearby waterways,” Department of Environmental Protection Acting Secretary Chris Abruzzo said. “This algae does not present a public health risk, but there is an ecological concern in terms of its future potential impact on the health of the waterway.”

In late June, DEP biologists were conducting routine stream monitoring in Pine Creek upstream of Waterville in the vicinity of the Hamilton Bottom Canoe Access Area, a popular recreational destination. Laboratory analysis of a sample collected using an algal net detected the presence of didymo in the form of microscopic diatoms, a finding confirmed by the National Academy of Sciences.

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) continued to urge anglers and boaters to take steps to prevent the spread of the algae.

“We may not be able to eliminate didymo from an infected waterway, but there are easy steps we can take to slow its spread and to prevent it from spreading to other waters,” said PFBC Executive Director John Arway.

“Didymo cells can easily be carried downstream and can be picked up by any items which come in contact with the infected water, including fishing tackle, waders, and boats and trailers. We urge anglers and boaters to ‘Clean Your Gear!’ before leaving a water body and entering another one.”

The discovery of the algae in a popular recreational area potentially increases the risk of its movement to other waters in Pennsylvania.

“Flowing through the heart of Tiadaghton State Forest, Pine Creek and its parallel trail are increasingly popular with anglers, boaters, hikers and other Pennsylvania residents and visitors,” said Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Acting Secretary Ellen Ferretti.

“The discovery of didymo has no immediate impact to the visitor experience on or along Pine Creek, but we ask all to remain vigilant in an effort to protect this invaluable waterway and other streams and rivers,” Ferretti said.

Prior to detecting didymo in Pine Creek, the alga was found in the Youghiogheny River watershed in Fayette County, in the West Branch and main stem of the Delaware River, and in Dyberry Creek in Wayne County.

The PFBC recommends that anglers allow exposed equipment to completely dry before entering new waters. After equipment is dry to the touch, allow it to dry another 48 hours, the commission suggests. Thick and dense material, such as life jackets and felt-soled wading gear, will hold moisture longer, take longer to dry, and can be more difficult to clean.

Soaking equipment in hot water containing dishwashing detergent (two cups of detergent for every two and a half gallons of water) for 20 minutes or more also will kill didymo and some other aquatic invasive species.

Cleaning boats and equipment with hot water (maintained at 140 degrees Fahrenheit) by pressure washing or soaking is another effective method. If hot water is not available, a commercial hot water car wash also makes a good location to wash boats, motors and trailers. At the other end of the temperature range, freezing items solid for at least 24 hours is effective. If cleaning, drying or freezing is not practical, please restrict the equipment’s use to a single waterway.

Didymo is not a public health hazard, but it can cause ecological damage by smothering other organisms which also live on the riverbed and support the food web for the resident fish community.

The algae, whose scientific name is “Didymosphenia geminata,” has colloquially been called “rock snot” because of its appearance. When squeezed nearly dry, the algae, generally tan to beige in color, actually has the feel of moist cotton or wool.

For more details on how to stop the spread of didymo, visit http://www.fishandboat.com/water/habitat/ans/didymo/faq_didymo.htm.

For more information on how to clean your gear, visit http://fishandboat.com/cleanyourgear.htm.

 

Above information obtained from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission

We have just received information about a presentation that will be held on July 10, 2013 at 7 pm at the Pennsdale Civic Center. The topic of the presentation will be Shale Gas Leasing on

Pennsylvania’s Game Lands.  Please click the link to see the advertisement for this program. SAMC July Mini-Summit

Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Richard Allan today announced that the department will hold a public meeting on Marcellus Shale issues in the Loyalsock State Forest, Lycoming County, from 4 to 6 p.m. on Monday, June 3 at Lycoming College in Williamsport.
“DCNR is responding to requests that the public be given the chance to provide the department with information and comments on possible gas development in the Loyalsock, in an area where we do not own the subsurface rights,” Allan said. “This meeting is the completion of a series of interactions with the public regarding this complicated and long-standing issue, including a local stakeholder meeting and a public web-based information session.”
As a result of a 1989 Commonwealth Court decision, about 25,000 acres of the Loyalsock State Forest are in a unique and complex situation in terms of surface ownership and rights.
“DCNR is committed to stewardship of state forests and to working proactively with all stakeholders – including the public and mineral right owners – to ensure the protection of these vital public lands,” Allan said.
The meeting will be held in Wendle Hall, Academic Center, off of Mulberry Street. All are welcome to participate in the public meeting. Registration is not required.
The meeting will begin with a short power-point presentation about the Loyalsock situation by Marcellus Program Manager Arianne Proctor. Following the presentation, questions will be answered by Secretary Allan, Proctor and State Forester Dan Devlin.
Following the question and answer session, participants will be offered the opportunity to make comments with a five-minute time limit.
If unable to attend the meeting, members of the public can submit written comments by email to loyalsock@pa.gov.
DCNR held a local stakeholder meeting on this issue on April 4, and participated in a Penn State web-based information session on April 25.
The webinar is archived and available on the Penn State Extension natural-gas website. To access the webinar, go to http://extension.psu.edu/naturalgas and choose “Recorded Webinars” under “Quick Links.”

Loyalsock State Forest Clarence Moore Lands Fact Sheet

Submitted by Joe Radley

 

The Chapter meeting on April 10 had Bob Weber, Fisheries Biologist with the PF&BC, detailing the process for doing the surveys for the Unassessed Waters Initiative in our area.  The Susquehanna chapter of TU has been invited to be one of two TU Chapters (the other is Allegheny in Western PA) in the state to initiate the survey.

Bob is asking you to fish these unassessed waters this spring and summer and complete a one page report on your findings.  He brought lists and maps of the unassessed waters for Lycoming, Sullivan, and northern Union counties.  Within this area, there are over 2100 unassessed streams!  The PF&BC is focusing on streams likely to be impacted by gas wells or other development.

Any stream you find to have a trout population will be given a priority for in depth assessment by the PF&BC or one of the colleges working with them.  Prior assessments have found a good number of Class A trout streams.  These are eligible for classification as HQ or EV, giving them high levels of protection.

So, how do you go about surveying streams?  First, always make sure if you have legal access.  If a stream is not public land, always seek out the owner and ask permission.  Give an explanation of your purpose and let the owner, if allowed on, know of your results.  Bob said, in prior years, they almost always were given permission to come on the property.  If you have a computer, go to http://www.coldwaterheritage.org. Click on “Unassessed Waters Initiative” on the left side of the screen.  You can view maps and lists of the streams.  Unassessed streams are in red and assessed ones are in blue. Do not submit any surveys on the blue streams.  Print out the survey form and select the streams you plan to fish.  Go fishing! Please complete the form as soon as possible after fishing, making sure you give clear identifiers of the stream.  The follow-up assessments need specific location to complete their survey.  Many streams are listed as unnamed tribs to another stream so a GPS would be useful as lists include coordinates for the stream mouth.

If you don’t have access to a computer, call Joe Radley, 326-1851, to set up a time to see the maps and lists plus get copies of the survey form.  Be mindful that Joe will likely be fishing when you call so make sure you leave a number for call back.

When you have completed the form, please send it in so it can be forwarded to the PF&BC.   DO NOT SUBMIT THE FORMS DIRECTLY TO THE PF&BC.  You can mail the forms to: Susquehanna Chapter of TU, PO Box 1132, Williamsport, PA 17703-1132 or email to centz@lyco.org.

If you want, survey a stream twice, say May and August, to see if it keeps trout continuously.  Please submit forms as soon as you have them done.  We will put surveyed streams on the chapter website so we can avoid duplication.  We will stop surveying on 9/30, for this year.  All reports have to be in to the PF&BC by 10/31.

Thanks for your participation and helping wild trout.  The maps, streams lists, and survey forms are available on our website under the documents section.

 

The Susquehanna Chapter of Trout Unlimited is looking for your participation in launching a PA Fish & Boat Commission (PFBC) pilot program to prioritize which streams will be studied this summer as part of the Unassessed Waters Initiative. PFBC staff will be at the monthly meeting of Susquehanna TU at 7:30 p.m. on April 10th to display maps and list which streams in Lycoming and Sullivan Counties need to be sampled. Under this program, anglers will pick a stream to go out and fish and then report back on what they caught or observed using a form supplied by the PFBC.  This information will then be used by the PFBC to prioritize sampling efforts for this summer’s work by PF&BC staff and partnering colleges. We would like to invite all local trout fisherman, watershed groups, and others who would like to assist in this program to attend the meeting and consider helping out with this monumental effort to get wild trout streams protected.

The meeting will be held at the First Presbyterian Church (East 3rd Street and Mulberry Street, Williamsport) and parking and entrance is in the rear.  We look forward to seeing you there and helping with the project.