Family Fishing Day with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and help from the Susquehanna Chapter of Trout Unlimited was a success!!
Walt from Susquehanna Trout Unlimited helped at the casting station
After learning a little about being SMART angler (Safety first, Manners are important, Appreciate clean water, Release some of your catch, and Teach others), practicing casting, and learning to tie a knot to help keep your hook on your line, the group got their rods, reels, and bait and got to fishing.
Charlie from Susquehanna Trout Unlimited (in the red hat) helped at knot tying.
Some of the participants had gone fishing before. For others this was their first time fishing.
Cody Whipple with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission works throughout the region (and state) teaching people more about fishing.
At least one young angler got a fish on his first cast…and it was his first fish ever. The group continued to fish for over an hour before there were a couple rumbles of thunder. That ended the fishing for the day.
Thank you to all the families who came out and gave fishing a try. We hope to see them on the lake and streams again!
Stay tuned for more fishing programs and check out the PA Fish and Boat Commission’s website for more of their upcoming events.
And don’t forget NPC is a fishing tackle loaner site! Reach out if you want to borrow some rods and reels!
Lovely and delicate Squirrel Corn, Dicentra canadensis, is blooming now! Look for it in rich woodlands with nearby streams. I found mine near a small run, down over a bank, along a dirt road. My husband, once again, hearing, “Oh! Oh! Quick, stop the truck. I gotta get a picture of this!” Large colonies were growing in the dappled sunlight that filters down through the upper canopy during the day.
Large colony of Squirrel corn
The flowers got my attention first. They looked like Dutchman’s Breeches, but the closer I got, the more they resembled small white Bleeding Hearts. If you are familiar with the garden variety Bleeding Heart blossoms, you know they are really pink and have spit-apart heart shapes that dangle from an arching stem. The Squirrel Corn flowers, cream or very pale pink, are arranged the same way, hanging down on a smooth, arching stem, several inches above the light green foliage. The leaves are sort of a triangle shape, divided and re-divided into narrow segments, giving them a lacy effect. In order to correctly identify this native plant, I teased its roots apart to look for the physical characteristic responsible for its common name – a small group of attached tubers that resemble kernels of corn or small yellow peas – and then carefully replanted them. Yeah! Squirrel Corn!
Heart-shaped flowers hanging down from a stem
After fertilization, drooping seed capsules with flattened, oval shapes will form and split into two parts releasing the seeds. Dicentra, the genus name of all three plants – Dutchman’s Breeches, Squirrel Corn and Bleeding Hearts – means “two spurs” which they all have! They are members of the same family. I can’t say which one right now because they are listed in two different ones, Poppy Family and Fumitory Family, depending on the resource!
Bleeding Hearts in the garden
All parts of Squirrel Corn are poisonous and can cause skin irritation after contact with cell sap. In fact, after I dug around to check the roots, my fingers itched for a bit. Hand sanitizer helped with that. (Silver lining of the Covid cloud…we never used to carry it in the truck before!) These plants are native from southeastern Canada down through northeastern and eastern United States. They attract butterflies and bees, songbirds and small mammals (squirrels?). They appear to be resistant to deer and rabbits.
Up until the 1960’s, fungi were considered plants and categorized in the plant kingdom. After extensive chemical and DNA testing, they were placed in their own separate kingdom. Morels are an ascomycete, or sac fungus, because their spores are produced in microscopic sacs that then release them to the winds.
My beautiful Yellow Morel
It seemed every time I googled something this month, a photo of morels showed up on the screen. I knew what they were because one popped up in my friend’s yard last year. Oh, how I longed to have one appear in mine as well! Several days after my husband mowed our yard for the first time this spring, a Yellow Morel appeared. What a beauty it was, with its white-ribbed stem and unusual bumpy and pitted yellowish-tan cap! The pits and hollows are where its spore-making sacs, the asci, are located. Here’s hoping lots of its creamy ocher-yellow spores have dispersed in my yard and underground. We do have two dead apple trees that, along with other mixed hardwoods like ash and elms, are favored habitat for this species of morel, Morchella americana. Trees, as they deteriorate, provide all the essential nutrients that morels need to sustain themselves, which they do by using their extensive mycelium (masses of tubular filaments) to absorb food and water. They may come back in the same place every year if the weather is favorable. Similar to Earth-like planets astronomers are looking for in space, in the soil down here, Yellow Morels have their own habitable or Goldilocks zone. They cannot grow in very hot climates or very cold climates.
My resource book, Mushrooms of the Northeastern United States, indicates there are more than 100,000 species of fungi described so far, and 64,000 of them are ascomycetes, ranging in size from pinhead to moderately large. The truffles of Italy and France are members of this group, too. No, I did not harvest my morel for food, although I understand they are delicious when prepared properly. They are extremely toxic if eaten raw. Perhaps the poison in their caps kept animals from consuming them before they reproduced. It worked – they have been living on earth for over 154 million years.
“Every year the Environmental Excellence honorees show the creative and innovative ways we can improve our environment, and this year is no different,” said Governor Tom Wolf. “The projects highlighted this year show tremendous diversity in how they are making Pennsylvania a better place.”
The Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy and Pennsylvania Game Commission’s efforts on Plunketts Creek at Proctor are being recognized with a Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence. The project removed an earthern berm, reconnected Plunkeets Creek to its floodplain, allowed improvements to Huckle Run Road, and works to reduce flooding for neighbors at the site and downstream.
Pennsylvania Game Commission food and cover crews out of Allenwood and English Center worked on all phases of the project at Plunketts Creek
The project was evaluated for the degree of environmental protection, innovation, partnership, economic impact, consideration of climate change, sustainability, and environmental justice, as well as outcomes achieved. It, along with 14 other projects from across the state, were recognized with the 2022 Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence in Harrisburg.
During the event, DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell said, “It is always a privilege to spotlight people going above and beyond to improve the environment and make our great outdoor spaces more accessible. Each of the projects awarded this year will leave a positive lasting legacy for Pennsylvania.”
This project’s lasting legacy will be less flooding, more ecological functioning, and better water quality. Plunketts Creek is a High Quality-Cold Water Fishery with naturally reproducing trout. The Creek is in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and the water in the Creek gets to the Bay through Loyalsock Creek, the West Branch Susquehanna River, and then the Susquehanna River
In Phase 1 in 2020 NPC and PGC stabilized the eroding streambanks on an 850 foot stretch of Plunketts Creek using log and rock structures designed by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. The eroding streambanks were adding sediment to the stream and covering the substrate on the bottom. By immediately stabilizing the streambanks, the source of the sediment was eliminated. Over time, the sediment on the stream bottom will flush out of the system.
In 2021, as Phase 2, the partners removed 2,200 linear feet of the earthen berm along Plunketts Creek and restored the Creek’s access to the floodplain, lowering adjacent flood elevations and the erosive potential of the stream. One of the outstanding attributes of the project was the 333rd Engineering Company of the US Army Reserves, based in Reading, PA, completed the project as their summer 2021 training exercise. The soldiers were able to get 3 weeks of training while also providing a huge environmental benefit to the community.
A Dirt and Gravel Road Project on Huckle Run Road (also on State Game Lands 134) received over 1,500 truckloads (approximately 15,000 tons) of material from the berm. The dirt road was incised forcing rain water and snow melt to run down the road. This directed sediment into nearby Huckle Run (also High Quality with Naturally Reproducing Trout). In addition to the water quality improvements, this road project also improves public access. Huckle Run Road will soon be open to allow the public to access the State Game Lands.
The project was only possible because of the efforts of a number of partners working together. One of the key partners was the 1st Platoon of the 333rd Engineering Company of the US Army Reserves. The Reservists used the project as their 2021 summer training project. Their assistance was possible because of the Department of Defense’s Innovative Readiness Training program.
The partners who worked with the Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy and Pennsylvania Game Commission to help make the project possible were:
Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
Lycoming County Conservation District
333rd Engineering Company of US Army Reserves
Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds
Susquehanna River Basin Commission
PA Council of Trout Unlimited
Coldwater Heritage Program
Loyalsock Creek Men’s Club
Loyalsock Creek Watershed Association
American Legion Post 104 (Montoursville, PA)
If you’re interested in learning more about the project, check out these blog posts:
April showers truly bring May Flowers! While visiting easements in Columbia and Lycoming Counties this past week, I spotted several native wildflowers in bloom.
Wood Anemone (Anemone quinquefloia) is a perennial flower in the buttercup family with 5 white petals and a distinctive musky smell. Being that they are one of the earliest blooming flowers in our region, wood anemones are a great source of nectar for early pollinators.
Mayapples (Podophyllum peltatum) have large umbrella-likes leaves that grow to approximately 18” tall and up to 12” across, developing a single white flower. Typically found in damp, open woods, mayapples use rhizomes to colonize the forest floor, creating dense mats. Mayapples are currently unfurling their leaves and will begin to blossom later this month.
Dutchman’s Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria) resemble a pair of pantaloons hanging upside-down on a clothes-line, with yellow around ‘the waist.’ They may be confused with Bleeding Hearts and Squirrel Corn, however these 2 have a more ‘heart-shaped’ flower, and lack the yellow coloring at the end of the spurs. The finely compound leaves of Dutchman’s Breeches resemble ferns. Refrain from collecting Dutchman’s Breeches, as their flowers wilt almost immediately upon being picked.
Blue Cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides) is a perennial woodland species that thrives in shady areas with moist soil. They display clusters of dainty yellowish-green flowers, once the flowers have fallen, vivid-blue berries take their place.
Yellow Trout Lilies (Erythronium americanum) have a pair of brownish mottled leaves that resemble the markings of a brook trout, with a single yellow lily-shaped flower. It takes several years from germination for the plant to reach maturity and develop a flower, younger plants with only one leaf will not flower. Yellow Trout Lilies are found in areas with rich, moist soil that receive ample sunlight in early spring.
Tussock Sedge (Carex stricta) is a vigorous wetland plant that forms mounded clumps and grows to approximately 3’ tall. The large, dense root system, and its resiliency to deer browsing make the Tussocks Sedge an excellent choice for erosion control!
Thank you to McCormick Law Firm for supporting conservation!
As you’re working in your yard this spring and summer think about what invasive plants you have and whether or not you can remove them and clear them out.
Burning bush
Invasive plants are often times beautiful to those who don’t know the ugly truth about them. Invasive plants, trees, and shrubs out-compete native species for resources and grow more rapidly than their native counterparts, and can eventually take over entire landscapes. Knowing what not to plant is as important as being able to identify invasive plant species that may already exist on your property. Early identification and management of invasive species are key to helping native flora flourish as nature had intended. Many of the invasive plants that we see today had been brought over from Europe and Asia for ornamental, landscaping purposes; some were brought to the U.S. over 100 years ago!
Burning bush stem
Burning bush, also referred to as winged euonymus (Euonymus alatus) was introduced as an ornamental shrub in the 1800’s for its vibrant red fall foliage. Often found in large thickets due to its prolific seed production, Burning bush outcompetes native plants due to the dense shade that it creates, while itself being shade tolerant and having no native pests. This is an easily identifiable invasive due to its prominent corky “wings” that run along the stems, and can grow to 15’ tall. When caught early, young plants can be hand-pulled from loose soil, larger more established shrubs require stump grinding or the addition of a glyphosate foliar application. Native shrubs that are a more ecologically friendly alternative include Strawberry Bush, Spicebush, Red Chokecherry, and Common Winterberry.
Bark of Alianthus, a.k.a. Tree-of-heaven
Ailanthus altissima, more commonly known as ‘Tree-of-heaven’ is not as heavenly as it may sound, the name refers to its rapid growth, and will quickly shade-out smaller plants. Roots of Ailanthus produce chemicals that prevent the establishment of other plants nearby, and can cause damage to sewer lines and house foundations due to its swift growth. In addition to Ailanthus being an invasive species itself, it also plays host to the Spotted Lanternfly which is an agricultural nightmare that has been spreading its way across Pennsylvania since 2014. Ailanthus looks similar to sumac and walnut trees, however the bark of Ailanthus has a white, diamond like pattern, broken twigs smell of burnt peanut butter, smooth leaf margins, and the tope leaves turn reddish in the summer. Hack and squirt or basal bark applications are found to be the most effective management for Ailanthus. Desirable natives with similar looking compound leaves include Staghorn Sumac and Black Walnut.
English poet William Wordsworth (1770 to 1850) made his home in the Lake District of northwestern England for sixty of his eighty years. A lover of nature, he wrote, “Come forth into the light of things, and let nature be your teacher.” In 1807, he made Lake Windermere’s “host of golden daffodils” famous in his poem “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”. As a sixth-grade student, I was required to memorize his poem. I think of him, and my teacher, fondly each and every spring as the local daffodil population blooms.
In 1905, artist and writer Beatrix Potter bought property in the Lake District, an area where she had spent childhood holidays with her family. She set many of her Peter Rabbit books there and used money from the sales of them and her paintings to support a movement to prevent development on Windermere’s lakeshore. She also helped a group who protested against widening a road that passed through Wordsworth’s daffodil field! She wrote,”This little corner of the country should be kept unchanged for people who appreciate its beauty”. An old friend of hers was one of the founders of England’s National Trust, created in 1895. Beatrix supported the Trust by willing 4,000 acres of land and fourteen farms to it. In 1951, the Lake District was made a national park. In 2017, it became a World Heritage Site. Small beginnings can lead to great outcomes!
Planted for naturalization
It’s daffodil time right now in Pennsylvania. Perhaps you have planted their bulbs to grow and spread on your property. They, at ground level, along with the taller Forsythia bushes, certainly brighten our landscape. Daffodils are not native plants. They could have been brought here from many parts of Europe, North Africa, the Mediterranean region, or Western Asia where they grow naturally. They are good plants for woods’ clearings, grasslands, rocky ground. I’ve found them in patches along creeks where they probably washed in from upstream.
Roadside daffodils
Daffodils are in the genus Narcissus. Folks seem to use both names interchangeably. Botanists who studied them have changed their family name and identified a whole bunch of species and cultivars based on frilly-edged or smooth, center coronas like bowls or trumpets, with the same or contrasting colors, having multiple flower stems. Yikes, our daff-o-down-dillies are pretty complicated! And pretty looking, but definitely not for eating. Even deer don’t like them. They contain lycorine, a bad-tasting alkaloid, but good for medical science that has found promising uses for its anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties.
The Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy is partnering with Little Pine State Park (DCNR Bureau of State Parks), the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, and Lycoming County Conservation District on a project to address eroding streambanks along Little Pine Creek within Little Pine State Park. Using log and rock structures approximately 1,600 feet of the streambank will be stabilized and some floodplain access restored.
Thanks to the Coldwater Heritage Partnership the project took one step closer to implementation. The Coldwater Heritage Partnership recently announced their spring grants and the project at Little Pine was awarded!!
If you’re familiar with the Park we’re looking at the stream stretch starting around the shooting range going downstream. Little Pine Creek is a Cold Water Fishery that is attaining for aquatic resources. The project site is in a stretch of the stream that also has naturally reproducing trout and is a Keystone Select trout stream.
Little Pine Creek’s streambanks are eroding, creating bank heights of 8 to 10 feet from water’s edge to the top of bank. The sediment from the eroding stream banks is entering the stream system and depositing in the area of this proposed project and down stream.
To give you some idea of the amount of sediment coming into the system we can use the location of the swimming buoys at Little Pine State Park’s lake which is downstream. The buoys are placed where there is 4.5 feet of water depth. In 2020 the buoys were placed approximately 75-feet from shore, in 2021 they were placed approximately 125 feet from shore. The buoys had to move further out because of the sediment filling in the lake.
As you will see in the aerial photos (below) comparing the site from 1995 (on left) to 2015 (on right) sediment is filling in the lake at Little Pine State Park. The sediment is from the eroding stream banks.
By working to eliminate sources of sediment and restore access to the floodplains the hope is Little Pine Creek can remain a Cold Water Fishery and continue to be attaining for aquatic resources as well as meet these other designations.
Jason Detar is a fisheries biologist for the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and serves on the Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture. He conducted a habitat analysis of Little Pine Creek. When asked by email his thoughts on this project he responded with:
“Substantial streambank erosion is occurring throughout the proposed project reach on Little Pine Creek. This has resulted in significant sediment transport downstream in the greater Pine Creek/West Branch Susquehanna/Susquehanna River watersheds impacting water quality and habitat. The Little Pine Creek stream channel is becoming overly wide and shallow from the bank erosion. Little Pine Creek is unique in that it is a large stream that supports a wild Brook Trout population throughout the project reach. Brook Trout are intolerant of sediment and elevated water temperature. Completion of the project will improve water quality by reducing erosion and sediment deposition and improve habitat for wild Brook Trout.”
Thank you to the following organizations for their help with the application!
Lloyd Wilson Chapter of TU
Lycoming County Conservation District
Pine Creek Preservation Association
Pine Creek Watershed Council
We’ll be posting project updates here and on NPC’s social media account!
Thank you to C&N Bank for supporting conservation!
It’s not “why did the chicken cross the road?” it’s “how did the cow cross the stream?”
This Northumberland County landowner had eroding stream banks. He tried fencing the cows out of the stream (good move on his part), but the erosion already had a good foot hold.
The Conservation District had the stream partners look at the site. A crossing design and streambank design were completed.
The stream crossing was the first step. The stream team went out and did this on a Friday, so the “typical” streambank work could begin the next Monday.
The photos are from the about halfway point. The far bank is the before and hasn’t been worked on yet. The near bank is almost after (still a little work to be done).
Now, the cows will be crossing the stream using a stabilized stream crossing. Having a stable surface will not only reduce sediment and improve water quality, but it’s also safer for the cows.
Thank you to NPC’s members for their help in making these projects and cleaner water possible.
You know that smell – digging in the soil, when rain is on the way or just over, that earthy, musty, spring-like scent coming your way on a breeze. It is petrichor, Greek for stone and blood of the gods, AND there is chemistry involved! A combination of geosmin, (C12 H22 O) an alcohol released by dead microbes, PLUS ozone, an ion of oxygen produced by lightning and other atmospheric gases, PLUS the aromatic oils of living and dried plants EQUALS petrichor! That wonderful, standing out on the porch and sniffing the air, “It’s sprinkling out” smell! I didn’t know it had a name. The word “petrichor” was just coined in 1964 by two chemists, although people have been smelling it forever.
The major component of petrichor that we need to know more about is the geosmin, or earth smell, which provides the scent of dead soil bacteria. When raindrops fall on a porous surface like dirt, aerosols are released that carry the smell created by bacteria, like streptomyces, in those small bubbles, up, up and away on the wind. We humans appear to be extremely sensitive to geosmin, a trait we may have picked up and kept on our evolutionary journey to now. This may have come about due to our ancestors’ need to find water sources in order to survive. Certainly rain had a very important impact on their food sources as well.
We can smell and taste the geosmin molecule in other places besides the air. In fact, some folks don’t like where it occurs. For example, in community water supplies, especially those places that depend on surface water; the skin and dark muscle tissue of fish; the taste of mushrooms and root vegetables like beets and carrots. Researchers have found that using an acid in or on some of the above will decompose the geosmin molecules into odorless substances. Can you make the connection…lemon slices in the water served by restaurants…lemon juice squirted on fish and other seafood…the use of vinegar to “pickle” beets and other root veggies…Got it?
Humans do seem to like the smell, however. Chemical companies actually create synthetic versions of geosmin that are used in perfumes, air fresheners, scented candles, and a lot of other places we may not know about. The bottom line is that odors can trigger both positive and negative emotions because they are associated with specific memories. What memories come to you in the rain or on a mushroom laden pizza?
