Lackawanna River Currents - Lackawanna River Corridor Association

Spring 2007
Volume 14
Number 2
Lackawanna
River Currents
Newsletter of the Lackawanna River Corridor Association
RI VER F E S T ‘ 07
Secure Your Vessel for the May 12th Event!
Paddlers prepare! Only a
few weeks remain to
submit your entry for the
Lackawanna River Corridor Association’s
annual RiverFest.
This year’s event
will be held on Saturday, May 12th.
Vessel launch sites
will be the traditional
Archbald
and Blakely locations (see page 2
for details). Last year,
over 200 folks participated in the Canoe-AThon. Canoes are available for rent or you are
welcome to bring your
own. The competitive and leisurely spirit are both encouraged
to join us! As always, the day
promises to be filled with excite-
ment in the river as well as on the
banks of the Olive Street finish
line site. Music, food, racing rubber ducks and a fanciful parade of
regatta entries will be sure to
please all ages!
To
ensure
preregistration and secure
equipment rentals,
please make sure forms
are
completed
and received by
LRCA no later
than Wednesday,
May 9th. Forms
are available in
this newsletter as
well as for print
from our website:
www.lrca.org
We look forward to seeing you! If you have any
ambitions for assisting
with the coordination of
the event, please call us!
INSIDE THIS EDITION
Exec. Directors Report
Springtime in the Valley
Registration Forms
Canoe-A-Thon - pg 6
River Regatta - pg 7
Duck-A-Thon - pg 8
Prizes!!
Canoe-A-Thon
Trophies for 1st, 2nd, 3rd
Overall Places
Regatta
$100 to Winning Entry
$25 to Runner-Up
$25 to Third Place
Duck-A-Thon
1st Place: $500
2nd Place: $200
3rd Place: $50
Event Schedule & Locations
Time
Activity/Event
8 a.m.
Registration Opens
Archbald & Blakely Sites
10 a.m.
Canoe-A-Thon launch!
Archbald & Blakely Sites
11:30 a.m.
Canoes & kayaks finish,
Regatta registration,
live music, food & fun!
Finish Line Site, Olive St Levee
3 p.m.
5th Annual Regatta
Finish Line Site, Olive St Levee
5 p.m.
8th Annual Duck-A-Thon
Finish Line Site, Olive St Levee
1
Location
All Things Riverfest... Everything you need to know!!
The LRCA is proud to host Riverfest 2007 on Saturday May 12th. We will have a full day of fun and excitement along the
Lackawanna with Canoe-a-thon our down river fun paddle and white water canoe and kayak race (see launch site info below), an
afternoon of River Rock and Blues, The River Regatta and of course the ever popular Duck-a-thon.
Blakely Launch Site: located in the Robert Mellow Park on Keystone Ave (PA Route 247) in the Peckville area.
1. From US Rt 6 (Casey Highway) take exit for PA 247 at Jessup, turn left & follow PA 247 through Jessup to Peckville.
2. Take business Route 6 (Scranton/Carbondale Hwy) to intersection with PA 247 in Eynon, turn right on 247 to Peckville.
Archbald Launch Site: located in David Maslyar Park on Laurel Street.
1. From US Rt 6 take the Archbald exit, turn left go down hill, cross RR tracks, left on Church St, follow Church St which
becomes Laurel St. Maslyar park is on Laurel one block south of Monroe St.
2. From the Scranton/Carbondale Highway, turn on Betty St in Eynon, follow to Main St, turn left on Main, follow ½ mile
north to Kennedy Dr (blinker light), turn right on Kennedy follow 1 ½ mile to Main St Archbald, bear left on Main St, follow north
for 1 mile to stop sign at Monroe St, right on Monroe, cross river, right on Laurel, go one block south to park.
We have ONE shuttle bus run from the finish line at Olive Street to each of our launch sites. The bus leaves at 8:15 am. There is no
second bus. Park across from Memorial Stadium and look for the little yellow school bus. We will have an afternoon bus run back
up to the launch sites for those who need to get their cars. That bus will leave at 2pm from Olive Street!
The River Rock and Blues is an afternoon with some of our best local rock, blues and jazz musicians. Music begins about noon just
as the canoe runs are arriving. The music and fun continue until 6 pm. There will be tents, food vendors and lots of activities for the
kids. You are welcome to bring your own picnic lunch and cooler. As always we’ll have tents and tables or spread your blanket on
the grass on a choice parcel of river levee! It has been rumored that Col. G. Elwood Beauregard will be in attendance this year with
Continued page 5
The Lackawanna River Corridor Association
Board of Directors
Leonard Gorney
President
Michael Morin
1 Vice President
st
Anita Lohin
nd
2 Vice President
Kathleen Cullinane
Secretary
Robert Ballot
Treasurer
Bernard McGurl
Executive Director
Patrick Cuff
James Dadey
Ned Fetcher
John Gable
David Gromelski
Michael Hanley
Douglas Heller
Michelene Kennedy
Angela Lambert
Kevin Leibold
Ruthann Martin
Robert M. McLaine
Dr. Barry Minora
Kathleen O’Hara
Dr. Douglas Sheldon
Anthony Zaleski
Lackawanna River Corridor Association
Post Office Box 368
Scranton, Pennsylvania 18501
570.207.7608
lrca@epix.net
www.lrca.org
Advisory Board
Stephanie Bass
Alex Belavitz
Fr Timothy J Cadigan SJ
Cindy Campbell
Ali Duffy
Robert Durkin
Wayne Evans
Dawn Karam
Cindy Klenk
Paul Macknosky
Thomas McLane
Edward Michalski
Colleen Reardon
LRCA's mission is to involve citizens of our watershed with
conservation and stewardship of the River, its tributaries and
water resources. Four goals define our mission: clean up the
River environment; aid in the development of the 40-mile
Lackawanna River Heritage Trail; create partnerships among
local, state, and federal agencies, businesses and community
groups promoting conservation and recreation; and develop
partnerships with schools, universities, and the general public to
promote environmental and conservation education to better
understand our relationship with the local environment.
Newsletter edited by: A.A. Serio, Program Manager
2
Executive Director’s Notes
Spring is returning to the Lackawanna Valley. We are preparing for Riverfest ‘07 to be held on Saturday May
12th. There’ a lot to do so check out the volunteer needs and fun opportunities in some of the other articles in this
special Riverfest ‘07 edition of River Currents!
As the snow melts and the spring rains fall, the river flows with a tremendous load of sediment. All of the anti
skid and de icing salts that we were ever so anxious to have our road crews spread as we tried to drive home last
month in that evening rush hour snow storm are now flowing into our river and streams. Add to that all of the drips
of motor oil, gas and diesel, anti freeze, hydraulic fluids, cigarette butts, candy wrappers burger-joint trash and pet
waste and we’ve got quite a ripe urban storm water stew flowing into the Lackawanna!
Yet, the River runs crisp and clear on many of these warm and sunny days. But then in the matter of a few
moments of rainfall, it turns a murky grey. Many of its smaller tributary streams quickly turn milk chocolaty brown
with mud and sediments from less than adequate controls at some construction sites. Rivers have always carried a
sedimentary load and they always will. This urban cocktail of chemicals in stormwater and the aggressive flows of
urban storm water continue to degrade the natural habitats in our rivers and in streams all across the planet.
The symptoms of urban storm water pollution like the symptoms of urban sprawl are typical of the
unsustainable relationships that our society has with the ecosystems and the planet that we depend on for life…
another “Inconvenient Truth”. We need a new set of paradigms to guide a recovery and engender sustainable
relationships among our economic and social interactions.
I haven’t seen Al Gore’s movie yet but I just read a couple of books that put some perspective on it. How can
we approach changing our values and behaviors so that they are more sustainable and perhaps more just? The first
is “1491” a fascinating survey of current studies in the anthropology and archaeology of pre-Colombian America
by Charles C. Mann (www.vintagebooks.com). The work underway by researchers across the Americas to peal
back the mists and misconceptions of time is impressive. The work provides many opportunities to compare the
intellectual and technological positions of the Inca, Maya and Spanish societies with one another and look at their
positions relative to their natural environments. There is much evidence presented to refute the noble savage
concept and to reveal the influence of Native Americans on their “pristine” environments. The rise of agriculture
and its spread had parallels and differences with that of the Old World. There did seem to be a sustainable
symbiotic relationship in the farming of corn, gourds and beans particularly in northern Mexico and into the
Mississippi Valley. The related socioeconomic structures that were developed immediately prior to European
contact by the Cherokee in the southeast and the Iroquois in our region continue to have relevance for our future.
I’m now reading “Eco-Villages by Jan Martin Bang” (www.newsociety.com). He starts out with tales from
hippie/counter-cultural communes from his undergraduate days at the University of Manchester. After graduation
and work across Europe as an elementary teacher, he gradually became involved with newer alternative
communities, Findhorn in Scotland, Kibbutz’s in Israel, to some very innovative middle class working urban/
suburban Eco-villages in Germany and Norway and of course the FARM in Tennessee. He reviews the
development of what is now known as perma-culture. He shows that this practice, which begins with organic
agriculture, involves looking at all of our life sustaining systems in an interrelated and comprehensive manner. He
examines the creation of social and economic structures using perma-culture design principles derived through a
process of consensus.
As a scientist, I keep asking questions, yet the evidence of patterns between these two randomly selected books is
compelling. There are choices to be made and answers to be understood for sure. The poet in me thinks that
perhaps the key to a sustainable future for our species may just be in understanding that we’ve known these
answers for a long time. We need the consensus to put them into practice. That’s one part of what the LRCA is all
about. Our relationships with our river and the waters that flow through our lives are metaphors for all of our
relationships. Water is a carrier of messages; across the universe it is an indicator of life. Let’s act as if life itself
were in the balance…it just may be.
3
4
12
S
695
S
11
9
8
7
8-Mile Course
Blakely (B) to Scranton (S)
10
6
700
ft
800
ft
B
E
l
e
v
a
t
i
o
n
C
o
u
r
s
e
5 - River Miles - 4
B
795
900
ft
2
1
Upper Portion of the 12-Mile Course
Archbald (A) to Blakely
3
A
0
A
890
In keeping with tradition, this year’s Canoe-A-Thon features both the 12-mile course and the popular 8-miler. The 12-miler launches at Maslyar
Park, also known as Laurel Street Park, in Archbald. These additional 4 miles of river are recommended only for the more experienced paddler.
The 8-miler takes off from Mellow Park in Blakely. Rental canoes and kayaks are available at Mellow Park.
Lackawanna River Canoe-A-Thon: Course Elevation & Distance
Fish Grow On Trees
LRCA’s Collaborative Community Art Project
LRCA is partnering with Heart to Art on an educational program: Fish Grow on Trees. The counterintuitive statement is meant to stimulate critical thinking by both adults and children about the
interdependent relationships in our cycles of life. In particular, the statement is intended to promote
an awareness of ecological relationships and clean water in the Lackawanna Valley. Over the next
five years, the project will become a major component in the watershed education work of the
LRCA.
The project is similar to the Miles of Mules project that was conducted along the Delaware-Lehigh
and Lackawanna Valley Heritage Corridors several years ago. Heart to Art coordinated the
Lackawanna Valley portion of Miles of Mules. The Mules and Metamorphosis Art in the Park (last
year) engendered a significant amount of citizen and business participation and a large amount of
media attention. LRCA’s goal of this collaborative project is to stimulate public awareness about
river conservation and water resource issues related to environmental sustainability, individual and
community decision making.
Fish Grow on Trees will involve residents of several communities along the Lackawanna River in the
creation of colorful dragonflies and trout, which will be placed in trees along the riverbank in the
spring and summer. Children and adults will be involved in painting and decorating the trout and
dragonflies. These trout and dragonflies will be deemed “totems” of the Lackawanna River. Elected
officials and community organizations from Old Forge, Scranton, Dickson City, Jessup, and
Carbondale have expressed interest in participating with the initial phase of the project. In addition
to the displays, public mural painting works will be created by facilitating the participation of
individuals in a collective community work of art produced as part of planned community events
such as Riverfest and Pioneer Days. The project will also involve local writers to work with
participants to create poetry to accompany the Fish and Dragonflies on their journey through the
watershed.
Look for more information from LRCA on this exciting project at RiverFest.
River Watch
It’s easy to see what lives around the Lackawanna River but ever wonder what lurks beneath the surface?
River Watch is an opportunity to get to know your river through field visits and benthic sampling. If
interested in participating , please contact the LRCA for upcoming dates & locations.
All Things Riverfest continued from page 2
stories from his recent decent of the Rio Ustamacinta from its headwaters in the Petan Highlands along the Belize-Guatemala border
all the way to the Gulf of Campeche. We’re also expecting George Esperaza’s “Great Wahoo Medicine Show and Flea Circus” direct
from a sold out performances at the San Antonio River front!
Finish Line festivities are FREE. Everyone on the planet is welcome to attend as long as they behave themselves and Promise to
enjoy themselves. Riverfest is held at the Riverfront in Scranton at the Olive Street Bridge. It is near Scranton High School,
Memorial Stadium and the Ice Box Complex just off the Seventh Ave.-Providence Road exit of US Route 11, the North Scranton
(McDade)Expressway.
Everyone is invited to catch the race. Just stop at any spot along the river. Park your car safely and walk out along the sidewalk of
one of the many bridges over the Lackawanna or walk along a section of river bank and from 10 am through the noon hour you will
see some of the many dedicated race participants paddling down stream. Any way, we encourage them to paddle down stream, it’s
easier that way and that’s where the finish line is. SEE YOU THERE !!!
5
2007 Canoe-A-Thon - Registration Form
1. Personal Information
Paddler I
Paddler II
NAME
______________________________
______________________________
ADDRESS
______________________________
______________________________
CITY/STATE/ZIP
________________________
______________________________
DRIVERS LICENSE # _______________________
______________________________
PHONE __________________
PHONE _____________
(Required if renting a canoe or kayak)
Age ____
(Participants much be at least 14)
Age ___
(Participants much be at least 14)
2. Course
3. Categories
12-Miler
Archbald to Scranton
Two Men
Female Kayak
Two Women
Male Kayak
Men/Women Mixed
Youth (14-18)
Experienced paddlers only
8-Miler
Blakely to Scranton
Adult/Youth Mixed
All levels of experience
4. Waiver-Release
Please read & sign to acknowledge agreement
I/We hereby acknowledge that participation in the Lackawanna River RiverFest—Canoe-A-Thon will require extreme physical exertion and exposure to dangerous conditions.
I/We hereby assume all risk of injury or damage to person or property resulting from or in connection with the use of any of the facilities, equipment, or premises of the
course or associated areas. Specifically, I/we recognize that the race sponsors and organizers have little control over road, traffic or river conditions. I/We hereby release the
LRCA, local municipalities, their agents, officers, employees, representatives and insurers, and agree to defend, indemnify and hold them harmless of and from all claim,
demand, action, or cause of action for injury, damage, or loss to person or property asserted by or accruing in favor of me. I/We certify that I/we are physically fit and have
trained sufficiently for this event. If I am renting a canoe or kayak, I agree to be held financially responsible for any loss, theft or damage incurred to a rental canoe or kayak
or any company. This release is signed voluntarily and is binding upon the below signed, his/her heirs, executors or assigns.
Paddler I Signature _________________________
Paddler II Signature_________________________
Parent Sign Below If Under 18 Years Old
Signature
Date
Parent Sign Below If Under 18 Years Old
____________________________
__________
Signature
Date
____________________________
__________
By signing this release, I acknowledge that I/we have read the LRCA RiverFest/Canoe-A-Thon rules and agree to abide by them.
5. Registration Fee
6. Mail Completed Form and Check to:
Entrants
Cost
Count
Total
Single Paddler
$30
_____
$_________
Two Paddler Team
$60
_____
$_________
Lackawanna River Corridor Association
PO Box 368
Scranton, PA 18501-0368
In order to accommodate all entrants, registration forms
should be received on or before May 10, 2007.
Equipment
Canoe Rental
$46
_____
__________
Single Kayak Rental
$30
_____
__________
Total Amount Enclosed:
$____________
*Please make check payable to LRCA*
6
2007 River Regatta - Registration Form
I/We hereby register for and state our intentions to participate in the Lackawanna River Regatta 2007. I/We
agree to hold the Lackawanna River Corridor Association harmless from any liabilities which may arise from
the ridiculous, sublimely absurd or sardonically evocative nature of our Regatta entry, its methods of navigation, communication, decoration or our techniques in the use of duct tape; whether or not we use duct tape
or admit that we use duct tape. I/We also acknowledge that we are aware of Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission regulations requiring all small craft crew and passengers to have a Personal Floatation Device and a
whistle or horn at hand.
Please Print or Type
Name of Vessel: ____________________________________________________________________
Theme of Vessel (optional): __________________________________________________________
Name of Family/Sponsor: ___________________________________________________________
Bernie’s notes on the infamous Regatta!
Who doesn’t like to Regatta. Like we say along the Lackawanna, “Ya Gotta Regatta !” Do we say that? “You Betcha!” We do now.
A few years back, some of the guys from the Scranton Fire department decided to make a float out of ping-pong tables and inner
tubes complete with lawn chairs and that was the first Regatta in RiverFest’s living memory but it wasn’t the last.
In recent years the Regatta has become a high point of the afternoon while everyone is waiting for the duck race. We have had River
dragons, a huge pink elephant, the crew from Gilligan’s Island, a great Green Turtle, a Steamboat from Steamtown, Amelia Earhart
and an eclectic Garbage’ barge’a.
Entries are FREE. You can win a hundred bucks. If the judges decide that you and your crew has topped all of the other participants
by using two things … no three things… Your imagination; your sense of humor; and your favorite brand of Duck Tape.
For special rules, navigational advisories and other regatta information, please visit www.lrca.org click on the Riverfest 2007 page,
and then click on Regatta 2007. Call or e-mail your query to the LRCA and ask to speak with one of our naval attachés.
Thank You New & Renewing Members!
IRWIN & DONNA ADLER
FRED J BABARSKY
ROBERT BALLOT
BALON FAMILY
JOHN BOGDANOVICZ
WILLIAM V BURKE
VICTOR J CAPOOCI
JOHN & ALICE CARLING
CHARLES & DAURICE CASTELLI
WALTER & SUSAN CHECEFSKY
PETE CHICK
WILLIAM & JUDITH COLLINS
KATHLEEN CULLINANE
MARGARET DERMODY
ERIC DUFFY
ROBERT EMMI
CAROLYN ENGLISH
WAYNE EVANS
JOSEPH X FLANNERY
SONIA FORRY
EDWARD J FORTUNA
ESTHER K FRIEDMANN
JIM GORDON
JOHN GRABOWSKI
VINCENT J GREGA JR
CRINA GSCHWANDTNER
SUZANNE HARPER
ANNE HATALA
DOUGLAS HELLER
JERRY HICKEY
PETER & JEAN HORGER
ED & THERESA HUGHES
ANDY & GAIL HURCHICK
MARTIN HYZINSKI
DOM & KATHY KEATING
MICHELENE & JOHN KENNEDY
ANDY & DEBBIE KOHUT
AMY& PAUL KOWALSKI
GARY & LIGIA KWIECINSKI
RICHARD LASKE
7
ANDREW LASKOWSKI
WILLIAM T LEGGAT
ANNE D LEWIS
ALBERT MAGNOTTA
RUTHANN MARTIN
JANET T MCCABE
MARK & MICHELE MCDADE
JIM MCDONNELL
ROSEMARIE MECCA
SALVATORE & MARY ANN MECCA
JIM & ALICE NOONE
ROBERT PHILBIN
BOB & JUDY QUINLAN
ROBBINS FAMILY
ELSIE SCHWEITZER
JOSEPH SICONOLLI
PETER S SMITH
ROBERT SNYDER
DAVID J WENZEL
TONY ZALESKI
Lackawanna River Corridor Association
JOIN US!
NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
SCRANTON, PA
PERMIT NO. 232
P.O. Box 368
Scranton, PA 18501-0368
Not a member yet? Complete & mail this form today!
________________________________________________________________
Name
________________________________________________________________
Address
________________________________________________________________
City
State
Zip
________________________________________________
Phone
________________________________________________
Email
Choose Your level (Any Amount Gladly Appreciated)
Senior $10 ___ Student $10 ___ Individual $ 15 ___
Family $25 ___ Sojourner $50 ___ Trail Blazer $100 ___
Make Check or Money Order Payable to LRCA and Mail To:
Lackawanna River Corridor Association
P.O. Box 368
Scranton, PA 18501-0368
Ducks for Sale - Singles or in Bulk!
It’s so easy!! No Ticket or Stub to Win. When we receive your order, numbered ducks will be assigned to you.
The Ducks Do All the Work! You Could Win $500, $100, or $50!!!
1. Your Info
Name: ____________________________________
Address: _______________________________ City ______________ State ___ ZIP _________
2. Duck Info
Duck Choice
Cost Per
Count
Total Cost
Single Duck
$5
_____
$___________
Ducks in Bulk (8)
$20
_____
$___________
3. Send Check
Please make check
payable to LRCA and send to:
LRCA
PO Box 368
Scranton, PA 18501
8