Thank you to all who came out this week! Your hard work continues to amaze me. To date, we’ve installed over 2200 feet of soil bioengineering techniques along Brokenstraw Creek and its tributaries. If it was just me I’d still be out there snipping and hammering trying to get the first 1000’ installed. We truly appreciate your help!
We finished two of the three sites we worked on this week. I honestly thought we’d still be working on the second site next week, but it’s finished and we’ve got just a bit to finish on the third. If the rains aren’t too severe this weekend, we plan to meet at the Country Fair in Youngsville at 8:30 am on Tuesday, April 18th. I’ll be on the Napa side in the blue Nissan Frontier, loaded with our equipment and tools. I anticipate finishing this site on Tuesday, so this will be the last opportunity for SBE this spring with us. We will have the riparian planting on May 9th in the Columbus area, if you’d still like to volunteer but can’t make it out for this Tuesday.
As before, if you are planning to come, please let me know. That way if there is a last minute cancellation or change in plans, I can notify you.
What to bring:
Attire: Dress for the weather, in layers. This is northwest PA in April, so we can expect varying conditions. An extra change of clothes may be advisable to keep in your vehicle, in case you get wet. I’ll be wearing chest waders, and if you have chest or hip waders they’d come in handy. I wear a lightweight pair of hunting chaps over my waders to protect against sticks and briars, but that’s just personal preference. If no waders are available, a waterproof pair of knee-high rubber boots or hikers will be fine. We will be working in and around streams, but if no waterproof option is accessible to you, there are other jobs to be done “in the dry.”
Food: We’ll take a break around noon or so for lunch. Please pack or purchase beforehand. There’s not much around our sites, a Subway and a Dairy Queen are the nearest “quick” places out on the main highway though.
Medical Supplies: We have a basic first aid kit. Please bring any epi-pens or etc. that you may need.
Tools: Hand pruners, loppers, a sharp knife, small limb saw, rubber mallet/deadblow hammer, a steel mallet and 1-2 pick mattocks are pretty much all the tools we’ll need. We have several sets of loppers, pruners, and hammers to loan out, but if you have your own of these or any of the other tools you are willing to bring, the more the merrier. Work gloves are also strongly recommended. We’ve got some cotton ones to give out, but if you like leather or a different type, please bring them.
I think that about covers it. If you plan to attend Tuesday (or the Riparian Planting May 9th), please let me know. Any questions, feel free to give me a call or email. I’ll be out of the office Monday but will check email in the afternoon. My contact information is below.
Thank you,
Luke Bobnar
Watershed Technician, Upper Allegheny & Lake Erie
Western Pennsylvania Conservancy
Watershed Conservation Program
Allegheny Regional Office
159 Main Street
Ridgway, PA 15853
Phone: (814) 776-1114
(Mon.,Weds., Fri. 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.)
(Tues., Thurs. 7:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.)
Fax: (814) 776-1118
Email: lbobnar@paconserve.org