Month: February 2019

We are very sad to notify members and friends of PCWEA that our founder, E. Drannon Buskirk passed away on October 14, 2018.  Drannon seemed to have endless energy establishing Paxton Creek Watershed &

Education Association, conceptualizing,  and taking on the many endeavors associated with PCWEA.  He was very proud of the Paxton Creek Rangers a group of PCWEA members who collected and performed field testing of water samples from Paxton Creek.  He shepherded the completion of the Rivers Conservation Plan for Paxton Creek.  Drannon applied for and was successful in obtaining numerous grants to help improve the watershed and provide education to the public.  There is a long list of other PCWEA accomplishments for which we thank Drannon.

Drannon was an ardent supporter of environmental conservation, particularly with respect to the protection and management of water resources.  He held a PhD in water resource management and traveled to numerous countries as a consultant addressing water quality problems. In Central PA, he taught courses in Urban and Regional Planning at Penn State, Harrisburg and environmental programs at Harrisburg Area Community College.

PCWEA has received numerous donations in Drannon’s name.  We thank his wonderful wife Carol for suggesting PCWEA as a recipient of donations.  Carol has been an advocate for environmental causes, also, and we wish her peace and serenity as she continues to inspire those who know her.

On November 10^th, PCWEA members Arlene Taylor and Anne Wain attended a Clean Water Advocacy Workshop at Wildwood’s Olewine Nature Center. Hosted by PennFuture and Trout Unlimited, the event presented strategies for contacting legislators and media about watershed protection.

Topics ranged from the stalled Farm Bill and its relevance to watershed protection to storm water “tool boxes” being developed by the 4 pilot counties—York, Lancaster, Franklin and Adams—whose data and policies are developing Best Management Practices and solutions for meeting pollution reduction goals statewide.

Participants learned how to communicate with lawmakers, and had the privilege of meeting with two state representatives, Mr. Zimmerman and Mr. Gillespie, who gave up their Saturday afternoons to come to Harrisburg and speak with attendees.

PennFuture coached workshoppers on writing  effective Letters to Editors of local papers, using the now-expired Land and Water Conservation Fund as a live and relevant example. The LWCF protects state forests and game lands, national, state, and local parks, and historic sites, and was allowed to expire in September without action from Congress.

The photo depicts workshop participants writing practice letters to the editor and communicating with a member of the press.

Hello, my name is Aidan Novak and recently I completed my Eagle Project with the help of PCWEA. For those unaware, Eagle Scout is the most prestigious rank that can be awarded by the Boy Scouts of America. Countless hours of service and time spent working on merit badges go into this rank, as well as a large-scale service project to be planned and carried out by the prospective Eagle Scout.

My project was focused on preventing erosion in one of Lower Paxton Township’s local parks, Centennial Acres. The park has a stream that runs down the middle, separating the parking lot from the playground and basketball courts. This stream has been an area of interest for Lower Paxton Township for some time. Originally, they were intending to apply for a grant through Penn State to provide the trees necessary for my project, but unfortunately it fell through at the last minute. That was when the PCWEA stepped in and graciously allowed me to obtain eight trees from their streamside nursery to plant.

The trees obtained were four red oaks and four hawthorns, both local species that are known to assist in retaining soil. After the trees were obtained from the nursery, the next step was to find volunteers. I contacted my troop asking for assistance on the day I scheduled to begin planting. On the day of the project, eleven people came to assist me with my project. With that many people helping, we were able to transplant all of the trees from their pots, mulch them as well as protect their trunks from animals using corrugated drainage tubing. The entire project was completed in two hours and would not have been possible without the generous donation of trees from PCWEA. I would like to personally thank them for providing me with the means to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout.

Article From Manada Conservancy Newsletter.

Logan Farm Park– The Puzzle’s Complete!

Logan Farm Park was like a big jigsaw puzzle, and finally the last piece is in, and we can see the whole, beautiful picture.

In 2013, Scott Logan contacted us about placing an easement on a 59-acre property in Susquehanna Township, formerly his family farm, now woodlands and wetlands. This was a complicated project because it was about to be sold to the Susquehanna Sewer Authority, but Mr. Logan wanted it to be protected as a township park before the transfer. After two years of discussion, an agreement was reached to protect all of the property at the highest level, with the exception of a 15-acre area that could be used by the Township in the future if they needed to expand their sewer service. It was also agreed that it would be a township park, open to the public.

Once the main park project was complete, we began working on acquiring three small peripheral properties, which included additional frontage along Paxton Creek and would complete the park (see map below). Acquiring a one acre piece of land can take just as much work as a 100 acre piece. In this case, these small additions were considered very important for the health of the creek and for full public enjoyment, so we kept working. As we acquired each of the three pieces, we placed restrictions before deeding over to the Susquehanna Authority.

The first piece was purchased outright in 2014. After much time and paperwork, the second piece (Tract 2), with extensive creek frontage, was acquired.  We are very grateful for the generosity of the Taylor family for their contribution of a major portion of this value.  The Taylor tract is a key section of the park, providing access to the creek in an area which would not have otherwise been possible for park goers.

And then the last piece . . .  that last piece! It fell under the table; we couldn’t find it.  For a while we were pretty sure the dog ate it, but we finally found it.  And on November 12, 2018, we dropped it in and the puzzle was whole!

There are so many people to thank!  Goldie Boyer and her sister, Fern Hartman, donated most of the value of this last piece (Tract 3) and were incredibly patient while we worked through some unusual legal obstacles. When we say “we,” we mean our fantastic attorney, Jean Seibert, who tried many avenues before being able to assure us that the title of the property was clear (long story!). This last piece was a keystone because it was the corner that united the two smaller pieces and also finished out the creek protection.

Through it all, we are so grateful to the Logan family for their continued vision. Logan Farm Park is now a wonderful nature preserve that provides wildlife habitat, water quality protection, and soon-to-be beautifully complete community open space with trails.