Volunteers clean up Lehigh River
The Lehigh River provides numerous benefits to the fishermen and guides who utilize it.
Cleaning up the land alongside the river is a way for them to repay some of what it has given them.
Fishermen and conservationists came together last Saturday to improve a longtime eyesore along the river. Volunteers cleaned up a piece of private property near Palmerton which has problems with illegal dumping.
“It’s not a huge project, but it will have a big impact. This is probably one of the worst areas in this upper area for dumping and trash,” said Dean Druckenmiller of the Lehigh Coldwater Fishery Alliance.
The volunteers came from LCFA, the Lehigh River Stocking Association, and the Wildlands Conservancy. They removed tires, furniture, construction debris, TVs and mattresses from the site, mostly by hand, along a steep river bank. Some items were partially buried by years of high water.
The groups started discussing a cleanup at the site almost a year ago. But it’s been known to them for much longer.
Nick Raftas is a LCFA board member and a river guide. He said the eyesore was hard to miss from the river, especially with the natural beauty that surrounds it.
“This is beautiful over here now. This was one of the worst spots on the river. The whole river’s pretty clean, then you would get to this one spot,” he said.
Having the cleanup take place a week before the opening of trout season was just a coincidence. Fishermen won’t have access to the site this year, but it is possible that they will be able to use it in the future.
One of Wildlands Conservancy’s goals is protecting land in the Lehigh Watershed. They also promote the Lehigh River Water Trail, a network of river access points which make it easier for boaters to use the waterway.
“We have access at Lehigh Gap and East Penn, which are both river right. This gives you a different experience if you want to fish this side of the river,” said Christopher Strohler, Wildlands Conservancy’s senior conservation planner.
The Lehigh River Stocking Association is dedicated to stocking trout in the river, which is not among the waterways that are stocked by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.
Unlike streams that are stocked by PFBC, the Lehigh is open to anglers year-round. However it is catch and release only during the month leading up to trout season.
The coldwater fishery alliance’s primary goal is advocate for the Francis E. Walter Dam to be used in a way that helps improve the river’s trout population. Coldwater releases are essential to helping trout in the river survive and thrive during the summer months.
Alliance members believe that continuing to improve conditions for fish in the Lehigh will continue to attract more people to the river, and the surrounding towns.
“People come from all over to fish. If you can get more fish in this river, you’ll get more people, which means more money to the area ultimately,” Druckenmiller said.