Allentown's new park director, following the lead of her predecessors, is closing rather than repairing swimming pools. Worse yet, she is allowing the Wildlands Conservancy to again dictate stream bank policy. Once again, the streams will be blocked from view and access by a uncut swath of weeds and underbrush. Apparently, she took the Wildlands Orientation Course, because this year the barrier is wider than ever. In reality, this is a terrible
attractive nuisance for children and pets. They want to see and experience the stream, and will navigate their way through the tick infested mess. In the past, we could count on the Trexler Trust and city fathers to safeguard the traditions of the park system. Those values, like Fountain Park and Cedar Beach Pools, are
closed for the season.
Ticks appear to be very bad again this year, I've already found a few crawling on me, and I consider them to be like drugs coming across the border. For every one you find, one probably got through and had a meal at my expense. The brush along the Monocacy near Bridle Path road in Bethlehem was heavily infested, and they cut much of that away making the creek accessible to fisherman without having to push your way through the brush. However, this new and unblocked access to the creek has set the stage for a Canadian goose takeover, and now there are a few hundred of the dirty buggers living on the banks, dropping 1 to 2 pounds of feces each day, which is washing into the creek and destroying the PH and ultimately the pristine trout habitat. I have no answers.
ReplyDeleteGeese Police: Shetland Sheepdogs, Australian Shepherds. Means a patrol during the day. Yes, a bit expensive, but at some point there needs to be some sort of intervention if not doing anything about it leads to destroyed fish habitat. Or leave things go as they are, and see where that gets us.
ReplyDeleteBrush along creeks does not bother me, unless it is within a park. Ticks are controlled through insecticides, but that would up-end the conservationist mindset. Or we can mow, god forbid.
I honestly have never seen such uninviting parks in my life. Cant imagine wanting to play in any of them, theyre hideous.
I think Wildlands is an organization that's been misguided in recent years. I don't know if it's new board direction or a new director but they don't pick their battles or their causes. It's just a scattershot mission and it often feels as an organization trying lots of things to remain relevant in the soup of non-profits.
ReplyDelete@8:30, they outright lied to allentown city council concerning the former robin hood dam. they provided generalized misinformation to south whitehall about wehr's dam. they also stated that they would "move on" if the commissioners decided to keep that dam, but, they're still working behind the scenes to demolish it. they have turned into a self-righteous grant driven operation, putting their agenda ahead of the community's best interests.
ReplyDeleteMr, Molovinsky, Is this group an off-shoot of the Group 'Save Our Parks' formed about 30 years ago to prevent The City from selling off parkland off Fish Hatchery Road during The Dadonna Administration ? 'Old Coot'
ReplyDeleteMike
ReplyDeleteIt is 830 - I'm sure they are driven by where the dollars are and that's part of the scattershot justification of their existence. They compete with all the little parks departments, counties, Renew, LVPC, Brandywine Conservancy, Natural Lands Trust just for money and work in the area. They probably do the dam work because nobody else wants to touch it and it's green and pays for things.
I agree that the Allentown parks are a mess. Crumbling infrastructure, numerous different plans and groups doing things, numerous directors.
I think a solution to over zealous non-profits is making their boards way more visible. A lot of boards are very comfortable in leading when nobody knows who they are. The minute a little publicity gets thrown their way though, they clam up real quick and they don't seem so eager. For example, wouldn't you like to know who on the Wildlands board voted to pursue the Wehr's Mill dam project? Sure, you see the staff at meetings but somebody told them to do it.
@12:45, i seen their director, abilgal pattishall, pitch several projects already. it's my impression that she's acting on her own volition, although i'm sure she doesn't mind those 15% administrative fees that the grants provide. her last several statements to the south whitehall commissioners, prior to the wehr dam vote, were desperate distortions. they paid, using a grant, $250,000 for a "study" to convince the commissioners. of course, for that type of money, the dam could have been preserved forever. that $250,000 began it's travels through the government as taxes we paid. that kind of disregard for taxpayer money is what happens to these grant administrators.
ReplyDeleteFunny how I have yet to see any riparian buffers in the artist's renderings of the new Waterfront project. I guess "some" people get to enjoy the water up close.
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