There are miles and miles of creek bank in Allentown. In addition to the Little Lehigh, we have the Jordan, Little Cedar, Cedar and Trout. For the last twenty years I have been campaigning to restore the traditional park design to select sections of our most iconic parks. In that design the banks were secured against erosion by Weeping Willow trees, planted about every twenty feet. The Willows have a shallow spreading root system, especially suited to fortify against erosion. The picture postcards of Allentown's glory years feature such park scenes.
Those scenes should be returned to the most famous sections of our park system. Among the areas begging for former grace are the rose garden section of Cedar Park, and the Robin Hood section of Lehigh Parkway.
While the environmentalists of convenience complain about changing values, children have always delighted standing on the creek bank watching and listening to the water rush by.
little girls can no longer fish along the brush lined creeks
This is exactly my opinion, too! Looking at the creek in its totality, NOT having those hideous weed barriers for a hundred yards or so along the portions of public recreational enjoyment is simply absurd.
ReplyDeleteThe little creatures about will simply move along the tidy, non-weeded portions to find places more comfortable to them.
We are not helping to ‘save the planet’ by crapping up the limited park areas In such ugly manner as we are now! This city immediately looks like an uncaring dump at first sight when driving near our parks.
In my opinion, woke city leaders fell for a tall tale about how critical the barriers are to our eco-system. They fell all for it when they realized all the money and labor to be saved by not having to mow along those banks. Besides, we can’t possibly tolerate young kids dipping their toes into the edges, or maybe saying hello to ducklings floating by.
Oh, by the way, if you put enough trash receptacles nearby, people WILL use them. How, do we know this? We see the overflow litter around the bottoms of the sparse number of receptacles you do provide. Maybe have a second container very near? What a concept!
Michael,
ReplyDeletenoticed last weekend the City of Allentown was sponsoring some event at the Union Terrace Amphitheater area. Porta-Potties were in place near the Reading Road bridge, 2 large portable spot light trailers were at the ready on St. Elmo St.
Weed Wall at the creek meandering in front of the stage was high and at attention.
My thoughts about attending these events in the City Parks is that your chances of picking up ticks is greatly increased with the weed wall and deer that are in our parks.
Let’s keep the deer and get rid of the weeds.
Just Sayin!
Yeah, that really ticks me off!
DeleteMike, isn't it interesting that the environmentalists who insist on these weed corridors care not a wit about the litter on our streets that in time ends up in our creeks, streams and rivers. This litter does far more damage to the waterways than a mowed lawn down to the creek bank would. Have these "environmentalists ever organized a litter pick-up anywhere? Do they ask to speak to ASD students regarding the immediate environment damage the plastics and other litter does to "mother Earth"? The truth is they aren't environmentalists, they are instead well funded NGO employees who need to do something anything to make headlines rather than real change.
ReplyDelete