conservation bait and switch!

[jjsjigs]

I've spent 18 months working with other members of the Art Bradford Northern Tier Chapter of Trout Unlimited, the Penn. Dept of Environmental Protection, the landower (aka Mr. PostmyLand) Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Cheasepeake Gas and Oil Company (local Marcellus Shale Gas Drillers since I live in the epicenter of the gas boom here in PA), the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, Pennsylvania Council of Trout Unlimited, FBC and PA TU to get matching grants and construction permits, environmental assessments, "blessings", and almost a decent bribe or two to get this project finished. Originally, this area had a old stone railroad trestle that was falling into the creek. Lots of log jams and erosion of the stream bank. Now after, a LOT of paperwork, promises, set backs, stops and starts... the project got finished. Now we have a nice retaining wall, rip rap with a nice hole at the bottom of the run and above 3 vein deflectors in the up stream current. Those vein deflectors were my brainchild. I begged and pleaded to get those installed. Trout love to live within the slack water of deflectors... it's like a trout condo.

With that a decent parking lot for 5 cars... access to this area of the creek, the retaining wall area could be used for handicap fishing. All in all, a really nice spot on the creek. Something I'm extremely proud to see finished since I spent a LOT of time working on this project. 18 months, many days out on the site working alongside the construction crews, and $22K later....

Looks good, right?

Except now the landowner had posted his land... WTF? Free service to him to prop up the creek bank... written and oral promises made to open access to fishing and now he "changes his mind". Which in PA a landowner can change his mind and post his land at anytime. Ok, fine. I just had to see this for myself.

So, instead of getting pissed off... I made a professional phone call to the Pa Fish & Boat Comm. in Sweet Valley, PA. Emailed my pics, and now "Mr. PostmyLand" will NOT be receiving his springtime stocking of trout in this area. His allocated 350 trout will be dropped waayyyy downstream from this location. Justly SERVED!! (in my humble opinion)

- JJ's Jigs

 

[LedHed]

What POS would deny handicap access?????

Can’t TU sue for access or to recoup time/money?

What a shame for all that hard work..

 

[StumpHunter]

I agree, it's a shame to lose access to that place with all the work that was put into the river. Nice work and hope things will get right with the land owner. I am handicapped in my walking and sights like that can really peeve me off.

 

[jjsjigs]

PA law is a double edged sword. Our laws up here in the Commonwealth of "Pee-Aye" state that the landowner has infinite rights to allow or amend rights to anyone on his/her land at any time.

Which means on a whim he may allow me to trudge upon his streambanks but while I'm fishing... he changes his mind, I MUST LEAVE. Now, I believe in those right as I'm a landowner myself. However, I feel his decision to post his land is foolhardy.

I sent him a letter yesterday asking him to at least reconsider his decision and allow handicap anglers to fish. Within the letter I requested that if he does allow handicap fishing that I and my fellow Trout Unlimited Chapter members would come once and week and pick up any and all trash found along his property and dispose of it free of charge. The reason why I really wanted this area to be for handicap fishing is when I proposed this stream project to the landowner I wanted this area to take veterans within the Project Healing Waters program to an area they could flyfish for brook trout. (and a lot of these vets are amputee's from the Iraq, Vietnam wars).

The loophole in this law is that in PA a landowner owns the streambanks, but NOT the flowing water or the stream bottom. Thusly, I may wade through his area and as long as I do not step on "bare ground" he cannot tell me to leave. I'll still fish his property in 2011... but with wet boots. LOL!

 

[toadfrog]

Well you may not have gotten pissed but I am. Not that it will serve a purpose. I also work with vets. If thats the the kind of guy the landowner he is I hope that when he dies the vets can roll up to his tomb stone and pee on it.

 

[jjsjigs]

I'll give him toast of whiskey... once it's been through my kidneys!!