Cliffs and rocky terrain did not deter volunteers using rappelling gear to access nearly two tons of illegally dumped trash beneath the scenic Stairway Lake vista in Delaware State Forest, Pike County, on October 12, 2002.
The adventurous volunteers included Cary Hulse and Will Whitehood of the Pike County Conservation District, and John Albright and Earl Bassler. Albright and Hulse are members of Forest Fire Crew 23. Bassler traveled four hours to participate in the challenging cleanup.
Along with PA CleanWays Photographer Karen Hohman, the volunteers invested a total of 35 hours of their time to gather bulky furniture items, an appliance, beer bottles and cans and other household trash from the Westfall Township site.
After rappelling their way down to the trash below, fire company crew members created pulley systems using their gear and nearby trees to hoist heavy items up the rocky cliff faces, six feet at a time. Everyone worked all day to consolidate the trash in preparation for the heavy bags to be lifted out by machine.
Gary Fronk Excavating of Thompsontown arrived midday, just in time to lift the four cubic-foot bags and bulky items up over the last terrace. Volunteers then loaded the trash onto pickup trucks stacked higher than the truck cabs and slowly made their way down the trail to the road where a 30-yard container awaited. The roll-off was delivered by Beach Lake Transfer Station of Beach Lake.
The Thompsontown Corner Deli provided specially priced lunches for the volunteers.
Hikers often make the ascent on the three-mile trail leading to the Stairway Lake site. Worth every minute, the view at the top opens up to a grand vista of the lake. East of the lake is a rocky cliff where trash was illegally dumped over the years until a gate was placed at the trail entrance to eliminate vehicle traffic. A magnificent waterfall, cascading over rocky shelves on its way to the creek and wetlands below, lies to the south of the cliffs.
Consulting on this project were the Pike County Conservation District and the state Department of Environmental Protection Northeast Regional Office.
DCNR encourages Pike County residents with disposal and recycling questions to contact Christine Obser, recycling coordinator, at 570-296-3434 or by e-mail.
Delaware State Forest is located primarily in Pike County in northeast Pennsylvania, with portions in Monroe, Northampton, and Carbon counties. The forest totals 80,056 acres, lying in the heart of the famous Pocono Mountain Region, and its name is derived from the Delaware River, the watershed for the entire area. The river was named for the Delaware Indians who once inhabited the valley.
The adventurous volunteers included Cary Hulse and Will Whitehood of the Pike County Conservation District, and John Albright and Earl Bassler. Albright and Hulse are members of Forest Fire Crew 23. Bassler traveled four hours to participate in the challenging cleanup.
After rappelling their way down to the trash below, fire company crew members created pulley systems using their gear and nearby trees to hoist heavy items up the rocky cliff faces, six feet at a time. Everyone worked all day to consolidate the trash in preparation for the heavy bags to be lifted out by machine.
Gary Fronk Excavating of Thompsontown arrived midday, just in time to lift the four cubic-foot bags and bulky items up over the last terrace. Volunteers then loaded the trash onto pickup trucks stacked higher than the truck cabs and slowly made their way down the trail to the road where a 30-yard container awaited. The roll-off was delivered by Beach Lake Transfer Station of Beach Lake.
Hikers often make the ascent on the three-mile trail leading to the Stairway Lake site. Worth every minute, the view at the top opens up to a grand vista of the lake. East of the lake is a rocky cliff where trash was illegally dumped over the years until a gate was placed at the trail entrance to eliminate vehicle traffic. A magnificent waterfall, cascading over rocky shelves on its way to the creek and wetlands below, lies to the south of the cliffs.
