Thirteen volunteers, including employees of Pennsylvania Power & Light company, made a clean sweep of the Silver Creek Tract and Burma Road in Weiser State Forest, Schuylkill County, on May 17, 2002.
Contributing 78 volunteer hours to the cleanup, the workers first dispersed over the Silver Creek Tract and filled trash bags, followed by a forestry truck. After enjoying lunch, provided by the Original Italian Restaurant of Saint Clair, the group headed to Burma Road, which leads to the fire observation tower, and spread out to gather a huge amount of beer bottles along the road.
Donating a roll-off container and all disposal for the 4.8 tons of trash collected was Pine Grove Landfill, Waste Management. The cleaned area, which will be monitored by a local resident, is located adjacent to Locust Lake State Park.
"This cleanup was an outstanding effort, I am really pleased with the success," commented Mike Mazur, assistant district forester.
Volunteers were interviewed by a reporter from The Pottsville Republican & Herald.
To ensure proper disposal of waste, DCNR encourages Schuylkill County residents to contact Schuylkill County Environmental Coordinator Robert Bylone with disposal and recycling questions at (570) 628-1220
or by e-mail.
Weiser State Forest consists of eight tracts of rugged and secluded woodlands encompassing 17,961 acres and located in northern Dauphin, Schuylkill, Carbon and Berks counties. Some of its streams are sources of drinking water for Port Clinton, Lykens, and Williamstown. The Appalachian Trail, spanning from Maine to Georgia, passes through the forest district.
Weiser State Forest was named in honor of Conrad Weiser, who resided in Tulpehocken near Womelsdorf after spending his earlier years as a pioneer among the Mohawk Indians near Albany, New York. He served as an Indian interpreter, teaching the words and ways of Native Americans to other settlers until his death in 1760.
Learn about other illegal dump sites in state forests and parks.
Return to top of this page.
This page last updated June 19, 2002.
