Milford Reservation Tract Pilot Site
Delaware State Forest

Thanks to the efforts of volunteers from Pennsylvania Power & Light Corporation's Environmental Management Department who removed 6½ tons of trash and scrap metal from the Milford Reservation Tract of Delaware State Forest on April 26, 2000, the residents of Pike County can now enjoy the beauty and recreational advantages of their first county park.

Volunteers from Pennsylvania Power & Light filled two roll-off boxes with trash from the Milford Reservation Tract of Delaware State Forest.

Delaware State Forest, which recently acquired the approximately 1,600-acre Milford Reservation Tract, is leasing over 400 acres to the county for the park. The park includes Lily Pond, a small, dammed lake, inhabited by a variety of waterfowl and stocked and eagerly fished by children and their families. The pond is formed by a dam in Craft Brook, part of the highest quality designation, "Exceptional Value" Sawkill Creek watershed.

Fourteen volunteers from Pennsylvania Power & Light focused their efforts near Lily Pond and two other sites in the Milford Reservation Tract. Joining forces with PA CleanWays and forestry staff, they picked up old broken bottles, appliances, and a variety of metal objects reminiscent of life 40 years ago, contributing almost 100 hours of labor to the project.

Downstream from the dam and overlooking the same cascading water is the Loop Trail, one of three sites cleaned. Care had to be taken to remove glass, cans and other trash on the surface of the slope, disturbing the ground as little as possible to avoid future erosion. Once cleaned, the area was seeded, mulched, and covered with a matting to stabilize the steep slope.

Above the pond, not far from a gas pipeline right-of-way and spilling into a wetlands, was the second site -- an old farm dump. The remnants of stone walls, which at one time delineated fields, still stand as sturdy reminders of the struggle involved in clearing and farming the area. Again, care was taken to remove the old refrigerator, bedsprings, buckets, cans, and glass that were on top of or protruding from the ground's surface. Then the area was seeded and mulched to stabilize the soil and prevent erosion and sedimentation from compromising the adjacent wetlands.

The third site, adjacent to Lily Pond, had been an "organized" dumpsite for the camps in the area. Piles of construction materials, paneling, treated logs, and an aluminum paddleboat encircled a level clearing, hidden by a row of pine trees. Heavy equipment was used to remove the trash and the area was seeded and mulched.

The cleanup of the Milford Reservation Tract, located in Milford Township in Pike County, makes the area safer for hikers, horseback riders, fishing enthusiasts and picnickers who enjoy the forest and value its natural state. It is one of ten pilot sites cleaned during 2000.

Delaware State Forest is located in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Learn more about other illegal dump sites in state forests and parks.

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