After finding a dead great horned owl entangled in discarded fishing line along the Tulpehocken Creek near Gring’s Mill in January, Jim Colflesh has been on a mission.
“People need to be aware of the dangers that snagged lines pose to wildlife,” the Bern Township resident said as he looked out over the Tulpehocken Creek at the Gring’s Mill bridge.
Colflesh stood by a PVC tube located on the bridge, one of many along the creek for the deposit of discarded fishing line.
“People need to realize those PVC tubes are to put fishing line in and to use them,” he said.
He has begun distributing flyers with slogans such as “Catch fish, not birds,” and “Pack it in, pack it out.”
More importantly, though, he has worked the phones and email with a variety of area environmental organizations to clean up the tangled fishing line that has been embedded for years in the trees and shrubs lining the Tulpehocken.
The Tulpehocken Creek Watershed Association through Berks Nature, the Keystone Canoe Club, Take It Outdoors kayakers with the Schuylkill River Greenway Association, Blue Marsh Lake park rangers, the Berks County Parks and Recreation Department and the Baird Ornithological Club have turned out for several recent creek-side cleanups before the opening day of trout season Saturday.
“It’s been a rewarding experience to see that so many of the environmental groups in the area have responded positively to help with this,” Colflesh said. “We know for a fact that at the Blue Marsh Stilling Basin, it had not been done for at least nine years on the water side.
“Both the county and Blue Marsh teams work from the banks and get what they can, but going out in the water onto the overhangs, they just don’t do it because of the safety issues that are involved.”
For the recent cleanups, kayaks were used and volunteers in waders worked in teams to assure safety as they used long pruning hooks and poles to rid the trees of the lines.
The first cleanup in mid-March from the Stilling Basin to Reber’s Bridge netted over 50 lures and three trash bags filled with fishing line.
Last week, seven county park staffers and more than 10 volunteers from area groups participated in a cleanup, according to Brendan Lederer, Berks County Parks and Recreation Department director.
“During the cleanup, we were fortunate enough to spot a mink along the water’s edge, playfully moving in and out of the water,” Lederer said. “It was a reminder of why this work matters and reaffirmed our commitment to preserving these natural spaces for future generations.”
It’s important to recognize the dangers of discarded fishing line, he said.
A Tulpehocken Township man has had his own mission to remove snagged fishing line from the Blue Marsh Lake shoreline.
Around a decade ago, Bryan Sauber traded in his passion for surfing in Florida to stand-up paddleboarding at the lake.
“The first lure was in the northern part of Blue Marsh, and it may sound corny, but there was a shimmering silver thing in a tree that called me,” he said.
That started his unique collection that is now suspended in a poolside area of his home in three large, tear-shaped bundles of lures numbering close to 1,000.
“But the reason I collect them, it saves wildlife, the raccoons, the fox, the deer, even people, kids, dogs, whatever, saves them from walking on them,” Sauber said. “So I take them instead of throw them away. I just hang them up.”
French Creek State Park
After reading about the entangled great-horned owl, Jamey and Patti Hutchinson decided to work on removing tangled fishing line from Hopewell Lake at French Creek State Park in late January when the ice was 8 inches thick.
While kayaking on the lake, they often removed fishing line they could reach, but the ice gave them an opportunity to take a ladder and extension poles to access the upper branches.
Their haul included 26 lures with hooks, 30 hooks, 27 bobbers, 33 lead fishing weights and many yards of fishing line.
“Jamey and I were both happy to make the lake a safer place for the creatures that call this amazing place home,” Patti said
Raising awareness
The county is looking to continue cleaning up the discarded fishing line from 6 miles of the Tulpehocken Creek from the Stilling Basin at Blue Marsh to Stonecliffe Park.
One more cleanup event at Blue Marsh with the Army Corps of Engineers will be scheduled.
“These ongoing efforts are essential in raising awareness about the environmental impact of discarded fishing line and other litter, and we are grateful for the support of our community in making these initiatives a success,” Lederer of the county parks said. “Together, we can make a positive difference in preserving our natural spaces.”
Source: Berkshire mont
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