17512 Columbia

Archive for the ‘The Susquehanna’ Category

“Susquehanna River’s poor health is killing smallmouth bass”

In Everyday Living, In Columbia, The Susquehanna, Treasures on April 26, 2013 at 5:38 am

bassIn this photo supplied by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, a smallmouth bass pulled from the Susquehanna River is shown suffering from lesions. (Source: Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster New Era)

By AD CRABLE | Staff Writer – Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster New Era
“The collapse of the smallmouth bass fishery on the lower Susquehanna River may be the “canary in the coal mine,” presaging future health problems to more fish and animals in the river, as well as devastating a recreational economy, a new report says.”Since 2005, 80 percent of the bass have disappeared between Sunbury and the Conowingo Dam. Fingerling bass are dying, ugly lesions and splotches are appearing on adults and eggs are showing up in the testes of male fish.”The cause: A ‘perfect storm’ of high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus pollution, rising water temperatures believed to be at least partly due to global warming and a mix of chemicals from sewage plants, says the report, released Thursday by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.”Those stressors seem to be depressing the fish’s immune system, making them susceptible to bacteria, parasites and low oxygen levels that did not affect them in the past, according to researchers.

“‘Angling for Healthier Rivers: The Link Between Smallmouth Bass Mortality and Disease and the Need to Reduce Water Pollution in the Chesapeake Bay Tributaries,’ is a distillation of recent research by state and federal scientists, as well as interviews with leading bass biologists.

“The study also fingers mostly ag-related phosphorus and nitrogen as a key part of the problem.

“It notes that blooms of algae caused by excess nutrients deprive the river of oxygen, stressing fish and spurring the growth of parasites that may be killing young smallmouth bass.

“‘While more study into the causes of the fish kills and illnesses is required, one fact is clear. To restore populations of smallmouth bass, as well as the health of the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers and streams, we must reduce nitrogen and phosphorus pollution. Of the myriad of contributing factors, this is one factor that people can control,’ the report says.

“Phosphorus and nitrogen levels in the Susquehanna are among the worst in the Bay watershed, according to the study.”

Click here to read this Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster New Era article in its entirety.

Borough Council meeting agenda, Monday, April 8

In Everyday Living, Government, History and Heritage, In Columbia, Opinions, Opportunities, People, The Susquehanna on April 9, 2013 at 5:32 am

A full council conducted last night’s monthly council meeting in the borough hall; also representing the borough in the meeting were the mayor, the borough manager, financial director and solicitor. About a dozen citizens attended too.

gs composite

10 young ladies from Columbia, members of a Girl Scout Troop, accompanied by the troop’s leaders, Jill Ness and Alegra Grove, were in attendance for the first half hour of the meeting; the Scouts were there observing local government in action to earn credits towards an inside government merit badge.

And a trio of Lancaster Catholic High School students were at the meeting; area Lancaster Catholic High School students have been frequent observers of local government at the borough council meetings. Solicitor Robert L. Pfannebecker opined to the high school students that Columbia’s local governance is more spirited and has more lively debate and discussion than most county municipal governments.

Meeting agenda, page 0ne

08 council meeting0002

Meeting agenda, page two

08 council meeting0003

Last night’s two and-a-quarter meeting Read the rest of this entry »

“US non-conventional fossil fuel: environmental risks” – The Conversation

In Education, Everyday Living, Government, History and Heritage, Opinions, The Susquehanna, Treasures on April 5, 2013 at 3:16 am

XL pipelineThe debate around the Keystone XL pipeline represents concern over the environmental effects of non-conventional fossil fuels. Flickr/shannonpatrick

“In the US, extraction of non-conventional fossil fuels is booming. Investment in extra-heavy and heavy oils, oil shales and sands, tight oil and gas, shale gas and coal seam gas is taking off as companies and US governments look to reap the financial and political benefits.

“But the boom comes with major environmental risks, from extraction, transport and fugitive emissions. In fact, just this week we have seen an Exxon oil spill in Arkansas, where an estimated 12,000 barrels of Canadian heavy crude oil were spilt into residential areas near the town of Mayflower from a 65-year-old pipeline.

“To date, environmental and safety regulation of these fuels has been grossly inadequate. And yet there is pressure for still more cutting of ‘green tape.’

Environmental risks of extraction and transport

“The threats from extraction are well known, and we’ve seen them in Australia as well as in the US. When under-regulated, the ‘fracking’ process used to release natural gas and tight oil can threaten water quality. A major EPA safety report is due in 2014, but investment isn’t waiting. It’s proceeding strongly under the impetus of both market forces and pressure from the US Federal Government which is keen to encourage gas export, especially as LNG to Europe, to reduce Russia’s influence.

“An issue Australia doesn’t face is the risk from heavy, corrosive, carbon-intensive oil from tar sands; in this case, extracted in Canada. In the US, Public concern about the multiple environmental risks associated with the extraction, processing and pipelining of this fuel is focused around a pending Federal decision about the Keystone (XL) pipeline. The State Department’s technical report was released on March 1. The environmental risks of such a pipeline were demonstrated by the Enbridge Energy case of 2010 and this week’s spill in Arkansas.

“Apart from profit, potential pipeline approval is again driven by geopolitics. The pipeline would help maintain smooth relations with the Canadian Government but, as some suggest, also provides an alternative to heavy but conventional Venezuelan crude currently refined on the Mexican Gulf coast.”

Click here to continue reading this article at The Converstion.

No littering? Really?

In Everyday Living, Government, In Columbia, Opportunities, The Susquehanna, Treasures on March 25, 2013 at 5:02 am

do not kill the fish

“A cigarette butt dropped to the ground seems insignificant.  But follow that butt as it’s carried off by rain into storm drains and eventually to streams and rivers. It now adds up to a big impact on the places we live: In fact, 32% of litter at storm drains is tobacco products.

“Cigarette butt litter creates blight. It accumulates in gutters, and outside doorways and bus shelters. It’s the number one most littered item anywhere. Increasing amounts of litter in a business district, along riverfronts, or recreation areas create a sense that no one cares, leading to more community disorder and crime.

Cigarette butts don’t disappear.  About 95% of cigarette filters are composed of cellulose acetate, a form of plastic which does not quickly degrade and can persist in the environment.

“Filters are harmful to waterways and wildlife. About 18% of litter, traveling primarily through storm water systems, ends up in local streams, rivers, and waterways. Nearly 80% of marine debris comes from land-based sources. Cigarette butt litter can also pose a hazard to animals and marine life when they mistake filters for food.” SOURCE: Prevent Cigarette Litter

Cigarette filters are made from cellulose acetate, which is a synthetic fiber that can take five years to degrade. Most of these will be washed into waterways long before they break down where they can contaminate our water supply and harm wildlife with toxins from the cigarette.

Cigarette filters add stress to sewer and wastewater systems. The Amhearst, NY engineering department Website states, “Your toilet and sewer system are only designed to dispose of human wastes and toilet paper (which quickly breaks down). Unfortunately, people use the toilet as a wastebasket out of convenience. It is a huge ‘out of sight, out of mind’ problem because people often don’t see the mess sewer overflows cause and the problems that sewer workers need to deal with. Almost any type of rubbish (including cigarette filters) may restrict sewage flow, clog sewers, and cause sewage overflows.”

Cigarette butts are not biodegradable and should not be flushed into the septic system. And the filters on cigarette butts can clog and destroy septic pumps.

“Discarded cigarette butts may present health risks to human infants and animals because of indiscriminate eating behaviours.” – National Library of Medicine report

“Cigarette filters have been found in the stomachs of fish, birds, whales and other marine creatures who mistake them for food … Composed of cellulose acetate, a form of plastic, cigarette butts can persist in the environment as long as other forms of plastic.” – Clean Virginia Waterways

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s newsletter, Bay Daily, says, “The non-biodegradable and perhaps toxic properties of cigarette filters are just another reason to toss your pack of cigarettes – in the waste basket, of course, not overboard. They’re a blight on human health and a drag for wildlife, too.

“San Diego State University researcher Richard Gersberg recently published a report that showed that the chemicals in a single cigarette butt can poison fish in a one-liter bucket of water.”

Some want to share information; others do not

In Everyday Living, In Columbia, Opinions, Opportunities, The Susquehanna on March 23, 2013 at 4:53 am

While wandering the aisles at the Market House yesterday, we spotted the brochures on the display table by the market master’s stand. Ever notice that when a business or any entity wants to tell you things, they communicate their message. Some advertise in paid media; some mail the information to you and some use signage. Some may use the Internet. Incredibly, some choose to hide their “little lights” completely.

River Towns’ brochure on the Commemorative Activities surrounding the 150th anniversary of the burning of the bridge, wants to share their information.

150 year commemorative 01

150 year commemorative 02

The Fourth Friday brochure produced Read the rest of this entry »

Columbia River Park Wins Keystone 20th Anniversary Award

In Everyday Living, In Columbia, Opportunities, The Susquehanna on March 18, 2013 at 3:15 pm

keystone - 20 years

(HARRISBURG, PA) Columbia River Park won the Keystone 20th Anniversary Award for an exemplary Parks and Recreation project funded by the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund.

The award was presented to the Borough of Columbia, Lancaster County, at the state Capitol on Monday as part of a celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Keystone Fund. The award was sponsored by the Pennsylvania Growing Greener Coalition, Pennsylvania Land Trust Association, Pennsylvania Library Association, Pennsylvania Parks & Recreation Society, and Preservation Pennsylvania.

“For more than two decades, the Keystone Fund has been helping communities protect open space, develop community parks and recreation areas, support libraries, preserve historic sites, and protect and improve our state game, forest, and park lands,” said presenter Robert Griffith, former executive director of the Pennsylvania Recreation & Park Society and one of the original Keystone champions. “This project demonstrates that investments in the Keystone Fund help make real and lasting improvements in our communities.”

Columbia River Park received $1.03 million in Keystone funds for park revitalization and expansion. The project consists of an enlarged boat ramp, a canoe and kayak ramp and increased parking. The project also includes a new Park and Trail Services building complete with restrooms and kiosk area, porous paving and sidewalks, rain gardens, a boat dock, pavilion and a handicapped accessible dock, benches and picnic benches.

“Beautiful Columbia River Park attracts visitors from across the state who want to bird watch, picnic, fish and play,” said Leo S. Lutz, mayor of the Borough of Columbia.  “The Keystone Fund made possible important improvements that will enhance the visitor experience, make the park accessible to all people, including those with a physical impairment, and encourage more people to enjoy this wonderful asset.”

The other Keystone 20th Anniversary award winners are:

  • Trails – The D & L Trail in the Wyoming, Delaware and Lehigh Valley. Presented to the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor.
  • Historic Preservation – Pearl S. Buck House, Perkasie, Bucks County. Presented to Pearl S. Buck International.
  • Library – Scottdale Public Library, Scottdale. Westmoreland County.  Presented to Scottdale Public Library
  • Conservation – White Rocks Acquisition, Cumberland County. Presented to Appalachian Trail Conservancy.
  • State Parks – Ryerson Station State Park Swimming Pool, Richhill Township, Greene County.  Presented to Pennsylvania Parks & Forests Foundation.

Awardees received a special wood plaque to be displayed at the site of their project.

About Keystone: The Keystone Recreation, Park & Conservation Fund is a critical dedicated funding source for recreation and conservation projects, libraries, historic preservation initiatives and higher education. Established in 1993 with an overwhelmingly approved voter referendum, a 48-0 vote in the Pennsylvania Senate and a 196-3 vote in the House, the Keystone Fund automatically receives 15 percent of the state’s realty transfer tax.  Since its establishment, the fund has helped conserve more than 130,000 acres of green space, supported more than 1,900 park projects, and funded 570 historic preservation projects and more than 200 library projects.

(SOURCE: News Release)

 

another lesson learned: water is life

In Education, Everyday Living, Government, In Columbia, Opinions, Opportunities, People, The Susquehanna, Treasures on March 16, 2013 at 5:30 am

water is life

We sometimes lose sight of how fortunate we are to live in a nation that takes its water supply for granted. According to water.org, “An American taking a five-minute shower uses more water than the average person in a developing country slum uses for an entire day.”

March 22 is Water Day! We must conserve, protect and respect our water sources. Water offers the gift of life.

water is life collage

“Taking the Underground Railroad (and the bus) back into black history” – Sunday News

In Education, Everyday Living, History and Heritage, In Columbia, People, The Susquehanna, Treasures on February 24, 2013 at 4:40 am

underground rrRe-enactor Robert Brinson, portraying William Whipper, talks to members of an Underground Railroad bus tour that stopped Saturday at Columbia River Park. (Blaine T. Shahan/Staff) - Lancaster Sunday News

“By DAN NEPHIN, Staff Writer | The Sunday News, Lancaster

“While there never were any actual railways tunneling underground across Lancaster County and beyond, the Underground Railroad was as real as the tracks that made up the nation’s early rail corridors.

“Its ‘stations’ included Columbia, where enslaved African-Americans arrived from the South; the Lancaster city properties of abolitionist Thaddeus Stevens and Lydia Hamilton Smith, where a cistern likely hid escaping slaves; and Christiana, where farmer, abolitionist and former slave William Parker and others fought a Maryland slave owner’s attempt to recover his ‘property.’

“‘There might be a case to be made that the entire movement that we call the Underground Railroad had its stirrings on the banks of the Susquehanna,’ preservation consultant Randolph Harris said.

“On Saturday, Harris led a bus tour to more than a dozen county locations associated with the Underground Railroad. The Central Pennsylvania Preservation Society sponsored the daylong tour.

“‘It’s just fascinating to me the amount of history in this area that even people who are into history and preservation don’t know,’ said Danielle Keperling, executive director.

“About 55 people took the tour, including Patricia Jacobs, a retired School District of Lancaster teacher.

“A history buff who coached Black History bowls, Jacobs said she was familiar with the history of the Underground Railroad, but found the tour informative, particularly how the community in Columbia supported it.

“Harris said Columbia figured so prominently because it was a major transportation center, featuring the Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge, a ferry, a canal, and the Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad.

“Columbia was also the home of William Whipper, a black businessman who operated lumber mills. With partner Stephen Smith, he built secret compartments in actual railroad boxcars to transport escaped enslaved Africans to Philadelphia.” Click here to continue reading this Sunday News article.

Everything that’s old is new again!

In Everyday Living, History and Heritage, In Columbia, Opinions, Opportunities, The Susquehanna on February 19, 2013 at 4:15 am

An Internet search (two deep on google) generated this 2008 brochure for Fabulous Fourth Fridays in Columbia, Marietta, Wrightsville.

Isn’t it ironic and fitting that the Chamber of Commerce’s recent announcement concerning the rescue of Fourth Fridays is bringing the program back under the auspices of the Chamber where it began? Isn’t it also ironic to see how much sticking power a post on the Internet has?

fourth fridays

Fourth Friday is this Friday! Come and enjoy what Columbia, Marietta and Wrightsville have to offer.

Property transfers and things you saw (and didn’t see) in yesterday’s Sunday News

In Everyday Living, Government, In Columbia, Lists, Opinions, Opportunities, People, The Susquehanna on January 21, 2013 at 5:05 am

In the Sunday News, the “DEEDS RECORDED” are published weekly; here is page one of yesterday’s listing.

property deeds recorded

If you want to see more details on the deeds recorded, you can go here;

property deeds

Click on the drop-down box to look for more details on the property transfer. After completing the fill-in blocks, you may wind up here. Here’s where you’ll see two more of those river front properties being sold. These properties are the among the ones given to the Borough of Columbia then transferred to the Columbia Economic Development Corporation which sold them to the Columbia Heritage River Cottage Association, Inc. for $350,000.

Before the Java alert, folks could click on the “Instrument” column and access the documents for the transfer. For some reason, that seems not to be working. If it were working, it would be interesting to see more about the 6040581 Instrument: the almost a million-and-a-half dollar mortgage for a Columbia property.

property sales

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