Montour Preserve

NEW ADDITIONS TO MARC'S TEAM MARC is pleased to announce the addition of three new individuals to our team. MARC welcomes aboard Doug Fought and Craig Reinard ...as new Seasonal Maintenance Technicians and Hannah Reavy, from Bloomsburg University's Department of Environmental, Geographical, and Geological Sciences, as a summer intern. Pictured from left to right: Dennis Piatt (Senior Maintenance Technician), Lesley Yeich (Maintenance Technician), Craig Reinard (Seasonal Maintenance Technician), Hannah Reavy (intern), Doug Fought (Seasonal Maintenance Technician), and Bob Stoudt (Director). Not pictured: Jon Beam (Assistant Director/Naturalist)

So...are you wondering how we are going to play this November temperatures in May Memorial Day weekend? Well, I am here to tell ya: Our official hours are 10...:00 a. - 2:00 p...but typically we stay as long as there is demand. That being said... Saturday - Cold, rain, maybe clearing later in the day - We will give it a go, but if it’s fruitless I’m not going to make Chase sit there in the bus all day for no sensible paddlers. Sunday - See Saturday - if the weather looks better, we will stay as is appropriate. Monday - MEMORIAL DAY! - Looks to be the best day of the lot. We are hoping to see a great many folks at the Montour Preserve on Monday to enjoy this 1 day in 3 holiday weekend that is forecast. Bring on June!

On Sun., May 30, the PFBC will waive its license requirement, allowing anglers to fish within public waterways across PA without possessing a fishing license. The second Fish-for-Free Day will happen on Independence Day, Sun., July 4. Learn more: http://ow.ly/4WhM50EWHnr

TICK WARNING FOR PARK AND TRAIL VISITORS Recent media posts have warned that this season might be especially bad for ticks throughout Pennsylvania and it seems ...that this is very much the case in and around Montour County. MARC has received multiple reports in recent days from visitors to the Montour Preserve, Hess Recreation Area, and other outdoor locations throughout Montour County concerning extremely high numbers of ticks being found. In several instances, individuals are reporting finding more than twenty ticks on themselves or their pets. MARC strongly encourages all those spending time outdoors (and those whose pets spend time outdoors) to follow the guidance provided by Get Outdoors PA and the PA Lyme Resource Network to protect themselves, their family members, and pets from ticks by doing the following: Defend yourself and your property - Spray repellent on skin - Spray Permethrin on clothes and shoes (carefully follow label instructions) - Wear lightly-colored clothing to more easily spot ticks - Tuck pants into socks Avoid tick habitat - Ticks crawl to top of grass to latch onto you - Stay in the middle of trails, away from high grasses - Do not sit on downed logs, leaf piles, or mossy stones Remember tick checks and shower - Once inside, put clothes into dryer (for dry clothes, 10 minutes on high heat kills ticks) - Do a tick check, especially behind knees, groin, armpits, and neck - Shower within two hours of coming inside Eliminate ticks correctly - Remove ticks with pointed tweezers - DO NOT squeeze, burn, or put liquids or gels on a tick to try to remove it - Send ticks for free testing (visit PALyme.org) - If any symptoms arise, see your doctor ASAP To learn more about avoiding and dealing with ticks and the symptoms and treatments for Lyme Disease (and related conditions), please visit www.PALyme.org. photo credit: Tyler and Nicole Dombroski

Come see Chase about renting a boat at the Preserve tomorrow 10:00 a. - 2:00 p. + Might we have hot, Bason, freshly-ground, French-press coffee for sale? We might! And the weather looks delightful!

MARC 2021 OFFICERS AND MEMBERS The Montour Area Recreation Commission has elected the following officers for 2021: Chairperson: Tyler Dombroski (Washingtonville... Mayor) Vice-Chairperson / Treasurer: Dr. John Bulger (Montour County resident representative) Secretary: Chris Johns (Danville Area School District) MARC thanks Mayor Dombroski, Dr. Bulger, and Mr. Johns for their continued service and thanks outgoing Chairperson Mike Mills and Vice-Chairperson Frank Dombroski for their many years of dedication to MARC and our community. Mike and Frank have helped guide MARC though many years of challenges and opportunities and we will be forever grateful for their guidance and efforts to make Montour County a healthy and desirable place to live, work, and play.

The Montour Area Recreation Commission (MARC) will accept bids for the purchase of a 2006 Bobcat Model 2300 utility vehicle with bucket and blade. Vehicle engi...ne is in working condition, but vehicle’s drivetrain and other components require repair. Vehicle and accessories are sold AS-IS with a minimum bid of $200. To arrange for an in-person inspection, call (570) 336 2060. Bids must be received by MARC by 5:00pm on February 19, 2021. Sealed bids may be hand-delivered or mailed to MARC, PO Box 456, Danville, PA 17821. The official bid form can be found at: https://montourrec.com/contract-employment-opportunities/

MARC MEETING NOTICE The Montour Area Recreation Commission will hold its regularly-scheduled January meeting on Monday, January 25, at 7:00pm. This meeting wil...l be held through the Zoom platform; no in-person meeting will be held. The meeting agenda and supporting materials are posted to MARC's website at https://montourrec.com/marc-meeting-agendasminutes/ In order to prevent malicious conduct online, meeting attendees must register in advance for this meeting by contacting Bob Stoudt, MARC Director, at [email protected].

MEADOW VOLES AND SNOWY BLANKETS This evening's fresh blanket of snow will be of benefit to some species of wildlife and may make for some interesting observations for those getting outdoors tomorrow. Learn more in the latest episodes of Jon Beam's Nature Notes, available now at https://montourpreserve.org/nature-notes/

NOTICE REGARDING HESS RECREATION AREA TRAIL DAMAGES / CAUTION TO PARK & TRAIL USERS Users of the Hess Loop Trail (J. Manley Robbins Trail and Old Reading Line ...Trail) and the Mahoning Flats Trail network at the Hess Recreation Area are cautioned that the Christmas eve / Christmas day storm has caused moderate damage at several locations along the trails. Trail users are cautioned regarding partial trail washouts along the northern portion of the J. Manley Robbins Trail and continued flooding and boardwalk damages along the Mahoning Flats Trail network. Damage location are shown on the attached map. The Hess Loop Trail remains open for use and is passable for most users, but MARC cautions park visitors that the J. Manley Robbins Trail portion of the Hess Loop trail is not suitable for users with limited mobility. MARC recommends against use of the Mahoning Flats Trail network at this time. MARC staff will repair trail damages in coming days as conditions allow. In an effort to prevent recurring damages at these frequent trouble locations, MARC will consult with the Montour County Conservation District and other entities to determine whether MARC might be able to install larger diameter culverts in place of those damaged during this storm. Storm damage evaluations are not yet complete at the Montour Preserve, Hopewell Park / Danville Borough Farm trail network, or the North Branch Canal Trail, but MARC anticipates moderate trail erosion problems at each of these locations. If you know of trail damage or other storm-related problems at any MARC-managed site, please contact Bob Stoudt, MARC Director, at [email protected] or by call or text to (570) 336-2060.