D-CAAL: The Animals Are Gonna Die Again For No Reason

Saturday, February 26, 2011

The Animals Are Gonna Die Again For No Reason

The animals that are dying are of the silent type: turtles, fish, mussels, snakes, and large snails. They don't scream when they are dying. If they were capable of setting up a howl, many passersby would come running to the edge of the canal to see what the racket was, and in all probability quite a few of them would do as we do: get in there and try to save them.

Because of this it's certainly unpleasant to walk, jog or bike the canal after summer. It's painful to see what lies below. Driving from New Hope up past Upper Black Eddy surveying the canal from the road, one sees that the entire canal bed is dry, meaning that literally millions of creatures who were swept into the canal from the north died. This has been going on for 30 plus years. The canal has been filled then allowed to dry out, refilled and allowed to dry out again and again. That's certainly a tremendous amount of destruction when it comes to the various species of water animals that have inhabited it. How many times does this need to be repeated?

What exactly is going on, and why does it appear that the powers-that-be don't care?

A lot of the particulars are a wornout story for anyone who has been following the canal saga through the years. The portion of the Delaware Canal that runs between the city of Easton, PA. to New Hope, PA is especially problematic. It has been compromised both by way of disuse and neglect through the years and flood damage. It has numerous leaks, aqueduct problems, and lock disrepair. But what is even more interesting is the fact that the entire canal was problematic from its inception.

The 60 mile long canal was built along the west bank of the Delaware River from navigable water at Bristol, to Easton, where it connected with the Lehigh Navigation. It employed 23 lift locks, a guard lock, a tide lock and nine aqueducts to climb 165 feet to Easton's elevation. Unfortunately, the contractors hired by the Commonwealth to construct the Delaware Canal proved to be incompetent, and when opened in 1832, the waterway leaked so badly that it was soon shut down. (Extracted from The National CanalMuseum/http://www.canals.org/educators/curriculum/delaware_canal)

On top of the continuous disuse and disrepair, there is a broken pump at the lock at Center Bridge, PA.:

The Pennsylvania Canal Commissioners then asked Josiah White, co-founder of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company to rebuild the Delaware Division...White found it necessary to design a waterwheel pumping device built near New Hope to supply additional water for the lower sections of the Canal. (Extracted from The National Canal Museum/http://www.canals.org/educators/curriculum/delaware_canal)

Therefore a pump was always needed to fill the section of the canal between Center Bridge and New Hope with water. An broken electric pump has been in place for years and years. But the only reason for attempting to keep this particular area of the canal filled is for the sake of appearances and the benefit of the mule barge operation.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Delaware Canal State Park Reptile & Amphibian Species List

Amphibians

Common NameScientific Name Northern cricket frog Acris crepitans crepitans, American toad Bufo americanus, Fowlers toad Bufo fowleri, Northern two-lined salamander Eurycea bislineata bislineata, Redbacked salamander Plethodon cinereus, Slimy salamander Plethodon g. glutinosus, New Jersey chorus frog Pseudacris triseriata kalmi, Bullfrog Rana catesbeiana, Green frog Rana clamitans melanota, Northern pickerel Rana palustris, Wood frog Rana sylvatica.

Reptiles

Common NameScientific Name Northern copperhead Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen, Snapping turtle Chelydra serpentina, Eastern painted turtle Chrysemys picta picta, Northern black racer Coluber constrictor constrictor, Northern ringneck snake Diadophis punctatus edwardsi, Map turtle Graptemys geographica, Eastern milk snake Lampropeltis triangulum triangulum, Northern water snake Nerodia sipedon sipedon, Red-bellied turtle Pseudemys rubriventris, Eastern box turtle Terrapene carolina carolina, Eastern garter snake Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis.

(DCNR, http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/delawarecanal/delawarecanal_herps.aspx)

Who we are:

We are a group of concerned individuals whose voices are speaking out for the rights of the silent minority: all of the animals of the Delaware Canal and its surroundings. We are not yet a powerful group but we are adding to our numbers everyday. Our mission is to stop the forced filling and refilling of the Delaware Canal on the Pennsylvania side from Easton to New Hope unless it is completely and competently repaired. Our aim is to bring awareness and educate the people of the Delaware Valley, the Lehigh Valley, Philadelphia and surrounding areas, as well as all those who come to Southeastern Pennsylvania as tourists, and have them voluntarily join our ranks against the repetitive injustice that occurs each year.

Beware, all is not what it appears to be!

The water that comes flowing down each spring or summer from the northern reaches of the Delaware River by Easton into the canal is a forced mission by certain local monied groups who through their funding and personal connections in the government strong-arm the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) into complying with the reopening of the headgate at Easton and various locks that join the canal to the Delaware River without ever having completed any repair on the canal. This is done for the sake of tourism, making the little river towns look cute and more inviting for shoppers and other visitors.

By winter every year, the canal bed is dry and filled with dead turtles, fish, mussels, and giant snails.

Links

D-CAAL Our main site.
Greenpeace The leading independent campaigning organization that uses peaceful direct action and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and to promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future.
Sea Shepherd Established in 1977, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) is an international non-profit, marine wildlife conservation organization. Our mission is to end the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife in the world's oceans in order to conserve and protect ecosystems and species.
PETA PETA's animal rights campaigns include ending fur and leather use meat and dairy consumption fishing hunting trapping factory farming circuses bull fighting rodeos and animal experimentation.