D-CAAL: Tug-of-War Over Mule Barge Rides

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Tug-of-War Over Mule Barge Rides

To the Editor: News of the proposed closing of the Delaware River Canal Boat Co.'s mule barge operation in New Hope is devastating. The negative impact this would have on the small community of New Hope, as well as the broader impact on tourism for the whole of Bucks County, is immense. Consider the promotional material for our region which explicitly touts this unique attraction; the historic mule-barge legacy and that of the Delaware Canal and its towpath are tied irrevocably. We, the community, cannot simply turn our backs on the demise of the mule barge concession.(The Intelligencer, December 31, 2007; http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-1405732381.html)

The mule barge might very well have gone bankrupt, not because of problems with the canal but because of the following interesting tidbit. The original owner of the mule barge was removed and was replaced surreptitiously by The Friends of The Delaware Canal. This last owner was just a tiny bit corrupt:

New Hope Boat & Navigation Corporation charged in Bucks County case involving theft of more than $56,000 of state funds. The owners of a Bucks County company, New Hope Boat & Navigation Corporation, have been charged with scheming to keep more than $56,000 which should have been paid to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Attorney General Tom Corbett said the money was supposed to be paid to the Commonwealth as part of a 10-year contract for the operation of historic canal boat rides in the Delaware Canal State Park, located in Bucks County. (From The Pennsylvania Attorney General; http://www.attorneygeneral.gov/press.aspx?id=1133)

1 comment:

AnonymousMarch 6, 2011 at 10:39 PM
I grew up visiting NewHope over the past twenty years and remember the excitement that would come over me whenever I would see the mules eating their hay. I must have over one-hundred photos of myself and my family with the mules or with a backdrop of the historic barges. In all of these photos there is a theme of flowers and colors and basking turtles and ducks and butterflies and so on. This being said; the comparison to the present is devastating. Something definitely needs to be done. All the animals are absolutely dwindling and the canal itself is has been over-run with the look of a dying historic symbol. This is a beautiful town with much to offer tourist and locals alike. The condition of this canal system needs to be restored not only for it's delicate ecosystem but also for it's historic significance to the Bucks County Area.
This is a wonderful blog.
Good Luck and Best Wishes!!!!
-signed-
a 100% supporter
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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.

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