Kane Week -9

 I’ve decided to write this blog post on a topic that I am very passionate about. As many of you know I grew up as a little country girl. Playing in the dirt, splashing in the creek, and exploring the fields around us. I've learned so many things from living in a big yard in the woods. But I've learned one unfortunate message. Life is never fair. I'm not talking about my life, I'm talking about the wildlife in the creek in our backyard. Almost twice a year, the creek dries up to almost nothing. This is caused by malfunctions in the dam that's controlled by Hercules cement upstream. The Bushkill Creek is home to many species of bottom feeders, invertebrates, insects, algae, and prized trout. Each year, over 10,000 native fish species are killed just in that stretch of the creek. Most of this large number is baby trout. Trout only breed in a perfect environment that takes years to establish. So this mass killing affects the creek and the ecosystem for years. The stretch of the Bushkill creek behind my house is a class A fishing stream. Meaning they are considered to contain the highest-quality naturally reproducing trout populations in Pennsylvania. Class A Wild Trout Waters receive certain legal protections. For example, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection classifies them as High-Quality Coldwater Fisheries. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission enforces uniform statewide angling laws in most Class A Wild Trout Waters. But this stretch is not as protected as others. How this is fair, I have no idea. But it needs to stop. Hercules needs to find a backup method to prevent the issues associated with the water flow. I've spent hours calling fish and game, trout unlimited, and Lehigh valley live. I've got a story written upon Lehigh valley live because of this issue, and I am bringing it up now before it happens again. 

https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/news/2020/06/large-fish-kill-after-bushkill-creek-dries-up-as-cement-companys-pumps-fail-following-lightning-strike-officials-say.html