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NWP Global Registry of Apprentice Ecologists - Lake Minisink, Milford, Pennsylvania, USA

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Lake Minisink, Milford, Pennsylvania, USA
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della060



Registered: February 2007
Posts: 1
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This Thanksgiving, my family continued its newly established tradition of celebrating the holiday in Pennsylvania's beautiful Pocono Mountains. In the spirit of selflessness and gratitude which Thanksgiving represents, I decided to complete an Apprentice Ecologist project the following weekend in the Lake Minisink area.


Although my family officially lives two and a half hours away from the Poconos in the suburbs of Philadelphia, our cabin on Lake Minisink has become a second home to me. With a large, clear lake, surrounding forests, and small cabins which date back to the beginning of the twentieth century, Lake Minisink truly provides a place for people to coincide and connect with nature.


In reality, Lake Minisink is a clean area due to the painstaking maintenance efforts of its cabin owners and state departments. Essentially, there are two types of people which Lake Minisink consistently attracts: those who enjoy their vacation by swimming and fishing in the lake, and those who spend their vacation partying. The trash I picked up reflected this separation. The first trash I collected was in my own yard. A deflated inner tube that someone forgot to store away until next summer had made its way to our cabin. Walking around the edge of the lake, I found a few cracked bobbers and several feet worth of stray fishing line, all signs of the avid, but sometimes careless fisherman. Soda and beer cans also frequented the area around the lake, along with candy wrappers and fast food bags. In total, I was able to fill one large trash bag.


With Lake Minisink proving to be fairly clean, the road leading to the lake drastically differed. Whereas I could easily go sixty or so feet without finding a single piece of trash by the lake, litter met my every footstep along the road. Cans, bottles, wrappers, pieces of cloth, even children's toys amounted to four bags full to the brim with trash.


While I would like to think that I will drive along an almost spotless road during my next trip to Lake Minisink, I realize that the thought is improbable and doubtful. My cleanup effort took five hours to complete between the extensive walking and the constant picking up of trash, so I can understand why other people would view the task as intimidating and daunting. After completing the Apprentice Ecologist program, I felt satisfied with my work and with myself. I know that if people were more concerned with protecting the environment and were actively discouraged from littering, Lake Minisink would have even more beauty for families to enjoy.
· Date: March 16, 2007 · Views: 15731 · File size: 32.7kb, 203.1kb · : 1500 x 1125 ·
Hours Volunteered: 8
Volunteers: 1
Authors Age & Age Range of Volunteers: 16
Area Restored for Native Wildlife (hectares): 2
Trash Removed/Recycled from Environment (kg): 20
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