Twenty years of clean generation at Raystown Hydroelectric Project

JUNE 2008
Watermark
Twenty years of clean
generation at Raystown
Hydroelectric Project
PLUS
Welcome, Hummingbirds
Dangerous crossings
Summer salads
JUNE
Vol. 43 • No. 6
William M. Logan
EDITOR/VP OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
& MEMBER SERVICES
Peter Fitzgerald
SENIOR EDITOR
4
E N E R G Y M AT T E R S
The realities of carbon capture and storage
Katherine Hackleman
ASSOCIATE EDITOR /WR ITER
James Dulley
Kitty Halke-Staley
Barbara Martin
Marcus Schneck
6
CONTRIBUTING COLUMN ISTS
8
Your newsmagazine through the years
W. Douglas Shirk
Twenty years later, Raystown still reliable
source of clean energy for Pennsylvania
cooperatives
Vonnie Kloss
ADVERTISING & CIRCULATION
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8
F E AT U R E
Natural currents
LAYOUT & DESIGN
Penn Lines (USPS 929-700), the newsmagazine
of Pennsylvania’s electric cooperatives, is published monthly by the Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association, 212 Locust Street, P.O. Box
1266, Harrisburg, PA 17108-1266. Penn Lines
helps 149,800 households of co-op consumermembers understand issues that affect the
electric cooperative program, their local coops, and their quality of life. Electric co-ops
are not-for-profit, consumer-owned, locally
directed, and taxpaying electric utilities. Penn
Lines is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts. The opinions expressed in Penn Lines
do not necessarily reflect those of the editors,
the Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association, or
local electric distribution cooperatives.
TIME LINES
12A C O O P E R AT I V E
CO N N ECT I O N
Information and advice from your local
electric co-op
14
SMART CIRCUITS
Made in the shade
Energy-efficient window awnings
16
COUNTRY KITCHEN
16
Refreshing summer salads
Enjoy a fresh homemade salad
17
POWER PLANTS
21
Welcome, hummingbirds!
Ways to attract one of nature’s little wonders
18
CLASSIFIEDS
21
O U T D O O R A DV E N T U R ES
Dangerous crossings
Examining amphibian loss due to roadkill
22
PUNCH LINES
Thoughts from Earl Pitts–
Uhmerikun!
With higher cost of living, Earl contemplates
moonlighting
Board officers and staff, Pennsylvania Rural
Electric Association: Chairman, Tim Burkett;
Vice Chairman, S. Eugene Herritt; Secretary,
Lanny Rodgers; Treasurer, David Wright;
President & CEO, Frank M. Betley
© 2008 Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association.
All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in
part without written permission is prohibited.
Visit with us at Penn Lines
Online, located at
www.prea.com/Pennlines/
plonline.htm. Penn Lines Online
provides an e-mail link to Penn
Lines editorial staff,
information on advertising
rates, contributor’s guidelines,
and an archive of past issues.
23
RURAL REFLECTIONS
Summer fun
23
O N T H E COV E R
Twenty years after its dedication,
the Raystown Hydroelectric
Project continues to generate
clean energy for Pennsylvania
cooperatives, while causing no
harm to the Raystown Branch of
the Juniata River.
Photo for PREA by Peter Fitzgerald
JUNE 2008 • PENN
LINES
3
ENERGYmatters
The realities of
carbon capture
and storage
B y J e n n i f e r Tay l o r
NRECA Contributing Writer
WHILE electric cooperatives lead the utility industry in implementing energy efficiency programs and supplying power
from renewable energy, they are also on
the cutting edge when it comes to testing
and deploying carbon capture and storage technology (carbon sequestration).
Carbon capture and storage remains a
sophisticated, complex process that
involves isolating carbon dioxide from
power plant emissions. The collected gas
is then compressed, pumped down into
spent oil and natural gas wells, saline
reservoirs, or inaccessible coal seams
and, in theory, entombed forever.
As electric utilities strive to meet
Getting technical
With growing demand for electricity
and pressure mounting in Congress to
address climate change, technological
advances must be made to keep the
lights on and electric rates affordable.
Technology, like carbon sequestration,
won’t come cheaply. In order to meet
ambitious carbon reduction goals, the
federal government must provide the
funding. As electric co-op consumers,
you can engage in this discussion by
asking your elected officials:
“What are you doing to fully fund
the research and development
required to make emissions-free electric plants an affordable reality?”
Please visit www.ourenergy.coop to
contact your elected officials and make
your voice heard.
4
PENN
LINES • JUNE 2008
increasing demand for safe, reliable and
affordable electricity in an environmentally responsible fashion, carbon sequestration stands, according to a recent Massachusetts Institute of Technology report,
“as the critical enabling technology to
reduce carbon dioxide emissions significantly.” Carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas
blamed for contributing to climate change,
gets released into the atmosphere when
fossil fuels, like coal and natural gas, are
burned to produce electricity.
The Electric Power Research Institute
(EPRI), a non-profit utility-sponsored
organization whose members include
electric co-ops, points out that we’re still
not there with the technology, and that
the costs remain high.
CAPTIVATING: Basin Electric, through its subsidiary Dakota Gasification Company, owns and
operates the $2.1-billion Great Plains Synfuels
Plant northwest of Beulah, N.D. About 8,700 tons
of compressed carbon dioxide are sent to depleted oil fields for storage every day.
PHOTO COURTESY OF NRECA
“Much work still needs to be done on
(carbon sequestration),” emphasizes
George Offen, EPRI senior technical executive.
EPRI points out that building advanced,
more efficient coal-fired plants with carbon
capture and storage technology will boost
capital construction costs by around 40
percent, while the cost for retrofitting existing plants, if possible at all, could run 60 to
80 percent of a new facility.
Moreover, we have to solve the problem of ultimately storing carbon dioxide.
“Storing carbon dioxide in a variety of
geological formations is something we do
not understand,” says Clark Gellings,
vice president of technology at EPRI.
“We have to do more research to determine whether it’s even feasible and then
address all of the other issues — the policy and regulatory concerns — that go
along with it.”
To date, no coal-fired power plants
are equipped with carbon sequestration
technology. And just three plants worldwide remove carbon dioxide from natural gas production and store it underground. Out of these three, the Great
Plains Synfuels Plant, operated by Basin
Electric Power Cooperative — a Bismarck, N.D.-based generation and transmission co-op, starts the process with coal,
which is turned into a synthetic natural
gas.
“Carbon sequestration is very expensive,” stresses Tom Lovas, senior program
manager for the Cooperative Research
Network (CRN), an arm of Arlington, Va.based National Rural Electric Cooperative
Association (NRECA), which represents
the interests of electric co-ops.
CRN has joined a Department of Energy sequestration project near Gaylord,
Mich., where 10,000 tons of carbon dioxide derived from a natural gas processing
plant will be captured and stored in
underground saline formations.
NRECA CEO Glenn English argues
that Congress needs to invest in new and
emerging technologies required for reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
“Electric co-op consumers are conscious that there is a price to pay for
addressing climate change,” he concludes.
“If Congress is serious about meeting our
nation’s energy challenges, then it needs
to move forward in providing the funding
needed to create sustainable, long-term
solutions based on new technology.” l
TIMElines
Yo u r N e w s m a g a z i n e T h r o u g h t h e Y e a r s
1988
ACROSS THE United States, some customers pay more for
power, while others pay less. In June 1988, Penn Lines
explained that three major factors affect the cost of electricity:
the source of the supply, the age of the supply and the utility’s
business cycle.
Traditionally, the cheapest source of power is that generated from water at hydroelectric dams, followed by coal-fired
generation, then nuclear power and oil. Cost of power from
newer plants is more than that from older plants due to
increased costs of generation. Also, costs increase as older
power plants gear up for updates or additions to their generating capabilities.
Ten years ago, the move to deregulate the electric utility
industry was seen as a way to create competition. Today, as
rate caps mandated under deregulation begin to come off, consumers of investor-owned utilities are seeing dramatic increases in rates — the opposite effect intended for deregulation.
Electric cooperatives in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, however, are not subject to these rate caps. Their power, provided
by Allegheny Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Allegheny), comes
mainly from self-owned and relatively inexpensive nuclear
and hydroelectric resources.
As the industry changes, the primary goal of Allegheny continues to be the same: to provide its members with a dependable, long-term supply of electricity at the lowest possible cost.
1968 Pennsylvania’s dairy farmers are recog-
1978 More than 2,000 of the nation’s rural electric
1998 This issue of Penn Lines focuses on waste-
nized during “Dairy Month.” In 1968, many of the
Commonwealth’s 67 counties relied heavily on
dairying as their No. 1 agricultural industry.
board members and general managers attended the
1978 Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C., to
help keep cooperative needs in front of the legislators.
water woes, and how testing shows an experimental treatment system might be a possible solution
to rural Pennsylvania’s wastewater crisis.
6
PENN
LINES • JUNE 2008
PENNlines
Natural
currents
Twenty years later, Raystown still reliable source of clean energy for Pennsylvania cooperatives
P e n n s y l va n i a R u r a l E l e c t r i c
Association
TWENTY YEARS after the dedication of
the Raystown Hydroelectric Project
William F. Matson Generating Station
(Raystown), the plant continues to deliver
electricity to power roughly 8,500 rural
homes. And for 20 years, it’s done this in
an environmentally friendly manner.
“Compared to other methods of power generation, hydroelectricity, a renewable source of energy, has little impact
8
PENN
LINES • JUNE 2008
on the surrounding environment,” says
Bill Shearn, project superintendent.
The 21-megawatt plant, which began
operations in June 1988 in Huntingdon
County on the Raystown Branch of the
Juniata River, is operated by Allegheny
Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Allegheny) in
close cooperation with the Baltimore District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Allegheny is the wholesale supplier of electricity to 13 electric cooperatives
in Pennsylvania and one in New Jersey.
“Raystown is a great example of
what can happen when cooperatives
work together for a common good,”
says Allegheny and Pennsylvania Rural
Electric Association (PREA) President
and CEO Frank Betley. “I think it represents our longstanding commitment
to the environment. Twenty years later,
that commitment hasn’t changed.”
Clean power
In the past year, Raystown received
recognition for its environmental stewardship. The Portland, Maine-based
Low Impact Hydropower Institute
(LIHI), a nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing environmental
impacts of hydropower plants, certified
Raystown as a Low Impact Hydroelectric Facility. Raystown was the first
hydroelectric plant in Pennsylvania to
receive such a designation.
Criteria for the award involved several factors including: river flow, water
quality, fish passage and protection,
watershed health, endangered species
protection, cultural resources, and
recreation use and access.
Shearn is understandably very
proud of the LIHI award because it
involved a rigorous application process,
along with reviews, research and interviews.
“There were a lot of people looking
us over before we received that honor,”
Shearn notes. “We run a tight ship, we
are conscientious; we do a good job here
and it’s been recognized at a lot of different levels. That’s a good feeling.”
Production from the Raystown plant
contributes to Allegheny’s overall energy mix, which includes nuclear and
other hydro resources. Approximately
70 percent of Allegheny’s power supply
comes from these self-owned, carbon
emissions-free generation resources; the
other 30 percent is purchased on the
market.
“As the country seeks environmentally responsible solutions for our evergrowing energy needs, we’re very
proud to have this plant in our power
mix,” notes Allegheny and PREA Vice
President-Power Supply and Engineering Dick Osborne. “It’s been a proven
and reliable source of low-cost, renewable generation for electric cooperative
consumer-members.”
Coming on-line
Construction on the site began shortly after a groundbreaking ceremony in
August 1986. The project involved
building an intake structure on the lake
side of the Raystown Dam, a 930-footlong underground tunnel and a powerhouse to house the two turbine-generator units. A 550-foot steel penstock, or
pipe, connects the tunnel to the powerhouse (see sidebar articles). About two-
thirds of the powerhouse, which has
three levels, is underground. Its construction was completed in late October
1987. After extensive start-up testing,
the plant was declared in commercial
operation on June 15, 1988.
Before the hydroelectric plant was
built, the Army Corps of Engineers
would release excess water over the
dam at Raystown Lake as a flood-control measure. With the construction of
the plant, that excess water is used to
provide an essential product — electricity.
Because it can draw water from different levels in the lake to get different
temperatures, the plant can work to
extend the spawning season for some
fish with warmer water. Part of the
community plan for the plant was to
provide a longer season for fishermen.
JUNE 2008 • PENN
LINES
9
PENNlines
There’s even a fishing platform below
the powerhouse.
“Raystown is really a remarkable
illustration of how flood control, recreation, downstream fishing and electric
generation have worked in harmony
over the years,” adds Osborne.
In 1988, representatives of cooperatives from across the state gathered with
hundreds of state and national dignitaries, along with interested spectators,
to mark the opening of the hydroelectric
plant. Today, because of security concerns after the terrorist attacks of Sept.
11, 2001, the plant is closed to the public.
POWERHOUSE: The turbines and generators that con-
vert power derived from water into electricity are
housed in the building at the lower left. The large
transmission line is the outgoing line that sends the
power produced at the plant to the electricity grid.
Twenty years later
While the heightened security is the
greatest change Shearn has seen since
the plant opened, changes in technology
rank right up there, and he and his staff
work hard to keep on top of the everevolving industry.
That hard work has paid off.
Raystown consistently operates in the
99 percent availability range, including
time down for planned maintenance.
The industry average is 88 percent.
Shearn says they operate at such a
high level of availability because most
issues are resolved quickly, which he
attributes to preventive maintenance
and a top-quality staff.
Allegheny’s plan for Raystown is to
keep the plant operating in first-class
shape well into the future. As part of
the observance of the 20th anniversary
of the opening of the plant, the original
commissioning engineer and the turbine designer were located and asked to
visit the plant to test the equipment.
“Who better to tell you what’s going
on with that piece of equipment than
the people who put it in?” observes
Shearn, who worked with the individuals when the plant was built.
The engineer, from Norway, and the
designer, from Boston, provided a clean
bill of health for the plant.
As the demand for more power,
especially from renewable resources,
continues to grow, the future looks
bright for hydro plants like Raystown.
“Raystown will continue to be a part
of our commitment to clean energy,”
says Betley. “This is something all cooperative consumer-members can be
proud of.” l
Generating electricity
The powerhouse at Allegheny Electric Cooperative, Inc.’s
Raystown Hydroelectric Project William F. Matson Generating
Station doesn’t look very imposing, but that’s because two-thirds
of the 82-foot-tall facility is underground.
Beneath the floor of the powerhouse, the turbine/generator
equipment converts flowing water into electrical energy.
Water is released from Raystown Lake and enters the plant
through an intake, a concrete structure that rises 22 feet above
the water. Trash racks and velocity limits prevent fish and debris
from entering the intake. The water then flows through a 930foot long, concrete-lined tunnel and a 550-foot long steel pipe,
called a penstock, to the turbine/generators (both the underground tunnel and penstock are 12 feet in diameter). The powerhouse has two turbine/generators – Unit 1 with a capacity of seven megawatts and Unit 2 with a capacity of 14 megawatts.
The water flows through an open turbine shut-off valve and
proceeds through the turbine, which is the modern equivalent of
a water wheel. The turbine shaft is connected to the generator
shaft.
The generator has two parts, a rotor that moves and a stator
that is stationary. The electrical field, created by inducing DC
voltage, interrupted by the rotating generator shaft and rotor
against the stationary generator stator, produces AC electricity
at 6,900 volts, which is transmitted to the transformer.
The transformer changes the generator voltage to transmission line voltage of 46,000 volts, which is then delivered into
the local transmission grid system.
Once the water has done its part in producing electricity, it exits
through the draft tube gates into the open channel (called a tailrace)
below the powerhouse. There is only slight consumption of water during the cooling process and no increase in water temperature.
10
PENN
LINES • JUNE 2008
STEADY FLOW: Water from Raystown Lake enters the hydroelectric plant through this intake, a concrete structure, and then flows through a 12-foot high
tunnel and steel pipe to the generators and turbines inside the powerhouse.
Raystown Hydroelectric Project Plant Data
Raystown Dam and Reservoir — Owned and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District, the Raystown
Dam was constructed from 1962 to 1972. The lake, the largest manmade
body of water in the Commonwealth, covers approximately 8,300 acres or
12 square miles. The maximum depth is about 186 feet with an average
depth of 100 feet.
Hydroelectric Project — Licensed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission as a run-of-river hydroelectric plant, the Allegheny Electric Cooperative,
Inc., (Allegheny) project is located four miles south of Huntingdon at the
base of the Raystown Dam. The dam impounds the Raystown Branch of the
Juniata River to form Raystown Lake. Operation of the project does not
affect the water level of the lake, nor does it hinder recreational activities.
Project Construction — Construction of the hydroelectric plant began in September 1986 with completion in June 1988 at a cost of $30 million; commercial operation began June 15, 1988.
Plant Capacity/Annual Generation — The plant can produce 21,000 kilowatts (21
megawatts) of electricity. Depending on rainfall levels, it can generate
UNDERGROUND: Workers construct the 930-foot
approximately 85 million kilowatt-hours each year, providing up to 4 percent
underground tunnel, which delivers water from the
of Allegheny’s annual electricity requirements (enough to power approxiintake structure on the lake side of Raystown Dam.
mately 8,500 average rural homes).
Dedication — The Raystown Hydroelectric Project William F. Matson Generating Station, is dedicated to the memory of
William F. Matson, president of Allegheny for 22 years. Matson was a staunch proponent of hydroelectric development and
he was the guiding force behind the development of the Raystown Project. Following his death in 1986, boards of directors of Allegheny and the Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association voted to dedicate the Raystown Hydroelectric Project in
his memory.
JUNE 2008 • PENN
LINES
11
SMARTcircuits
by James Dulley
Made in the
shade
Energy-efficient window
awnings
INSTALLING window awnings can significantly reduce the cooling energy use in your
home. Other benefits include reduced fading of furniture, drapes and carpeting, as
well as protection of primary windows. The
same UV rays that fade your furniture also
slowly degrade window frame materials.
The reduction in air-conditioning electrical use results from the blocking of the
direct radiant heat from the sun through
windows. Studies by the University of
Minnesota found installing window
awnings can reduce cooling energy needs
by 21 percent in Phoenix, 17 percent in St.
Louis and 24 percent in Boston.
Even though the percentage savings is
highest in a northern area such as Boston,
the total dollar savings is greater in a
warm climate because the overall air-conditioning costs are much higher. The actual savings you realize depends upon the
overall energy efficiency of your home, the
amount of natural shading from trees, orientation of the windows to the sun, etc.
Awning energy savings is greatest
during the afternoon when the sun is
most intense. Awnings can reduce the
peak electricity load for the utility company’s electric generation, so there is less
chance of brownouts and other problems
from excessive electricity demand.
Cutting peak electricity demand can
also reduce long-term electricity rate
increases by delaying the need for building
new electricity generating plants. Utility
rates for businesses depend somewhat on
peak energy use. By reducing this peak,
electric bills can be reduced substantially.
There are many window awning
options. The first decision to make is if
you want fixed or adjustable awnings.
They both are equally effective during the
summer to reduce your peak electricity
use in mid-afternoon. The advantage of
14
PENN
LINES • JUNE 2008
adjustable awnings is the level of shading
can be changed.
Adjustable fabric awnings offer better
protection from severe weather because
some can be lowered to be almost flat
over the window opening. They can also
be raised to expose most of the window
glass. The maximum projection from the
wall for an adjustable aluminum awning
is fixed by the frame and the down arm
length. To open them, the aluminum
awning slats roll up above the frame and
the hinged arms swing upward. The
advantage of aluminum is its strength
and its resistance to degradation from the
sun’s UV rays.
Sideless awning designs, called Venetian awnings, are effective for true southfacing windows because the most intense
sun’s rays come from overhead. Actually,
just a relatively short flat board over the
window, such as a large roof overhang, is
effective at blocking the sun over these
windows. If you need to block the late
afternoon sun at those south-facing windows, install hood style awnings with
sides. For casement windows, hip-style
awnings provide clearance for the window sash to swing open outward.
Proper sizing (projection length from
the house wall) of window awnings is
important for blocking the summer sun
and for allowing the winter sun to shine
through for free passive solar heating.
This is particularly true if you install
fixed awnings, instead of adjustable ones,
because their shading cannot be changed.
The orientation of the window to the sun
also affects the proper awning sizing
because the sun is lower in the sky during early morning and late afternoon.
If you still remember some of your high
school geometry, you should be able to calculate the size of awning needed for various windows in your house. The latitude
angle for your area determines how high
the sun is in the sky and its angle of incidence on your windows. The sun’s height
also varies throughout the day and seasons. You can find the sun location for various regions, seasons and times of day in
most basic solar energy books. If you are
not a math wiz, just make some test
awnings with cardboard to determine the
proper size. l
is a nationally syndicated energy management expert. You
can reach him at James Dulley, c/o Penn
Lines, 6906 Royalgreen Drive, Cincinnati,
OH 45244.
JAMES DULLEY
COUNTRYkitchen
by Kitty Halke -Staley
Refreshing
summer salads
IT’S JUNE and that means everything is better outdoors, including meals! Bring the barbecue out of storage and let the grillin’ begin! What better accompaniment is there to dogs, burgers, brats, chops, steaks or
chicken on the grill than a refreshing homemade salad
made with fresh ingredients? The three salads below
are quite traditional picnic fare but may have an
ingredient new to you. Whatever your taste, enjoy one
or more of the tasty creations below with your next
outdoor — or indoor — warm weather meal. l
is a cooking professional and freelance writer from
rural Pennsylvania. Send recipes and comments to her in care of: Penn Lines,
KITTY HALKE-STALEY
P.O. Box 1266, Harrisburg, PA 17108-1266.
TOMATO
AND MO
4-5 mediu
ZZAREL
m tomato
LA SAL
es*
8 ounces
AD
fresh mozz
arella
2 tablespo
on
3/4 teasp s extra virgin olive
oon
oil
1 teaspoon sea salt or kosher
salt
black pepp
Handful of
er (or to ta
fresh basi
ste)
l leaves
Cut mediu
m-s
them (or th ized tomatoes into
ch
e
Cut mozza halved cherry or gra unks and place
rella in the
p
zle the olive
same size e tomatoes) in larg
e
ch
mix. Seaso oil over the tomato unks and add to tom mixing bowl.
es and che
n with salt
ese and to atoes. Drizand peppe
basil leave
ss
r.
s
tastes best and then place salad Line a serving platte gently to
r with fresh
mixture on
when serv
ed at room
th
temperatu e platter. This salad
*May also
re.
use 1 pint
of cherry o
r grape to
matoes, cu
t in half.
COLESLAW
e, shredded
ad of cabbag
pper
1 medium he
d or green pe
re
d
ly choppe
1/2 cup fine
s
dded carrot
1/2 cup shre
d onion, your
pe
op
ch
ly
1/2 cup fine
choice
d onion
ly chopped re nal),
1/3 cup fine
ptio
pimentos (o
4-ounce jar
onions in a
drained
both types of
d
an
s
ot
rr
ca
er,
chopped pepp
Toss cabbage,
large bowl.
DRESSING
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup oil
gar
3/4 cup vine
lt
sa
on
po
as
1 te
pper
pe
on
1 teaspo
small
lery seed
ce
on
ry seed in a
po
as
1 te
pper and cele mer for about 3
pe
,
lt
sa
r,
ga
at and sim
r, oil, vine
vCombine suga to a boil, then reduce he getable mixture and co
ve
g
in
esh
Br
ag
ni
.
bb
ar
an
over ca
rving. G
saucep
hot dressing
ght before se
minutes. Pour at least 4 hours or overni
e
er. Refrigerat if desired.
s,
to
en
m
pi
h
it
w
TACO SALAD
2-3 medium tomatoes, cho
pped
1 medium onion, choppe
d
1 pound ground beef
1 packaged taco season
ing mix
8-ounce package shredd
ed cheese
(your preference)
Head of iceberg lettuce
Large bag of flavored tor
tilla chips
16-ounce bottle French
dressing
Set chopped tomatoes and
onions aside. Brown ground
browned, add taco season
beef and when
ing mix with a small amoun
t of water to moisten the meat mixture. Let
cool, then transfer to a larg
bowl. Add tomatoes and
e mixing/serving
onions. Toss with the sea
soned meat mixture,
and then add cheese.
Just prior to serving, fine
ly cut up the head of lett
uce and add to mixture.
Break up the tortilla chips
(do not crush them) and
add them to the mixture. Gently stir in the ent
ire bottle of French dressin
g. Serve immediately.
16
PENN
LINES • JUNE 2008
POWERplants
by Barbara Martin
Welcome, hummingbirds!
Ways to attract one of nature’s little wonders
HUMMINGBIRDS are a
delight to watch. Putting out
the welcome mat for hummers
is much easier than you might
think. With a few carefully
chosen flowers and possibly
the addition of a hummingbird
feeder, you should be able to
attract these thrilling little
birds to your own garden.
I have never used a feeder,
relying instead on the plants in
my yard to attract the hummers throughout the season. I
used to think of hummingbirds
as summer visitors, but in truth
they arrive in the garden much
earlier — in May. And I mistakenly assumed hummingbirds
needed red flowers, but they
will visit different colored flowers as long as the shape is right.
While the annual red salvia
is a top choice for a hummingbird garden, hummingbird
favorites include a wide variety of funnel- or tubularshaped flowers, including
many popular annual and
perennial flowers, as well as
some tender tropicals and certain hardy shrubs and vines.
Growing a variety of plants to
offer blooms from spring
through fall is also helpful in
BARBARA MARTIN ,
who says she began
gardening as a hobby
“too many years ago to
count,” currently works
for the National Gardening Association as a horticulturist. A former
member of Gettysburg-based Adams Electric Cooperative, her articles appear in magazines and on the Internet.
keeping the hummers close by
all season.
You may be growing some
of these hummingbird-attracting plants already: bleeding
heart, coral bells, columbine,
foxglove, red-hot-poker, hosta,
bee balm, cardinal flower,
nepeta, phlox, beard-tongue,
daylily, flowering tobacco, delphinium and larkspur, anise
hyssop or hummingbird mint,
petunia, verbena, hollyhock,
impatiens, and browallia, as
well as canna, fuchsia, lantana, mandevilla and pentas.
Shrubs and vines to attract
hummingbirds can include
lilac, flowering quince, Catawba rhododendron, butterfly
bush or buddleia, rose of
sharon, trumpet vine and the
native honeysuckle vines. The
annual cardinal vine with
bright red flowers is also a
popular choice. If you are a
devoted hummingbird enthusiast and live in a warmer area
(USDA winter hardiness zone
6 or higher), you might also
consider growing a mimosa or
silk tree.
Many bird enthusiasts
enjoy hanging a special hummingbird feeder to attract the
birds up close to a favorite
window. Hummingbird feeders are traditionally red and
are filled with a solution of
sugar and water. Use four
parts water and one part sugar, boiled until the sugar dissolves. Let the solution cool
before filling the feeder. Do not
use other sweeteners and do
not add red coloring. Always
use fresh sugar solution and
clean the feeder thoroughly
before refilling it. If ants are a
problem at your feeder, install
a water-filled ant moat to prevent them from reaching the
sugar solution.
Even if the feeder is not
empty yet, it should still be
cleaned regularly. In cool
weather you might clean it
once every five days, in
warmer weather it will need to
be cleaned more often to prevent mold. If the solution
changes color, it is time to
clean it out. Wash the feeder in
warm, soapy water and rinse
thoroughly, then dip in a solution of one part bleach to nine
parts water to sanitize it, rinse
thoroughly again. (An unsanitary, dirty feeder or fermented
solution can harm the birds.)
Yet another way to accommodate the little hummingbirds in your yard is to offer a
source of water. Misters, spe-
Flower shape is
more important than color in
attracting hummingbirds.
HUMMING ALONG:
cial bird-attracting water
sprayers or even a slowly dripping faucet (catch the water in
a shallow pan below) are especially inviting to hummers.
In my experience, planting
a wide swathe or patch of
bright red flowers or filling a
big bold container with them
is the most likely way to catch
the hummingbirds’ attention.
Once they notice your yard, a
well-maintained feeder, along
with offering a variety of
hummingbird plants that
bloom throughout the season,
will help to keep them coming
back until fall when it’s time
for them to fly south again.
While I wish you all success with getting the hummers
to stop by, all the colorful flowers will be lovely to look at and
enjoy with or without hummingbird visits. l
JUNE 2008 • PENN
LINES
17
PENNLINESclassified
HERE’S MY AD:
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additional word.
The total payment enclosed is $_____________________.
Please run my ad during the months of ______________________________________________________.
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Around the House
Business
Opportunities
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Motor Vehicles and Boats
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Real Estate
Recipes
and Food
Tools and Equipment
Vacations and Campsites
Wanted to Buy.
FOR SPECIAL HEADINGS NOT LISTED: Indicate special heading you would like, and add $5 for co-op members, $10 for non-members. Insertion of classified ad in Penn Lines serves as proof of publication; no proofs
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SEND THIS FORM (or a sheet containing the above information) to Penn Lines Classifieds, P.O. Box 1266,
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FOR INFORMATION ONLY Telephone: 717/233-5704. NO classified ads will be accepted by phone.
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AROUND THE HOUSE
BUILDING SUPPLIES
“COUNTRY COOKING,” Volume 2 — $8, including postage.
“RECIPES REMEMBERED,” Volume 3 — $12, including postage.
Both of these cookbooks are a collection of recipes from men
and women of the electric co-ops of Pennsylvania and New
Jersey. Payable to: Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association,
P. O. Box 1266, Harrisburg, PA 17108. Write Attention:
Cookbooks. Volume 1 of “Country Cooking” is SOLD OUT.
STEEL ROOFING AND SIDING. Discount Prices. Corrugated
sheets (cut to length) 58¢ per square foot. Also seconds,
heavy gauges, odd lots, etc. Located in northwestern
Pennsylvania. 814/398-4052.
THE MALL WITHOUT WALLS – Products for you, your family,
your pets, your home. Look good, feel good, enjoy life. The
ultimate online shopping experience. 800/227-6510.
www.livinfree.unfranchise.com
FIREPLACE CANDLE LOG — Use your fireplace year round.
Handmade in rural Pennsylvania. Wholesale or retail. Call
610/248-2617 or visit our website: www.candlelog.com.
CLOCK REPAIR: If you have an antique grandfather clock,
mantel clock or old pocket watch that needs restored, we
can fix any timepiece. Macks Clock Repair: 814/749-6116.
SUNROOMS, PATIO ROOMS – Buy factory direct, wholesale. Huge
savings before price increases. www.sunroomdesigns.com
DARRIN FILLMAN WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST –
Removal of bats, skunks, groundhogs, snakes, squirrels,
birds, raccoons, many others. All work guaranteed. Licensed
and insured. 717/436-9391.
METAL BUILDINGS — 24 x 40 x 8, $9,900 installed. 30 x 40
x 8, $11,900 installed. Includes one walk door and one
garage door. All sizes available. 800/464-3333.
www.factorysteelbuildings.com.
FACTORY SECONDS of insulation, 4 x 8 sheets, foil back, blue
board, fiberglass bats, reflective foil bubble wrap, multiple
uses and also metal roofing. 814/442-6032.
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
MOMS – Stay at home with your children … join the MAHMA
movement … “Moms At Home Making A Difference And
A Lot Of Money.” You can do it! 800/403-3381.
www.projectmahma.com/yournaturalchoices.
CHURCH LIFT SYSTEMS
Make your church, business or home wheelchair accessible.
We offer platform lifting systems, stair lifts, porch lifts and
ramps. References. Free estimates. Get Up & Go Mobility
Inc. 724/348-7414 or 814/926-3622.
CONSULTING FORESTRY SERVICES
ARTS AND CRAFTS FAIR
HIGH COUNTRY Arts and Crafts Fair, S.B. Elliott State Park, 1/2
mile off I-80, Exit 111 (Old 18). 160 vendors, food entertainment.
All day July 13. For more info, call 814/765-5667.
BOAT TOURS
DINNER CRUISE RAYSTOWN LAKE Seven Points Marina offers
a relaxing and delicious dinner aboard PRINCESS every
Wednesday and Saturday night July and August, 6 to 8 p.m.
Meals are catered by Clem’s Wood Fire BBQ. Call early, limited
availability, pre-paid reservations required. 814/658-3074.
18
PENN
LINES • JUNE 2008
MONTH
DEADLINE
August 2008. . . . . . . . . June 18
September 2008 . . . . . . July 18
October 2008 . . . . . . August 18
All ads must be received by the
specified dates to be included in the
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CLASSIFIED AD
DEADLINE
ALLEGHENY FORESTERS & CONSULTANTS. Timber Sales,
Appraisals, Forest Management Services and Plans. FREE
Woodland Evaluations in PA and surrounding states.
Professional foresters working for you. 814/353-0369.
NOLL’S FORESTRY SERVICES, INC. performs Timber
Marketing, Timber Appraisals, Forest Management Planning,
and Forest Improvement Work. FREE Timber Land
Recommendations. 30 years experience. Call 814/472-8560.
corresponding month’s issue. Ads
received beyond the deadline dates
will automatically be included in the
next available issue. Written notice
of changes or cancellations must be
received prior to the first of the
month preceding the month of issue.
For information about display rates,
continuous ads, or specialized
headings, contact Vonnie Kloss
at 717/233-5704, the Pennsylvania
Rural Electric Association.
CENTRE FOREST RESOURCES. Maximizing present and future
timber values, Forest Management Services, Managing
Timber Taxation, Timber Sales, Quality Deer Management.
FREE Timber Consultation. College educated, professional,
ethical. 814/867-7052.
HECEI CONSULTING FORESTRY. Timber Sales, Appraisals, Custom
Logging, Forest and Wildlife Management Plans. Serving PA, NY
and Ohio. Professional forestry since 1975. 814/337-3638.
ELECTRIC THERMAL STORAGE
LOWER YOUR ELECTRIC BILL with an ETS heater. We have 2,
3, 4, 5, & 6 kW units and thermostats in stock. Install yours
now for special off-peak electric rates. We also stock
complete wiring supplies for all your electrical needs. Call
for information: 814/226-0900. Clarion Electric Supply
Company, Clarion, PA 16214.
ENTERTAINMENT
8th Kettle Creek Ambulance MUSIC FESTIVAL, August 8-10
at Quiet Oaks Campground, Cross Fork, PA. Live music,
homemade food, crafts, vendors, paint ball, Classic CarsSaturday, camping available. Visit www.kcmusicfest.com.
FENCING
FREE Fence Guide/Catalog — High-tensile fence, horse
fence, rotational grazing, twine, wire, electric netting –
cattle, deer, garden, poultry. Kencove Farm Fence Supplies:
800/536-2683. www.kencove.com.
FLAGPOLES AND FLAGS
20' ANODIZED ALUMINUM Sectional Pole, $150; 20'
aluminum one-piece tapered flagpole, $484. Other sizes
available. Easy installation. Prices include shipping.
Flagpoles & Flags, 419 Lemmon Road, Markleton, PA 15551.
814/926-3709. [email protected].
GENERATOR SALES & INSTALLATIONS
DON’T BE LEFT IN THE DARK! Emergency generator sales
and installation including manual or automatic set-ups.
Commercial or Residential applications. Contact us for a
free quote: Ketterman Electrical Services L.L.C. 717/6770066 or [email protected].
GEOTHERMAL HEATING/COOLING
WHO NEEDS YOUR GAS OR OIL? WE “BURN” WATER for
heating & cooling. 26 years experience with GEOTHERMAL
heating & cooling and CLOSED LOOP systems. J. Karp & Sons
Well Drilling. Serving ONLY Northeast Pennsylvania.
800/344-0587 or www.jkarpandsons.com.
GIFT AND CRAFT IDEAS
“COUNTRY COOKING,” Volume 2 — $8, including postage.
“RECIPES REMEMBERED,” Volume 3 — $12, including postage.
Both of these cookbooks are a collection of recipes from men
and women of the electric co-ops of Pennsylvania and New
Jersey. Payable to: Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association, P.
O. Box 1266, Harrisburg, PA 17108. Write Attention: Cookbooks.
Volume 1 of “Country Cooking” is SOLD OUT.
NAMESAKE PORTRAITS – Great gift. Fits 8 x 10 frame, only
$9.95. The endearing qualities of children set in poetic verse
with the letters of your child’s name. To order, email
[email protected].
HANDCRAFTED FURNITURE
COUNTRY CRAFTED bentwood oak and hickory rockers.
Swings, gliders, double rockers, coffee and end tables, bar
stools, kitchen sets, log bedroom sets, SPECIAL queen log
bed, $579. Zimmerman Enterprises 814/733-9116.
INFRARED SAUNAS
MADE IN USA
Removes toxins, burns calories, relieves joint pain, relaxes
muscles, increases flexibility, strengthens immune system.
Many more HEALTH BENEFITS with infrared radiant heat
saunas. Economical to operate. Barron’s Furniture,
Somerset, PA. 814/443-3115.
Looking for consumer goods MADE IN AMERICA? Look no further
for your resource to support our workforce. Call 888/816-3279
or search the quick query database at www.madebyyankees.net.
INSURANCE
CAMPS, SEASONAL, FARMS, Dwellings, Businesses, and an
industry-leading investment department. Davis, Gregory
and Kyle Insurance and Investments. T/A DGK Insurance Inc.,
P. O. Box 337, Factoryville, PA 18419. 800/242-4337.
STEVEN’S PURE Maple Syrup, Liberty, Pa. Plastic from 3.4
ounces to gallons. Glass containers for gifts and collectors.
Maple Sugar, Maple Cream, Maple Candy, Maple Bar-B-Que
Sauce, Maple Salad Dressing, and Gift Baskets for any
occasion made to order. Wholesale or retail prices. New
Number: 570/324-2850 or email: [email protected].
LAWN AND GARDEN EQUIPMENT
MISCELLANEOUS
RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL – SALES – SERVICE – PARTS.
Compact Loaders & Attachments, Mowers, Chainsaws, Tillers,
etc. We sell BCS, Boxer, Dixon, Ferris, Hustler, Grasshopper,
Shindaiwa and more. HARRINGTON’S, Taneytown, MD.
410/756-2506. www.harringtonsservicecenter.com.
BECOME AN ORDAINED MINISTER, Correspondence study.
The harvest truly is great, the laborers are few, Luke 10:2.
Free info. Ministers for Christ Outreach, 7549 West Cactus
Road, #104-207, Peoria, AZ 85381. www.ordination.org.
LIVESTOCK AND PETS
GERMAN SHEPHERD puppies, young adult and adult dogs
from titled imported blood lines. 814/967-2159.
Email:[email protected] Web: www.petrusohaus.com.
RED ANGUS and POLLED HEREFORD Registered and
Commercial Cattle. Heifers, Bulls and Bred Cows. Premium
quality genetics to start or build a great herd. Delivery
available. McVeytown, PA 717/899-7787 or 717/348-1594.
HEALTH
PURE EMU OIL — $9.50, shipping $3.50. All natural! Arthritis,
burn, muscle relief. Pet shampoo, hand & body cream
available. Eppley's Emu, 3117 E. Mud Pike Rd., Berlin, PA
15530. 814/267-5061. www.singinghillpa.com.
HEALTH AND NUTRITION
Tired of all those medicines — Still not feeling better? Do
you want to feel better, have more energy, better digestion,
less joint stiffness, healthier heart/circulation and
cholesterol levels? Find out how to empower your own
immune system — start IMMUNE-26 today! It’s safe,
affordable, and it works. Call 800/557-8477: ID#528390. 90day money back on first time orders. When ordering from
Web, use Option #3. www.mylegacyforlife.net/believeit.
HEALTH INSURANCE
DO YOU HAVE THE BLUES regarding your Health Insurance?
We cater to rural America's health insurance needs. For
more information, call 800/628-7804 (PA). Call us regarding
Medicare supplements, too.
GERMAN SHORTHAIRED POINTER Puppies, ACK registered. Born
3/25/08. Males and females. Parents on site. Wormed and first
set of puppy shots. 814/647-8402 or email [email protected].
POLLED HEREFORD registered bulls, bred cows. Top blood
lines. Newville, Pa. 717/423-6808 or 717/262-5542.
FULL-BLOOD BOER GOATS, top quality, performance-tested billies;
breeding does; club kids. Saddle Ridge Boer Goat Farm, 906
Buckstown Road, Stoystown, Pa. 814/267-6620. Delivery available.
27th ANNUAL PA STATE CHAMPION stock dog trials. June 14,
15, 16, 2008. Sheepy Hollow Farm, Hop Bottom, Pa. For
information, call 570/289-4902/4733.
LONG DISTANCE SERVICE
AMERICA’S FASTEST GROWING Christian long distance
company has lower rates! 3.9¢ a minute, 24/7, no gimmicks.
Thousands are saving with blessed hope. Call 877/594-6403
or visit www.talkoften.com.
MAPLE SYRUP
NEW SCOOTERS AND POWER CHAIRS for low monthly
payments. Get ready for summer even if Medicare or
insurance won’t help you. Call “Mobility Mike” in
Gettysburg, mention “Penn Lines.” 717/253-6859 or toll-free
866/204-7211. Leave message, will call back ASAP.
FISHES OF PYMATUNING – All the species in the reservoir
are described and illustrated. 216-page book. $12 postpaid.
Allegheny Press, Box 220, Elgin PA 16413.
MORTGAGES/REFINANCES
YOU COULD BE SAVING HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS! REFINANCE
OR PURCHASE PROGRAMS! LOWER RATE AND PAYMENTS!
CONSOLIDATE DEBT! ALL CREDIT CONSIDERED! BANKRUPTCY
BUYOUTS & FORECLOSURE BAILOUTS AVAILABLE! CALL
NATIONAL FIDELITY FINANCE NOW AT 877/944-REFI OR 717/3594966 OR APPLY ONLINE AT WWW.NFMLENDING.COM/PA139.
MOTORCYCLE-SNOWMOBILE INSURANCE
For the best INSURANCE RATES call R & R Insurance
Associates from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 800/442-6832 (PA).
MOTOR VEHICLES AND BOATS
JEEPS 1941-1986. Willys, CJ, Military. Buying, selling parts.
Have new and used parts, complete steel bodies. Will buy
Jeeps, parts and literature. 888/494-9675. York, PA.
PONDS
JM KOI AND FISH — Supplying the area with quality Koi, Goldfish,
Bullfrog, Tadpoles, Red Crayfish, Mini-Lobsters, pond installation.
Call 814/322-3437 or see our website at www.jm-koi-and-fish.net.
JUNE 2008 • PENN
LINES
19
PENNLINESclassified
TREE TRIMMING/REMOVAL
TOM’S TREE SERVICE – Tree Trimming/Removal – Storm
Clean-up – Stump Grinding – Land Clearing – Bucket Truck
and Chipper – Fully Insured – Free Estimates – Call 24/7 –
814/448-3052 – 814/627-0550 – 26 Years Experience.
TROUT FISHERMEN
REAL ESTATE
TIOGA COUNTY ACREAGE — Hunting tracts, camp sites,
wooded tracts adjoining state land, farmettes, retirement
home sites. From 4 acres to 400 acres. Send for our free
list of top quality properties. Wm. P. Connolly Real Estate
Co., RR 1, Box 24-R, Liberty, PA 16930. 570/324-3000.
RAYSTOWN LAKE — 7-acre pristine building lot on private
mountain with view. Includes underground utilities and
approved for on-lot septic. Close to boat launch. Excellent
hunting close by. $119,000. Smaller and larger parcels also
available. Call for more information. Telephone 814/641-7357
or visit www.raystownlake.net.
JUNIATA RIVERFRONT — 4.9 acres, 416 feet of riverfront, build
up out of the flood plain overlooking the river. Own your own
private recreational boat dock. Utilities on site, new septic
installed, paved road frontage. 6-mile drive to Raystown Lake
boat launch. 814/641-7357. Cell 814/599-0790.
RAYSTOWN LAKE — $375,000, 35 acres, build-ready,
mountaintop vista, close to boat launch. Call 814/641-7357
or cell 814/599-0790.
YOUGH LAKE - $79,900. Spotless, two-bedroom, two-bath
mobile home, landscaped, 1/3 acre, one mile from lake. Central
air, all appliances included, 12 x 30 picnic pavilion, stone fire
pit, 12 x 14 workshop, quiet country setting. Call 412/751-6667.
PA RECREATIONAL PROPERTIES Big Woods Properties LLC,
participating with Cabelas Trophy Properties, is looking for buyers
and sellers of recreational properties across Pennsylvania. Call
877/769-1050 or visit www.bigwoodsproperties.com.
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES in Somerset County, Pa. Car washes,
mini markets, restaurants ranging from $45,000 to $565,000.
Call Tanya at LD Custer Realty, 814/442-6026 or 814/267-4769.
CAMP HEARTS CONTENT Two large bedrooms, kitchen,
ceramic tile, shower, septic tank, fuel oil furnace, woodburner
stove, well water. 419/625-8985.
BEDFORD COUNTY RESTAURANT Well-established family
dining restaurant, operating 18 years, seats 95. 3/4 acre,
building and all equipment, public water and sewage.
Minutes from Blue Knob Sky Resort. 814/839-2131.
WILLIAMSBURG, PA (BLAIR COUNTY) — 11-ACRE FARMETTE,
PRIVATE BRIDGE, 200 YARDS CLOVER CREEK, WILD TROUT
STREAM, RANCH HOME, OUTBUILDINGS, $425,000. CALL
OWNER 814/832-3134.
BRADFORD COUNTY FARM/BUILDING LOTS – 1 acre to 90 acres
from $30,000 to $329,900. Open and wooded, stream through
many. Call 570/404-1268 or email [email protected].
20
PENN
LINES • JUNE 2008
TIOGA COUNTY BUILDING LOTS/FARM – Great views, country
settings, approved sewage sites. 2 acres to 160+ acres. From
$19,900 to $599,900. Farm includes two barns and renovated
farm house with additional sewer site. 570/404-1268.
BLUE KNOB CHALET FOR SALE – Near midstation lift in Little
Valley, first-floor rental apartment, second floor and loft. 5
bedrooms, 2 baths, 2 kitchens, 2,120 square feet. 814/2395044, 970/468-7461.
219 ACRES MOUNTAIN GROUND – East side Shade Mountain,
Dublin Township, Huntingdon County, PA. Water rights, first
right of refusal. Asking $750,000 with marketable timber.
814/259-3256.
VENANGO COUNTY COUNTRY PROPERTY – Near Gameland 96,
hunter’s dream. 4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, WBFP, loft, full
basement, attached two-car garage. Also 24 x 30 outbuilding
with cement floor. Spring water, two small streams on 2.44
acres close to Meadville, Titusville, Oil City and Franklin.
$125,000. Penncrest S.D. 814/374-4756. For photos, email
[email protected].
RECIPES AND FOOD
“COUNTRY COOKING,” Volume 2 — $8, including postage.
“RECIPES REMEMBERED,” Volume 3 — $12, including postage.
Both of these cookbooks are a collection of recipes from men
and women of the electric co-ops of Pennsylvania and New
Jersey. Payable to: Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association,
P. O. Box 1266, Harrisburg, PA 17108. Write Attention:
Cookbooks. Volume 1 of “Country Cooking” is SOLD OUT.
SAWMILLS
SAWMILL EXCHANGE — North America’s largest source of used
portable sawmills and commercial equipment for woodlot
owners and sawmill operations. Over 700 listings. THE place
to sell equipment. 800/459-2148. www.sawmillexchange.com.
SHAKLEE
FREE SAMPLE Shaklee’s Energy Tea. Combination red, green
and white teas that are natural, delicious, refreshing, safe.
For sample or more information on tea or other Shaklee
Nutrition/Weight Loss Products: 800/403-3381 or
www.tryshaklee.com/yournaturalchoices.
TRACTOR PARTS – REPAIR/RESTORATION
ARTHURS TRACTORS, specializing in vintage Ford tractors,
30-years experience, on-line parts catalog/prices, shipped
via UPS. Contact us at 877/254-FORD (3673) or
www.arthurstractors.com.
TROUT FLIES — Personally hand-tied and reasonably priced.
Large number of patterns available. Send self-addressed,
stamped envelope for list to: J. Emerick, P. O. Box 94,
Buffalo Mills, PA 15534.
VACATIONS AND CAMPSITES
FURNISHED COTTAGE Nice Rockdale Acres, Cambridge Springs
PA. Two bedrooms, fishing pond, swimming pond, furnished,
built in 1974. Listed Coldwell Banker 814/838-9734.
YOUGH LAKE At Tub Run Campground. Boating, fishing,
beach and hunting. Only 10 campsites, $75 per month. April
1 to December 1. 330/769-0400.
VACATION PROPERTY — For rent, ocean-front condo, Myrtle
Beach, SC. Excellent condition. Close to new Hard Rock
Amusement Park, Family Kingdom, water park. Booking for
2008. Please call 814/425-2425.
COME SPEND A Week or Two in the heart of the Rocky
Mountains. Excellent hunting, fishing, hiking and horse facility.
Two bedrooms, sleeps four to six people. 406/449-7924.
WANTED TO BUY
STANDING TIMBER and/or TIMBERLAND in Northwest PA,
Northeast Ohio and Southwest NY. Custom logging and
select cut management plans available. Call 814/720-8662
for free appraisal.
CASH NOW for owner-financed mortgage notes. Private party
can help you sell your note. Free personalized market quote.
Call 814/267-5570 or visit www.philipsnoteservice.com
WANTED 1962-64 FORD Super Delta tractors in any condition,
all or part. Ask for Mike. 330/659-3325. Please call or write
Tractor Mike, 3974 Wheatley Road, Richfield, OH 44286.
WATERLESS COOKWARE
OUR 47TH YEAR. Have stopped home show presentations.
Offering complete 18-piece, 7-ply Surgical Stainless Lifetime
Warranty Sets regularly over $1,600 for only $395. For more
information, call 800/434-4628.
WEDDING FLOWERS
FRESH, DRIED, HERBAL AND SILK Custom designs.
Consultation when and where it is convenient for you.
Evening and weekend hours. Free service. Ask me about
flowers. 814/667-2315.
WORK CLOTHES
GOOD CLEAN RENTAL-type work clothes, 6 pants & 6 shirts to
match, $39.95. Lined work jackets, $9.95. Satisfaction Guaranteed!
Send sizes with check or money order plus $8.95 S&H to: Walt's
Wholesale Co., P. O. 208-E, Darlington, SC 29540. MC/Visa orders
800/233-1853. Visit our website: www.usedworkclothing.com.
OUTDOORadventures
by Marcus Schneck
Dangerous crossings
Examining amphibian
loss due to roadkill
NIGHTTIME survey crews at
Hawk Mountain Sanctuary
on the Berks-Schuylkill county line a few years back would
spend their nocturnal hours
in spring helping salamanders, toads and frogs across
the sanctuary’s roads.
On their annual migration
routes to vernal ponds, where
they intend to breed, the little
amphibians put themselves at
great risk as they crossed our
manmade roadways.
The Hawk Mountain
crews helped those they could
and collected those that had
already met their ends under
the tires of passing vehicles
into gallon-size, glass jars.
The jars of squished fauna
illustrated the amphibian
death toll as no drive along
those roadways ever could.
By mid-morning the next day,
if not collected into the jars,
most of the ready-to-eat protein would be slurped up by
nature’s garbage crew: opossums, raccoons, crows, blackbirds and their brethren.
The crews hoped by making their gruesome collections
they could even gain some
protections like “Amphibian
Crossing” signs or even underMARCUS SCHNECK ,
outdoors editor at The
Patriot-News (Harrisburg) and editor of
Destinations traveloutdoor magazine in
Berks County, is the
author of more than
two dozen outdoors books and a contributor to many state and national publications.
You can reach him at [email protected].
road passages at critical migration spots. At the very least,
maybe some of the drivers
would become aware and alter
their driving habits just a bit.
Taking our lead from the
Hawk Mountain effort, my son
and I began to make nighttime
collecting drives along the
roads near our home each
spring. We’d drive very slowly
until we spotted something
that looked like an amphibian
on the road. Then, we’d stop,
jump out, flashlights and nets
in hand, to scoop up whatever
we had found.
Toads by the dozens were
gathered into our holding
tanks for later release in and
around our garden. Salamanders, green frogs, tree frogs
and even some spring peepers
— a few of each species —
were captured for transfer to
my son’s terrariums.
During our forays we, of
course, found plenty of tiresquished critters.
Biologists have been aware
of the deadly situation for a
long time, but few have quantified it like Andrew DeWoody,
an associate professor of
forestry and natural resources
at Purdue University.
In a 17-month study along
11 miles of roadway near the
university in Lafayette, Ind.,
DeWoody and his students
found 10,500 dead animals of
65 different species. Of them,
7,600 were frogs.
DeWoody noted that his
study significantly underestimated the number of animals
killed because many speci-
mens were scavenged,
degraded beyond recognition
or moved. He estimated that
five times more animals died
than could be recorded.
However, he said, “on hot
summer nights, when it rains,
there are literally thousands of
frogs out there. In addition to
indirect costs of habitat fragmentation, roads have direct
costs in terms of animals’ lives.”
So much of an impact that
it’s rather clear that roadkill
must be factored as a contributor to the worldwide decline
of amphibians.
According to Dave Glista,
study co-author, as a beginning, development planning
should take into account an
area’s wildlife value.
Then, structures to mitigate,
limit and prevent roadkill
should be explored whenever
possible.
He explained, “As a biologist, I do think we should
avoid building roads in wetlands and other wildlife-rich
areas. Mitigation structures
are worth the cost, as is any
measure we can take to mini-
ROAD WARRIOR: Roadkill may be a
factor in worldwide amphibian decline.
mize our impact on the overall environment.”
Various scientists have
estimated that one-third of
amphibian species are threatened, and hundreds of species
have gone extinct in the past
two decades.
Losses during the mating
season, especially before mating and egg-laying, can be
especially harmful as each
squished female might be carrying hundreds of eggs.
In addition to roadkill, other contributing factors — some
of much greater significance —
are habitat loss and degradation, disease, pollution, competition from introduced exotic
species, and threats posed by
climate change.
Frogs, toads and salamanders serve vital roles in many
ecosystems, as consumers of
various animals like insects
and as a food source for carnivores. To maintain healthy
ecosystems, it is vital to limit
amphibian loss. l
JUNE 2008 • PENN
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21
PUNCHlines
Thoughts from
Earl Pitts,
UHMERIKUN!
With the higher cost of living,
Earl contemplates moonlighting
Are you likin’ gasoline prices these
days? How ’bout food prices? I don’t
know what’s goin’ up faster, the price a’
eggs an’ gas, or my blood pressure. It’s all
makin’ me nuts.
An’ I just heard that on account a’ all
these price increases, more an’ more
Americans are moonlightin.’ Yeah, you all
remember moonlightin?’ That’s where
you got more than one job.
In essence, it’s the way us regular folks
fight like the devil to make ends meet.
Only problem is, they keep movin’ the
ends! The scary part today is you need a
second job to pay for the gas to drive to
your first job!
A’ course, lookin’ at the bright side,
that does give you two jobs to hate. An’
that’s a beautiful thing ’bout our country.
It’s American to hate your job — an’ now
you got two! That’s says a lot ’bout our
productivity, doesn’t it? We work harder,
an’ hate it more, than any other nation.
God bless the USA!
Now, I’ve always had two jobs, except
for those times when I’ve held three jobs.
That’s because I’m a hard-workin,’ rural
Uhmerikan. That, an’ I married a woman
lazier than a zoo bear.
Yeah, three jobs, really — down at the
plant, weekend nights at the Duck Inn, an’
operatin’ a penny-squashin’ machine at
county fairs in the summer. OK, so the
penny-squashin’ machine wasn’t so much
a job as an ill-advised investment.
Wake up, America! You put a penny in
the machine, crank it real good, an’ that
22
PENN
LINES • JUNE 2008
penny comes out the size a’ a silver dollar.
I really thought it was goin’ to be the next
big thing. Hey, I work hard. I didn’t say I
work smart.
I heard this story an’ it made me
chuckle. It seems that couples with more
than two kids now are considered showoffs. That’s right. Given the ungodly
amounts a’ money it takes to raise children these days, anybody that’s got more
than two is just rubbin’ everyone else’s
noses in it.
The article said that if you have a third
child, that’s your “show-off kid.” Numbers
four, five, six, an’ so on, those are “luxury
kids.”
Call me old fashioned, but I remember
when kids numbered three, four, an’ five
were called “accidents.” I mean, you walk
through a Wal-Mart an’ you see some harried mom walkin’ around with four or
five screamin’ tikes hangin’ on to her
whinin’ an’ kickin’ — where’s the show-off
or luxury in that?
I remember when my wife, Pearl,
wanted a third kid. Then the two we had
growed up an’ started hatin’ our guts.
Now she’s glad we didn’t have any more.
Keeps the teams even.
Between you an’ me, I don’t know how
folks can afford more than two anyway.
We raised our two on the cheap, an’ it still
cost an arm an’ a leg. If we had any more,
we would have had to sell the whole lot a’
’em into child labor.
Wake up, America! If you really wanna impress me, use the money for kids
number three an’ four to buy a bass boat
an’ an ATV. Now that’s showin’ off some
luxury!
out John Deere or Cub Cadet on the block,
it’s still work.
Now that bein’ said, I was settin’ in the
front yard swattin’ flies an’ listenin’ to the
Phillies win one the other day when a
white van sportin’ a giant paintin’ a’ grass
encasin’ the words “Lawn Rx” pulls up in
the driveway. This guy then gets out an’
asks if I want an estimate for complete
lawn service from his company. I looked
at him, then looked around the yard, an’
said, “You’re too late. The patient has done
died.”
But this guy wouldn’t give up. He said
that with a little care, some fertilizer, bug
treatment, thatchin,’ weed control, an’ a
“patented crabgrass abatement program,”
my lawn could be the envy a’ the neighborhood.
I was ready to ask him what on God’s
green earth made him think I’d waste
money tryin’ to impress my neighbors,
most a’ whom I don’t like, with my yard.
But then it dawned on me — most a’ my
yard ain’t green.
Wake up, America! Yeah, I could fertilize, weed control, bug treat, thatch, an’
abate my crabgrass myself an’ save $600 a
year. I won’t, but I could. But then, I
wouldn’t get to appreciate the natural
beauty a’ dirt patches an’ obnoxious sprigs
a’ chicory.
I’m Earl Pitts, American. l
What’s wrong with you people?
Has global warmin’ baked your brains or
something?’ I just read this survey that
says 42 percent a’ all Americans like to cut
their grass. They say it’s relaxin.’
Now, settin’ under a shade tree sippin’
a cool drink an’ listenin’ to the ball game
on satellite radio is relaxin.’ Watchin’
NASCAR in your skivvies on a Sunday
afternoon is relaxin.’ Mowin’ the yard, my
friends, is a pain in the “grass.” Even if
you’ve got the biggest, meanest, tricked
Social commentary from Earl Pitts —— a.k.a.
GARY BURBANK , a nationally syndicated
radio personality —— can be heard on the
following radio stations that cover electric
cooperative service territories in Pennsylvania:
WANB-FM 103.1 Pittsburgh; WARM-AM 590
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton; WIOO-AM 1000 Carlisle;
WEEO-AM 1480 Shippensburg; WMTZ-FM 96.5
Johnstown; WQBR-FM 99.9/92.7 McElhattan;
WLMI-FM 103.9 Kane; and WVNW-FM 96.7
Burnham-Lewistown.
RURALreflections
Summer fun
JUNE IS the month summer begins, with
its longer hours of sunlight and warmer
temperatures. It’s the time for fun — gardening, fishing, swimming and playing
outside.
It’s also the time to carry your camera
with you so you can capture the season in
photographs. You just might get the perfect shot for our 2007 “Rural Reflections”
photo contest. Winners in each of our five
contest categories — most artistic, best
landscape, best human subject, best animal and editor’s choice — will capture a
$75 prize.
To be eligible, send your photographs
(no digital files, please) to Penn Lines Photos, P.O. Box 1266, Harrisburg, PA 171081266. On the back of each photograph,
please include your name, address, telephone number and the name of the cooperative that serves your home, business or
seasonal residence.
During the next few months, we will be
publishing photos with summer themes. l
Danielle Mitchell
Warren EC
Elaine Landis
Somerset REC
Alison Splendido
Claverack REC
Richard Gallimore
Adams EC
JUNE 2008 • PENN
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