Our Creek - A Refresher

I posted this before but it's always fun to refresh our memories - especially on cold snowy/icy days............

The Conodoguinet Creek originates in Horse Valley, Franklin County, next to Kittatinny Mountain at an elevation of 1,680 feet. From there, the Conodoguinet flows through the fertile Cumberland Valley and joins the Susquehanna River near Harrisburg.

The Conodoguinet Creek is approximately 90 miles long and drains 540 square miles of diverse lands. Forested areas cover the upland basin, giving way to intense agriculture throughout the valley. Much of the Conodoguinet Creek watershed still has a strong agricultural flavor, including numerous cozy villages and small towns. While farming remains a prominent land use in the western part of the valley, dramatic growth in the Carlisle to Camp Hill area has converted much agricultural land to residential and commercial uses. The Conodoguinet meanders toward the suburban west shore of Harrisburg through a series of elaborate bends and loops. “Conodoguinet” comes from an Indian word meaning “a long way with many bends.

Early pioneers envisioned the waters of the Conodoguinet as an avenue of commerce linking the Susquehanna and Potomac rivers. Plans for a canal joining the headwaters of the Conodoguinet with the headwaters of the Conococheague Creek never materialized. However, the Conodoguinet was far from abandoned.

The Conodoguinet Creek powered many mills. The mills of Cumberland County were the small industrial centers of their time. Besides grain, cider, nails and wood, these mills refined diverse products such as sumac leaves, which were made into tanning and dyeing materials. Distilleries were also located at a number of these sites. In 1840, the Conodoguinet Creek provided the power for more than 140 mills throughout the county. But by 1909, only 13 mills
remained, and today the industry is largely forgotten.

Today, the Conodoguinet Creek is most valued for its water resources and recreational opportunities. Communities in the eastern part of the Cumberland Valley pump millions of gallons per day from the creek to meet residential, commercial and industrial water demand. Much of the water returns to the stream, but not before passing through one of several treatment plants in the basin.

On a typical summer day, one can also find avid canoeists and anglers enjoying the creek’s ribbon of greenery, alive with herons, kingfishers and other streamside creatures. Osprey and eagles may also be seen over the stream. In winter, after prolonged periods of cold, the creek’s waters freeze and give the Conodoguinet an idyllic Currier-and-Ives picture-postcard beauty.

source - www.fish.state.pa.us/watertrails/conodoguinet/

Ice Free Channel Above Orrs Bridge

It forever fascinates me to see the main flows of the creek as ice forms on it.

Ever wonder???????

From the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay BAY JOURNAL.......

It's family first for this flock

On the Wing / By Michael Burke

From the northwest, the formation is dropping out of the sapphire sky. They are almost overhead, seeking the refuge of the placid lake behind me.

I close my eyes. The silence yields as air rushes over wings. The winter sky sighs. A moment later, I hear the slap of big webbed feet on the surface and the rush of parting waters as the geese skid to a stop.

The Canada geese (Branta canadensis) have been rolling in on small waves of 10-15 birds. More than 100 now rest on the ebony waters. The ripples slide across the surface, leaving behind a mirror that doubles the number of geese, along with rafts of winter ducks and isolated grebes.

Even the most confirmed urbanite knows the ubiquitous Canada goose. The big bird with the black head and long neck sports a white chin strap. The wing span can reach 5 feet. A single bird can weigh nearly 10 pounds. The chest is pale, but the body and wings are brown. A white rump sets off a black tail with a broad white stripe. The Canada goose's honk is one bird call everyone knows.

It seems impossible today, but less than a century ago these geese were in trouble. The draining of wetlands, unregulated hunting and the killer droughts of the 1930s decimated the big birds. One subspecies was thought to be extinct.

In an effort to revive the species, some U.S. wildlife managers clipped the flight feathers of a few birds to establish resident populations on reservoirs and parks. The geese quickly established breeding populations.

The practice was widely replicated across the country, from major lakes to suburban ponds and even the water hazards on golf courses. A life of abundant food and easy living has sent resident geese populations skyrocketing.

In the East, non-migratory Canada geese are approaching 1 million birds. The number in the Mississippi basin is even higher. Western populations are also booming.

The recovery of migratory geese, on the other hand, has been uneven. Everywhere their numbers are dwarfed by resident flocks, which have become a nuisance in some locales. Today, wildlife managers are faced with a quandary: How do they encourage the continued revival of migratory Canada geese without making the population explosion of resident birds worse?

For centuries, humans have been awed by the migration of birds. How do these creatures find their way across vast expanses on their annual treks, often arriving at breeding locations or favorite feeding spots with clockwork precision? Modern biologists recognize that birds migrate by a combination of celestial and electromagnetic navigation skills. But Canada geese also prove that at least some birds learn these ancient routes from their parents. Birds born in a suburban office park never learn the location of ancestral breeding grounds.

Migratory Canada geese are born in the Arctic to parents that have mated for life. Their mothers incubate 4-10 eggs in the single annual brood. Goslings hatch after four weeks. Within a day, the babies leave the nest to start grazing on Arctic sedges and grasses. In six to seven weeks, the young birds fledge.

Their parents bond with the young through physical contact and soft vocalizations. Ornithologists report that young geese have been heard returning calls from within eggs prior to breaking out of their shells at birth.

Families stick together when winter weather finally forces the birds to go south. Unlike many species, Canada geese migrate in mixed flocks of juveniles and adult birds. They fly at altitudes that can exceed 1,000 feet, with some flying as high as a mile above the Earth.

The youngsters are learning the way to winter feeding grounds, which range from the Chesapeake across the width of North America south to Mexico.

The powerful wings that I just heard slicing through the still winter sky have carried these Canada geese from the Arctic. The birds will rest here. Nearby farm fields and lawns supply them with the grains and grasses that constitute the bulk of their vegetarian diet.

Some may stay here for the winter. Others may continue south. But all of the migratory birds will join their families for the trip north in the spring. With that migration, the education of the young geese will be complete.

In the whistle of wings, I hear a different yet equally timeless lesson. Seven years ago this week, my beloved brother, Patrick, passed away. Then, as now, I came to the shores of this little lake on a clear, cold morning to watch the waterfowl on the waters. Today, I repeat the ritual, watching, listening and remembering.

Basic truths risk being lost in my too comfortable existence. Here at the lake, the natural order is clearer. Family bonds run deep; memories linger; a new generation carries on.

Mike Burke is an amateur naturalist who lives in Cheverly, MD.

The Bay Journal is published by the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay for the Chesapeake Bay Program.

Creek Critter Tools in Hibernation

The Conodoguinet Creek Water Trail

Just a teaser for now. Look for more info on the "water trail" in upcoming entries.

Bald Eagle Survey

This e-mail was sent out by Jane Earle, a member of the Conodoguinet Creek Watershed Association. If you are interested in helping, please contact Jane at her e-mail address below.


To watershed association members and friends:

I have been asked to participate in a winter Bald Eagle survey along the Conodoguinet Creek. It should be done on afternoon of Sunday January 10- or through Jan 14 if snow or weather interferes on Sunday. It would consist of driving to road crossings & along the Creek from Middlesex Twp to the mouth.

Please let me know if you are interested in participating.

Also, please let me know if any of you have seen any Bald eagles along the creek this winter. I saw one flying over the creek and I-81 on Saturday around 2:30 pm while I was heading north on the highway.

Thanks for your help.

Jane Earle


Jane's E-Mail Address is: janeearle7@msn.com