I befriended an aquatic Giraffe that has been living in Crosswicks Creek since the 1930's. Thanks to Herb Melhman for capturing this rare sighting.I've been on too many organized paddling trips where the leaders and participants showed little enthusiasm for ecology, environment, or history. Too many paddlers treat the on-the-water experience as an amusement ride with little consideration given for the health of the waterway, or any other aspect beyond the actual paddling experience.
George and Leona Fluck are great trip leaders. They lead kayakers and canoers on the water but also help the followers better understand and appreciate the natural and man made environment along the way. An so it as with the Crosswicks Creek trip last Thursday, co-sponsored by the Outdoor Club of South Jersey and the NJ Chapter of the Sierra Club.
I hadn't paddled the Crosswicks for at least ten years and seldom visit tidal waters so it was a nice change of pace to be able to paddle up with the tide and paddle back down with the tide without the usual complications of the shuttle. This was an enjoyable and engaged group of paddlers and we were treated to the tidal marsh and some interesting layers of history in this area.
The release from Lake Hopat has been cut back to 75 CFS and not surprisingly the Musconetcong River has fallen back below 2.00' at the Bloomsbury gage (1.86). I've been told that complaints from recreational boaters have forestalled the big 5' drawdown, which is OK, that just guarantees that it will last into November. The lake boaters want a few more weekends of speeding across the water in their gas guzzling power boats. We'll wait patiently for the release toramp up to 200 CFS.
Check out this obit...a real loss for humankind.
Read about the fundamentalist Christian freak who could be the next Republican VP. Frightening.
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