Indian Summer fadeout...

Cedar Creek near Double Trouble State Park, NJ Pine Barrens

Bridge Pier in Delaware River between Pt Pleasant & Byram

Here is a story about gas drilling in one of Pennsylvania's beautiful state forests. It's a sad story that is soon to be repeated over and over. The 18% tax the state will earn on the drilling operations will never replace the polluted creeks and contaminated aquifers.

It really looks as if the balmy weather will soon be over but that doesn't mean the paddling season is over, it never really ends. I'm still looking for some significant rain to get the small Piedmont and Highland streams up to a runnable level. Until then there are a number of Pineland rivers to visit.

Last Saturday I joined a group of mostly canoeists from the Mohawk Canoe Club (and Philly Canoe Club) for a trip down Cedar Creek. It lived up to its name with Atlantic Cedars lining the riparian woodlands all the way. Sadly, once we paddled past the Garden State Parkway it became the most trashed stream I've been on since a trip down Toms River a few years ago. Some of the people who live in this region are serious, dedicated slobs.

Hot & Heavy Water...

Gas drilling in Marcellus Shale presents a number of threats to the environment and to the people who reside in the areas targeted for exploration and extraction. Groundwater pollution, spills, truck traffic, air pollution and explosions are all part of the mix.

Add radioactive wastewater to that list and you have the latest threat that has drilling proponents scrambling to downplay yet another serious threat and regulators wondering how to deal with a problem that may not have an economically viable solution.

Read about this latest development in ProPublica.

There is also an article about gas drilling on the Rodale website.

There's an outside chance that we'll receive significant rain from Hurricane Ida depending on how it moves after hitting the Florida Panhandle. That would be a good thing for paddlers waiting for the smaller creeks and rivers to come up before it gets too cold.