May Monthly update

The next monthly membership meeting will be Thursday, June 3rd at 7PM. 

Some updates from the May meeting and from the Board of Directors meeting are:

The restroom remodeling is now complete.  Both the men's and women's restrooms have been expanded to accommodate wheelchairs and are designed to meet all handicap requirements. Bull Creek's grounds are now completely handicapped accessible. 

The next capital improvement project approved by the Board is the parking lot expansion.  Three options are being considered:   A) Only expanding out about 75 feet beyond the end of the current parking lot.                      B). Doing "A" PLUS adding a short road and parking expansion behind the archery range. C) Doing "B" PLUS dressing (flattening) the area above (uphill from) the current parking lot for more capacity.

The wheel Horse tractor will be replaced shortly as the 30+ year old machine has seen it's last mow. The Board is leaning toward a zero turn tractor.  This should be acquired before June.

The field planting has been completed with corn for wildlife.  The Board held lengthy discussion on long term habitat improvement for the upper field areas.  This will take a few years and of course money to accomplish but the end result will be upland hunting areas that will hold game birds for the club membership to enjoy!  More updates at the June meeting.

The West Deer Police cannot hold their annual Hunter Safety course in August this year due to date conflicts with their Community Days event.  Bull Creek has partnered with them for the past 10 years or so.  The Board voted to move this course to Bull Creek tentatively on August 6th and 7th.  The date will be confirmed shortly and posted here.  Sign-ups for Hunter Safety Courses are all done online now at the game Commission's website.

2010 Bull Creek Annual Picnic; Last years picnic chairman cannot run the event this year.  We need someone to step up to help out.  On the plus side, it was decided we were too close to the event (August) to try and sell fundraising tickets so the Board voted to approve all monies from the general fund.  If you are able to chair the picnic committee this year you will not have to worry about tickets.

The clubhouse water quality was addressed (again).  With the new restrooms completed it was decided to look into a new Culligan Water system (or update the old one) ASAP.  the new fixtures are already showing discoloration due to the high sulfur content of the well water. One of the Board members has volunteered  to head this up.

New red traffic lights are now installed on the shooting ranges. Use these when going out to hang targets. This is a new safety feature! The 30 yard range has a new wire mesh backstop. We are experimenting with it to see if it is more durable. Please hang targets with wood clothes pins.

The Youth Rifle Shoot will be held on August 29th from12 noon to 5PM. If you would like to volunteer to help please email bullcreekinfo@gmail.com.  This will be open to kids age 8 to 16 and will use .22 caliber only.  Sign up information will be posted soon.

Valley Trap League At Bull Creek

Just a quick reminder that Bull Creek is at home the next 2 weeks in the valley Trap League.  The league shoots Tuesday's with sign up times 5PM to 8PM. 

THIS IS TOO DAM FUNNY-PRICELESS!

The person who sent this to me thought it was an actual letter sent to a man named Ryan DeVries regarding a pond on his property. This is a changed version that originated in Michigan in 1997 (original letter and story here).  Someone thought it was pertinent to re-create it to look original to Pennsylvania.  Just the same, its too dam funny! Read the State's letter before you get to the response letter.

State of Pennsylvania 's letter to Mr. DeVries:

SUBJECT: DEQ

File No.97-59-0023; T11N; R10W, Sec 20; Lycoming County

Dear Mr. DeVries:

It has come to the attention of the Department of Environmental Quality that there has been recent unauthorized activity on the above referenced parcel of property. You have been certified as the legal landowner and/or contractor who did the following unauthorized activity:

Construction and maintenance of two wood debris dams across the outlet stream of Spring Pond.

A permit must be issued prior to the start of this type of activity. A review of the Department's files shows that no permits have been issued Therefore, the Department has determined that this activity is in violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being sections 324.30101 to 324.30113 of the Pennsylvania Compiled Laws, annotated.

The Department has been informed that one or both of the dams partially failed during a recent rain event, causing debris and flooding at downstream locations.. We find that dams of this nature are inherently hazardous and cannot be permitted. The Department therefore orders you to cease and desist all activities at this location, and to restore the stream to a free-flow condition by removing all wood and brush forming the dams from the stream channel. All restoration work shall be completed no later than January 31, 2010.

Please notify this office when the restoration has been completed so that a follow-up site inspection may be scheduled by our staff. Failure to comply with this request or any further unauthorized activity on the site may result in this case being referred for elevated enforcement action..

We anticipate and would appreciate your full cooperation in this matter. Please feel free to contact me at this office if you have any questions.

Sincerely,


David L. Price


District Representative and Water Management Division.


Here is the actual response sent back by Mr. DeVries:

Re: DEQ File


No.. 97-59-0023; T11N; R10W, Sec. 20; Lycoming County

Dear Mr..Price,

Your certified letter dated 11/17/09 has been handed to me. I am the legal landowner but not the Contractor at 2088 Dagget Lane , Trout Run, Pennsylvania .

A couple of beavers are in the (State unauthorized) process of constructing and maintaining two wood 'debris' dams across the outlet stream of my Spring Pond. While I did not pay for, authorize, nor supervise their dam project, I think they would be highly offended that you call their skillful use of natures building materials 'debris.'

I would like to challenge your department to attempt to emulate their dam project any time and/or any place you choose. I believe I can safely state there is no way you could ever match their dam skills, their dam resourcefulness, their dam ingenuity, their dam persistence, their dam determination and/or their dam work ethic.

These are the beavers/contractors you are seeking. As to your request, I do not think the beavers are aware that they must first fill out a dam permit prior to the start of this type of dam activity.

My first dam question to you is:


(1) Are you trying to discriminate against my Spring Pond Beavers, or


(2) do you require all beavers throughout this State to conform to said dam request?

If you are not discriminating against these particular beavers, through the Freedom of Information Act, I request completed copies of all those other applicable beaver dam permits that have been issued. (Perhaps we will see if there really is a dam violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being sections 324.30101 to 324.30113 of the Pennsylvania Compiled Laws, annotated.)

I have several dam concerns. My first dam concern is, aren't the beavers entitled to legal representation? The Spring Pond Beavers are financially destitute and are unable to pay for said representation -- so the State will have to provide them with a dam lawyer.

The Department's dam concern that either one or both of the dams failed during a recent rain event, causing flooding, is proof that this is a natural occurrence, which the Department is required to protect. In other words, we should leave the Spring Pond Beavers alone rather than harassing them and calling them dam names.

If you want the damed stream 'restored' to a dam free-flow condition please contact the beavers -- but if you are going to arrest them, they obviously did not pay any attention to your dam letter, they being unable to read English.

In my humble opinion, the Spring Pond Beavers have a right to build their unauthorized dams as long as the sky is blue, the grass is green and water flows downstream. They have more dam rights than I do to live and enjoy Spring Pond. If the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection lives up to its name, it should protect the natural resources (Beavers) and the environment (Beavers' Dams).

So, as far as the beavers and I are concerned, this dam case can be referred for more elevated enforcement action right now. Why wait until 1/31/2010? The Spring Pond Beavers may be under the dam ice by then and there will be no way for you or your dam staff to contact/harass them.

In conclusion, I would like to bring to your attention to a real environmental quality, health, problem in the area It is the bears! Bears are actually defecating in our woods. I definitely believe you should be persecuting the defecating bears and leave the beavers alone. If you are going to investigate the beaver dam, watch your dam step! The bears are not careful where they dump!

Being unable to comply with your dam request, and being unable to contact you on your dam answering machine, I am sending this response to your dam office.

THANK YOU,

RYAN DEVRIES & THE DAM BEAVERS

May Update

• Tomorrow (Thursday, May 6th) is the club's monthly meeting at 7:00PM.
• Bull Creek won last night against Ford City in the Valley Trap League! Next week Bull creek is at Pony Farm.
• Planting by the Wild Turkey Federation will take place this month (May).  Planting will include corn, sorghum and clover.
• If you haven't been to the club recently the restroom remodel is nearing completion.  We are now completely handicapped accessible!
• The Board of Directors voted to approve money to replace the Wheelhorse tractor which is over 30 years old.  A final vote will be brought up to the membership for approval at tomorrow night's meeting