Friends of the Delaware FRIENDS OF THE DELAWARE CANAL SPRING 2021 Canal The Locktender’s House 145 South Main Street Sharing Stories Virtually New Hope, PA 18938 Phone 215-862-2021 Email [email protected] Internet www.fodc.org Board of Directors Brett Webber, President Laure Duval, Vice President Jack Torres, Secretary Lawrence Reinfeld, Treasurer Jeff Connell Joan Fullerton Gordon Heisler Pete Rosswaag PHOTO: Carole Mebus David Schaeffer Ken Standig Executive Director Susan Taylor A spring sight and sound along the Canal—a Yellow Warbler. oom meetings, webinars, a Contact. If you aren’t signed up, Our Mission YouTube channel. The Friends have just scroll down to the form on the The Friends of the Delaware Canal Z been changing their storytelling homepage of fodc.org or call is an independent, non-profit game since March 2020 when we held 215-862-2021. The information will also organization working to restore, our last in-person public program. Please be posted in the Events section on the preserve, and improve the visit the Friends of the Delaware Canal homepage of fodc.org. YouTube channel to find the Canal Times Delaware Canal and I and II programs and a video interview There are still lots of stories to share, its surroundings. with Will Rivinus, who tells about and videos will be part of the mix. Want his first venture into canal walking. to help? The Friends could really use Our primary goals are to ensure Unfortunately, our two Postcards from the someone who is relatively experienced that the Canal is fully watered Past presentations aren’t there because and enthusiastic about making from Easton to Bristol and the the Zoom recordings cut off after 30 “informal” videos. Interested? Please let towpath trail is useable over its seconds in spite of our best efforts. us know. entire length. The dates and times of the future See you one way or another! We embrace this mission in order webinars will be sent via Constant to sustain a unique link to our heritage, protect beautiful and JOIN US FOR THESE UPCOMING WEBINARS: diverse natural areas, provide recreational and educational • The Canal’s Spring Flowers • A program featuring the old postcards opportunities, and enable the • The Birds of Spring contributed to the Friends by long-time Canal to serve as a community • Invasives Watch members Kathleen and Bob Stalgaitis. and economic asset. • Canal Landmarks and Mileage Chart 101 SPRING 2021 Friends of the Delaware Canal 1 OUR BUSINESS AND ORGANIZATION The High and Low Points MEMBERS of Last Winter Learn more about these Friends. staff, and Bi-State Construction was Click on their links at fodc.org. on site within days of December 26 FOUNDER to clear the culvert opening so that Tinicum Civic Association stream water could flow through it and to begin the repair of the culvert BENEFACTOR itself. Good progress was made, but Hunterdon Hiking Club, then the snow and ice came making Hunterdon County, NJ PHOTO: Kent and Marion Smith it too dangerous for the equipment Newtown Bicycle Shop to maneuver at the site, which is Scannapieco Development Corporation both narrow and steep. The project Walter’s Nursery, Inc., Point Pleasant has resumed and is expected to be complete within weeks. PATRON Acadia Mortgage, LLC, Chalfont – Conditions were perfect for cross-country skiing along The flooding Delaware River rose to INCREASED Membership the Canal. levels where its water overtopped the 1740 House, Lumberville banks of the Canal in low areas. The BBB Enterprises, Inc., Yardley The snow just kept falling this past flood waters caused damage to the Brett Webber Architects, P.C., New Hope winter making the Delaware Canal towpath surface in several sections, Jack Torres, Coldwell Banker Hearthside an extraordinarily beautiful white Realtors Doylestown – INCREASED Membership particularly in the northern end of wonder. By all reports, it was the best the Canal, and, just south of Easton, Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage winter for cross-country skiing on the Corridor, Easton the earth sloughed off the slope of the towpath in at least ten years. Eiseman Roofing & Exterior Construction, towpath bank. New Britain Unfortunately, the season’s weather Hollyhedge Estate, New Hope also created some serious problems George E. Michael & Co., New Hope along the Canal. Torrential rainfall at NAM Planning & Design, LLC, Lumberville Christmas caused inland streams to Penn Community Bank, Perkasie William B. Parry & Son, Ltd., Langhorne overtop their banks and the Delaware Tinsman Bros., Inc., Lumberville River to rise to Minor Flood stage. The relentless flow of stream water MEMBER into the sub-canal culvert just north Ahlum Gallery, Pipersville of Locks 22-23 in Raubsville caused Appalachian Mountain Club – Delaware Valley Chapter its stone headwall to collapse. With Borough of Morrisville the falling stone came a portion of Bristol Borough Business Association the Canal berm bank, bringing the Bucks County Cottage on the Delaware, situation perilously close to completely Yardley blowing out the bank and seriously Edgar H. Denson, Post #79 American flooding the inland residential River flooding damaged the towpath banks south of Legion, New Hope property. Thankfully, the erosion Easton. First National Bank & Trust Company of stopped short of that. The collapse was The high and rushing water in the Newtown designated as an “emergency repair” Canal itself caused problems. The T. Foster & Co., Inc., Yardley by the DCNR engineers and Park The Grundy Commons, Bristol interior decking in the new Fry’s Homestead General Store & Coffee Roasters, Run Aqueduct experienced some Upper Black Eddy displacement, which can be repaired Leisure Craft, Warrington by the Park staff. More complicated Liberty Bell Wanderers, Philadelphia will be the task of removing some McCaffrey’s Markets, Yardley rocks that lodged themselves between OMNIA Group Architects, Hatboro the layers of the synthetic liner at the Pete’s Bike & Fitness Shoppe, Tinicum Aqueduct. Flemington, NJ Roll-Off Dumpster Direct, Philadelphia, PA – In the case of all these problems, as NEW Member well as projects that were underway The UPS Store, New Hope last fall, the snowy conditions Washington Crossing Insurance Group prevented work from progressing, but Yardley Borough spring is on its way, and with it will Yoga Love Studio, Yardley The culvert collapse in Raubsville. come the renewal of repair work. 2 Friends of the Delaware Canal SPRING 2021 PARK MANAGER’S REPORT By Devin Buzard ne of my favorite Manager Bethany Hare idioms is “Make taking a promotional O hay while the sun opportunity, we are shines.” Over the past just weeks away from year, while in service to announcing the hiring the Delaware Canal, I of two new Assistant have found this expression Managers. This is all to be meaningful on good news as we are multiple levels. I would looking to the future go as far as to say that it of the Canal with a encapsulates the general dedicated administrative concept of confronting presence and offices the challenges of Canal in both the Northern maintenance and PHOTO: Carole Mebus and the Southern management. There is sections. The concept never a shortage of work is similar in nature to to be done and always an how our maintenance appropriate time to do it. responsibilities are currently established. Repair projects along the A large sycamore tree was downed at the site of the collapse north of Woody’s Bridge. Its roots were undermining the Canal’s prism. This is all taking place Canal have recommenced in conjunction with the with the melting of the snow. recent acquisition of the former David Library of the The large excavators, currently located in Raubsville, American Revolution and the Sol and Rose Preserve once again have come back to life. The removal of properties in Washington Crossing. a sycamore tree with a destructive root system kick- started our extensive efforts to reline the Canal and As you may already know or gleaned from this restore its ability to retain water. newsletter, the Canal sustained significant damage Over these past snowy months, I am happy to report during the December heavy rains and river flooding great success in filling several vacant full-time Canal event. While timelines for all of the repairs to be positions in our Southern offices. These include a Park completed are still unknown due to the severity of the Maintenance Supervisor and a Maintenance Repairman damages, I am certain that the appropriate resources are (skilled tradesman), who was recently added to our being committed, and we are pushing towards the goal staff complement. Newly hired Park Maintenance of opening the Easton feeder gate as soon as possible. Supervisor Matthew Overbeck of Pipersville replaces While on the surface it would appear that work Brad King, who retired after his 35 years of service to is weather dependent, I would argue that work is the Commonwealth. perpetually progressing forward and with your support On the heels of former Delaware Canal Assistant we will “continue to make hay”. The Limber CAT Before winter set in, seven Canal Action Team members gave the Mt. Eyre Road Bridge over the Canal two much-needed coats of barn-red stain. The bridge, located on the line between Lower Makefield and Upper Makefield Townships, is one of, if not the only, public road bridge over the Canal owned by the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Under the direction of Team leader Bob Ketler, the CAT members came laden with their most trusty painting tools and went to work—bending, stretching, leaning, and crawling to reach all the components of the two faux camelback trusses. After a full morning’s worth of work with Delaware Canal State Park Painting the Mt. Eyre Road Bridge faux camelback Rangers handling traffic control, CAT brought the Mt.