TRI-COUNTY CONEWAGO CREEK ASSOCIATION
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING – JUNE 20, 2002, 7:00 PM
MEETING MINUTES

I.	Welcome and Introduction

Board members present:  Matt Royer, Hal Royer, Mike McKinne, Tim Hoover.  Stream Steward 
Jack Smith also in attendance. 

II.	Projects and Activities

1.  Landowner Database.  Bob Pennell has volunteered to search Dauphin County tax maps for 
landowner information.

2.  June 1st Birdwatching Hike.  Very successful event.  26 total participants.  46 bird species 
identified, 11 butterfly species, numerous plant and wildflower species.  Some new potential 
members recruited.

3.  Eagle Scout Project.  Nathan Gerard, a boy scout from Conewago Township, has approached 
TCCCA about conducting an Eagle Scout leadership project on the watershed.  He has decided 
to organize a stream clean up.  (Projected for late July)

Clean up of Hertzler Road dump area was also discussed.  One idea is to plant tree or place large 
boulders in the pull off area to discourage illegal dumping.  Matt will approach Mr. Davis about 
this.

4.  New landowner contact:  Bill Stoffel.  Owns land on creek south of Colebrook.  He has some 
interest in stocking that portion of the creek again.  Tim can talked to Joe Miller about stocking 
trout at the Stoffel property as an incentive to restoration. (Joe raises trout at MHS hatchery in 
cooperation with FBC).

5.  SWAP meeting at Etown.  Took place June 13th.  Hal Royer, Ron Laughlin were in 
attendance.  SRBC assessment of potential pollutants to water supplies.  Now, ball is in 
Borough's court to develop plan to address potential pollutants.  TCCCA should approach 
Borough about establishing partnership to develop this plan.

6.  MHS Stream Sampling.  Took place mid-May.  Sampled the creek at three points:  upstream 
of 743, Old Hershey Road swimming hole, Aberdeen.  Tim to get results to Tom Murray to add 
to monitoring data.

III.	Financial Report

1.  WREN Grant.  Hal and Matt Kofroth attended WREN orientation meeting.  Matt given half 
of grant money.

Web site design:  approach Padraic Farrell or Andy Ohrman.  Announce brainstorming sessions 
for web site and brochure design at next meeting.

2.  Art Show.  September 21-22 at Jim and Lynn Szymborski farm.

Potential artists:  Sylvia Lehman, Carol Keinard, Trevor Hershey, Beth Banko, Don Bashore.

Need to ask Lynn:  1) protocol for asking for percentage donation; 2) who is considered the 
seller of the art for tax purposes.  Matt to talk to Lynn and develop list of talking points that 
members can take to area artists.

3.  Life memberships.  Discussion tabled until quorum is present.

IV.	Membership Meeting Agendas 

Potential future guest speaker for July:  Carrie Snavely, Conestoga Valley biology teacher, and 
students about Furnace Run project.  Hal to contact Carrie.

V.	Stream Steward Report (Jack Smith)

Fifty years of fishing and trapping on the Conewago.

Species

Fish species caught/observed over the years:  smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, pickerel, 
crappy, bluegill, pumpkinseed, channel catfish, carp, trout, etc.

Species observed in 1950s:  hellbender, American eel.  Hellbender not seen on Conewago since 
1950s (needs high quality water to survive).

New species observed within last five years:  alewife or gizzard shad.

Outstanding fishing in the past:  1967, caught limit of pickerel, all between 17-23 inches.

Base flow of Conewago

From 1950 to present, volume of water has been reduced by ¼, perhaps by as much as ½.  
Significantly less amount of water at base flow conditions.

Fish Kills

Few historically.  Only fish kills in memory resulted from rendering plant near Falmouth.

Sources of Pollutants

Past:  farmhouses discharged raw sewage to streams.

Runoff from fields and cows:  under better control today.

Sewage treatment plants:  problems with CSOs (combined sewage overflows).  Overflows 
occurred in the past, and still continuing.  Skeptical about how well facilities are operated.  Many 
more sewage treatment plants presently.  Many are located in headwaters.



Major Dams

1.  Aberdeen:  washed out by Agnes in 1972.

2.  Risser's Stone Dam.  Located between Turnpike bridge and Prospect Road.  One of best 
fishing spots (has yielded 20 inch smallmouth).  Still in existence.

Bridges

20 bridges over the Conewago.

One covered bridge on Covered Bridge Road (was burned by vandals).

"Old Stone Bridge" or the "Blue Light."  Stone railroad bridge over Conewago.  Quarry hole 
located near stream.  Beautiful fish habitat, heavily forested area.  Now private and posted.

Changes to the Conewago

Lancaster paper used to give a fishing report and include "Hess's Hole" on the Conewago, 
downstream from the Blue Light.  Not any more.

Many boulders on creek washed out by Agnes in 1972.  

Muskrats:  population decreasing last couple of years.

Siltation:  has increased in recent years.

The Board members were very impressed with Jack's initial Stream Steward Report.  With 
Jack's help, TCCCA may be able to put together a written history of the Conewago.

VI.	Next Meeting

The Board will set its next meeting at a later date when all Board members can be consulted.


	





3