News in brief

Posted 9/30/09

Life jackets to be required in cold weather

PENNSYLVANIA — At its quarterly business meeting on September 27, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) amended various boating …

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News in brief

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Life jackets to be required in cold weather

PENNSYLVANIA — At its quarterly business meeting on September 27, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) amended various boating regulations. As part of the regulation changes, boaters will be required, beginning November 1, 2012, to wear life jackets on boats less than 16 feet in length and on canoes and kayaks during the cold weather months from November 1 through April 30. The change is intended to protect boaters from the dangers of cold water shock if they fall into the water.

“While boating accidents are more frequent during the traditional summer season, the risk of an accident being fatal is significantly higher when the air and water temperatures are colder in late fall through spring,” said Laurel Anders, director of the Bureau of Boating and Access. “Over the last 15 years, cold water incidents represented only eight percent of boating related accidents, but resulted in 24% of the fatalities.

“Victims who are wearing a life jacket when exposed to cold water have potentially life-saving advantages.”

The regulation applies to all waterways, including the Delaware River.

Herbert succeeds Curtis as historian

CALLICOON, NY — Mary Curtis, who served as historian for the Town of Delaware from 1977 to 2009, has passed the torch to Cindy Herbert.

Curtis took over the volunteer position from her father, Valleau Curtis. Mary had invaluable knowledge of local history, as the Curtises have lived in this area for the past 250 years, before the Town of Delaware even existed and was still part of the Town of Cochecton.

Herbert is intrigued with local town history and happy to take on the position. She is working on archiving and preserving the town’s history, as well as finishing a grant that she received from Sullivan Renaissance for a rotating history gallery in the town’s municipal building. This will showcase the history of Delaware including schools, fire departments, tanneries, cemeteries, Dr. Frederick Cook, American Indians, the railroad and much more.

Herbert will also be launching a website to share the region’s local history in the near future and at some point possibly a historical society. If you have history of the local area or photos to share, Herbert can be reached at info@hortonvilleny.com.

Methane migration seminar

/strong>HONESDALE, PA — The Wayne County Oil & Gas Task Force will hold a seminar titled “Understanding Methane Migration Issues in Pennsylvania” on Tuesday, October 18 at the Wayne County Park Street Complex, 648 Park Street. The seminar will start at 7 p.m. and end at approximately 9 p.m.

Presenting the seminar will be Burt Waite, senior geologist and program director at Moody and Associates, Inc. and Brian Oram, licensed professional geologist and owner of B.F. Environmental Consultants, Inc. Topics of discussion will be understanding stray gas in Pennsylvania, a review of recent research on methane migration in association with Marcellus Shale development and water testing strategies for homeowners.

Waite directs a staff of geologists and hydrogeologists relative to the environmental and hydrologic implications of energy resource development. He was the lead author of the Oil and Gas Pollution Abatement Program study conducted on behalf of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection in 1985. Oram is a licensed professional geologist, licensed well driller, and a professional soil scientist and the owner of B.F. Environmental Consultants Inc. The company is a family-owned Pennsylvania-based environmental and geological consulting company that has been serving the region for over 23 years.

Admission to the seminar is free and open to the public. Please pre-register by calling the Penn State Extension office in Honesdale at 570/253-5970 x 4110, or email WayneExt@psu.edu.

Ground to be broken for Pike library

MILFORD, PA — There will be a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Pike County Library, to be located on East Harford Street, at 3 p.m. on October 20. It is expected that construction will be completed in October of 2012.

The contractors for the new building are to be announced at the next board meeting of the Pike County Public Library board of directors, scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on October 17 at the Delaware Valley School District administration building.

The project has been in the making since 2005, when Dorothy Warner provided a $1 million gift for the purpose of building a library in Milford Borough. Divisions of opinion as to how to use the funds delayed construction for a number of years.

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