 |
|
|
|
|
Carl Undercofler
|
|
 Favorite
Hobby/Activity: Restoring his Hudsons
Personal
Watershed Goal: Returning Shad to the Susquehanna
Favorite
Saying:
"Only busy people have the time to help, because they
make the time." |
Written by Jen Demchak
 atch
out Richard Simmons, there's another high-energy man in my life
who's making me lose weight, and this one isn't an oddball.
You won't find this man on late night TV peddling weight loss
trivial pursuit cards, or arguing with Susan Sommers about fat
versus carbohydrates on Larry King, but you will find
this man running around the country motivating a whole demographic
to "get off their duffs," be a "doer", run around in the woods,
and make the world a better place.
 arl
Undercofler is the epitome of a Watershed Hero. His commitment
to the effort is amazing; he's never said no or that he's too
busy to walk a stream or to pull a water sample. Those who work
with him are pushed on by his indomitable spirit and determination;
no matter what the odds or the battle that we face in cleaning
up our local streams, he believes, and convinces others, that
we can succeed.
 hen
Carl goes out in the woods he walks at a brisk pace, but never
quite too fast for those who are with him. Like an aerobics
instructor, he's always smiling as he pushes you that extra
mile which, in Carl's terms is, "just a little farther." He
doesn't seem to notice the distance, but maybe that's because
he works out before we go out, and walks his dog two more miles
when he gets home.
arl is known for his contagious smile and charismatic personality. Even when he is pushing us over that extra (up) hill to see the discharge he found, he always makes the people around him smile. But, after every day with Carl, despite the blisters and strained muscles, we're still smiling. Part of that is Carl, and part of that is the notebook full of good data that we got while being out with Carl.
 arl
is directly helping out at least three watershed groups: the
Emigh Run/Lakeside Watershed Association, the Clearfield Creek
Watershed Association, and the Moshannon Creek Watershed Association.
He is also indirectly helping out far more through the people
that he trains and motivates. The three groups that he is directly
helping are all relatively new groups that are trying to get
their first success stories in the ground and their first stream
miles recovered; all are undergoing some type of assessment.
Carl's involvement has been paramount in keeping the groups
motivated and moving forward. Carl's constant presence and good
humor have helped convince others to stay involved and committed.
When successes do occur in these watersheds, we will have Carl
to thank.
ithin these groups, he is focusing his efforts on Morgan Run, Roaring Run, and Emigh Run; these all eventually feed into the West Branch of the Susquehanna. He has walked these streams to identify mine discharges and is responsible for collecting monthly water samples. Carl spends countless hours during the week on these streams, striving to make a difference. He has spent his life hunting in the Morgan Run area and is looking forward to the day when he can also fish in the stream.
 owever,
Carl's contribution hardly ends with the West Branch of the
Susquehanna. Carl began with the Clearfield County Senior Environmental
Corps (SEC) in January 2001 and has since been voted President
of the organization. He is trained in Chemical Monitoring, Macro-invertebrate
Studies, Stream Habitat Assessment, and Abandoned Mine Drainage
Monitoring and is now a "designated trainer" for the Pennsylvania
SEC and the Environmental Alliance for Senior Involvement (EASI).
This allows Carl to train new and existing SEC members.
  t
is now becoming commonplace to hear Carl mention that he will
be unavailable for a day or two here and there because he is
travelling to Nebraska, or Virginia, or some other state. While
these warnings might indicate that he is taking some time and
enjoying a little travel, instead it reflects the appointment
he received in April 2002: Carl became an Ambassador for EASI.
He was selected for this position because of his dedication
and enthusiasm, and because he has the ability to travel through
the U.S. educating seniors on how they can work with the EASI/SEC
program to improve their world. His personal goal for joining
SEC was "to see the shad return to the West Branch of the Susquehanna;"
but now he is making a difference on many more streams and rivers.
f you ever hear me humming "hikin' to the oldies" or a similarly silly tune, please take it as my own strange homage to a man who's passion and action is an inspiration and motivation for those who work around him. If there were a "Carl" in every watershed group, acid mine drainage would be a problem of the past. I know that the streams we are working on will be cleaned-up and we will owe our success to Carl's influence and help. Carl Undercofler is my personal watershed hero.
See past Watershed Heroes here!
|
|
|
|
