Cleaning Up the 'Connie'

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Cleaning up the Conodoguinet
By Kelly Meinhart, Producer

he Conodoguinet Creek or 'Connie' as some call it — winds its way through very diverse land use areas of Cumberland County, including agricultural lands, forested lands and finally through very suburban areas where it reaches its confluence with the Susquehanna River in Harrisburg. Describing it as a winding waterway is pretty accurate because the name Conodoguinet is an Indian word that means, "a long way with many bends."

long with being a beautiful, winding creek, the Connie seems to draw you in to become one with it. I've always thought of the Conodoguinet as "kinda wanna jump in it" — now that's my own goofy play on words at work, but take a walk along its banks and you'll see what I mean.


*Video Interviews*
	Bill Deitler with sons Billy and Matthew	Kurt Henry, Organizer
	Why We're Helping Out	Creek is much healthier these days Organizing the event Thanks to all who helped

ooking into the waters of the Connie you'll find thousands of fresh water clams and mussels and a huge population of crayfish. And not just any crayfish, but these crayfish have claws that could put a hurtin' on anyone! Floating along in a canoe or kayak is really the best way to get a look at them and there are several boat access points along the creek, so finding access is pretty easy.

f I sound like I'm personally attached to the Connie, it's because I am. I have a deep connection with this creek and have since the first time I swam in it. It's my watershed, it's my home.

t’s not just myself who’s in love with the Conodoguinet. I think it would be safe to say that the folks living along its banks and those involved with the Conodoguinet Creek Watershed Association feel the same way I do.

his group has been around for years, and has seen many changes to the creek. One of which was the removal of the Good Hope dam. The removal of this dilapidated dam stirred up quite a controversy among the local community. It’s understandable, because sometimes change is difficult. But in this case, a little bit of education and a lot of community projects are going a long way to resolve the issues and attitudes created by the removal of the dam.

ne of the issues was trash floating downstream. Now that the dam was gone, trash and debris would make its way downstream cluttering the banks of the Connie and eventually the Susquehanna. To ease these tensions, the watershed association promised to organize ‘clean up events’ to remove the trash and debris as it floated downstream. And this past July, that’s exactly what 25 volunteers from the watershed association and local community did. Together, we walked downstream and collected a wide variety of trash including at least 35 tires, oil drums, concrete blocks, a tv set, and even an old refrigerator! Kurt Henry, event organizer, comments “We really did find everything but the kitchen sink!”

t was a huge success, and as Gil Freedman, Board President puts it:

“I think everyone had a great time. It was inspiring to look down the creek and see the residents and association members shoulder-to-shoulder scouting for debris. It was surprising how much trash we recovered. As much as 1,000 to 2,000 pounds. Much of the success was due to Kurt Henry who really put in the extra effort to work closely with the homeowners and to organize the event.”

here are many individuals and organizations to thank for the for the success of the clean up event, but I think that Kurt Henry does a great job of doing that in his video clip — so I will encourage you to view it. But one person I will thank is Dale Bentz from Gleim Environmental who not only donates the heavy equipment time needed to haul out the trash — but he gives his own personal time as well. This isn’t the first occasion for Dale to step in and lend a hand, and I’m sure it won’t be his last. So, thanks to Kurt and the entire Conodoguinet Creek Watershed Association, all the volunteers who showed up that day, and to the businesses that donated time, equipment, and materials to make it all happen!