Perils of the Pompeston

Greetings everyone! I've had quite a spring so far this year! I apologize for the delay my adventures have caused, and will bring you up to date on life along the Pompeston Creek.

My last post was a blatant plug for the PCWA sponsored 3rd annual "Walk the Walk" and the Great Pompeston Rubber Duck Race that were to be held on Earth Day, April 22nd. As you may remember, the weather that day was less than ideal. Since I had a hard enough time trying to get people to commit to one date for the event, scheduling a rain date just wasn't in the cards. We really had intended to go through with our plans, rain or shine, honest! Mother Nature had other ideas.

The walk was supposed to start at noon, winding its way through the watershed from near the headwaters in and then through Moorestown, then Cinnaminson to the finish at Memorial Park in Riverton. There were to be educational/informational displays and activities at the checkpoints along the route, and bunches of fun activities at the park, culminating in the first ever Great Pompeston Rubber Duck Race.

It was a bit chilly and damp as I went to meet up with the volunteers  who were to gather at Pompeston Park, and  the rain seemed to intensify with the appearance of each person. We decided that we would skip the displays at the checkpoints, but still hold the walk. We had ponchos and umbrellas available, but the more determined we became to go forward, the colder it got and the more it rained - we finally conceded the walk. Even the rain-loving rubber ducks were defeated by the weather - when the forecast called for 40 mph winds and possible thunderstorms, we threw in the towel (no pun intended!) and decided to skip the walk but reschedule the duck race for the following Sunday, April 29th.

The only problem with trying to reschedule an event that is dependent on the tide being at a certain point is that a week can make a dramatic difference in how things will go.  4:00PM on the 22nd would have been perfect; the tide would have just turned and started going out. The test run 2 days earlier had been a huge success, taking only 12 minutes for the ducks to go from start to finish. Unfortunately, on the 29th, high tide was at 8:37AM with dead low tide coming in the late afternoon when we wanted to hold the race. We would have liked to have started around 10 or 11 in the morning, but it was Sunday. We thought that if we waited until 1:00PM, people would be done with church and kid's sports and be able to attend the race, and the creek would still be deep enough for the ducks and the duck-wranglers' kayaks.

In theory, this was a great plan. It turned out to be a gorgeous day, and more people than we could have hoped for showed up. We sold ducks right up to the last possible moment, and then dashed to the creek. While the water level was a bit lower than we had hoped, we dumped the ducks in at the starting point. The crowd was cheering, the ducks started to move, and then... nothing! The little buggers didn't move! My fellow wrangler and I did what we could to help the duckies along and finally got them to the bend in the creek. At that point, even though the tide was still moving out, the wind had picked up and was blowing the ducks back towards the start. Bill and I were scooping them up with our paddles and tossing them ahead. My husband was in the creek with a broom trying to help. It was a nightmare! What should have been a 12 minute race was turning into a marathon. There were still a few people waiting at the Broad Street Bridge finish line, but there was just no way the ducks would ever get that far, and Bill and I were exhausted from paddling against the wind. It had taken so long to get to my dock, that we were not only fighting the wind, but the tide had turned and was pushing us back even harder. Bill and I decided that the three ducks closest to my neighbor's dock would be the winners. I scooped them up and then tried to climb the ladder to the dock so I could get the winners back to the park, while Bill and my husband dealt with my kayak and the rest of the ducks.  And another plan goes awry!

As I tried to get out of the kayak, it started to tip, so I did what I usually do, and put one foot out of the opposite side. Lucky me, that foot went squishing into the marsh muck. When I tried to regain my balance and right the kayak, my other foot got tangled in the paddle strap. I didn't want to drop the ducks, so I stuffed them in my shirt and grabbed the ladder, while pulling one foot out of the goo and trying to untangle my other leg. Just when I thought I had made it, Bill says "careful, I think the ladder is cracked!" I turned to make sure the ladder would be okay - and fell out of the kayak, off of the ladder, and into the water. It must have been pretty funny, though my husband knew better than to let me hear him laugh!

So, dripping wet and completely muddy,  I trudged back to the park with the winning ducks. It had taken so much longer than we had planned that 2 of the top three winners had gone home.  Aaron Schmitt of Riverton was there to collect his framed certificate and bronze medal. ( I delivered the silver and gold medals to the other two people later that evening. They were Jill Croft of Riverton in 2nd place and young Kelsey Wink of Delran in 1st. Kelsey was jumping up and down excited when I gave her the medal and her other prizes, and of course, my camera was dead. And I couldn't use my phone because it had been in my pocket when I went into the creek!)

Thanks to generous donations from Charlie Mothershed, Long's Automotive and Bud Liam, there were lots of refreshments and enough prizes that no one went home empty handed. After cleaning up and delivering the medals, I finally went home to get out of my wet clothes and take a much-needed hot shower.

I apparently waited too long and should have paid attention
to my own warnings about the creek water. One of the things I tell people all
the time is to PLEASE clean up after your pets - even if it's in your own
yard!  Animal waste run-off is one of the leading causes for pathogens in the water. Pathogens are disease-causing bacteria and viruses associated with the presence of fecal or animal waste matter. They affect human health directly through water contact or ingestion and through consumption of shellfish.[1]

Sure enough, not only did I get sick, I got really sick! And, to the amusement of those around me, I lost my voice completely. It took a week of heavy duty anti-biotics to bring my voice back, and another week to get completely back on my feet.  Take my advice - avoid falling into the creek, and if you do, get yourself hosed off and into clean clothes as quickly as you can.

Townships are required by state law to have animal waste laws on the books.  You can see Cinnaminson's pet waste legislation at http://www.ecode360.com/CI0302  - go to chapter 446 Stormwater Management
Article II, and then to §446-5 through §446-8. If you don't pick up after your
pet for the sake of the health of you and your neighbors, do it because it's
the law!

My next blog post will bring news of the turtles and other
creek critters - until then, note that the new moon is on May 20th, and the
accompanying high tides will be bringing turtles out of the water to lay their
eggs. Let me know if you see any nesting or crossing roads, or if you know of a
place that needs a turtle crossing sign.

[1] "Municipal
Options for Stormwater Management" ANJEC Resource Paper Collection,
Mendham, NJ