Garbage dumped along an Allegheny National Forest road.
It’s sad, but not surprising.
Allegheny National Forest officials are offering up to $500 in reward money to anyone who can provide information on who is responsible for dumping garbage on its land. On Nov. 5, forest staff found a large pile of what appears to be the leftovers from a torn-down house or camp. It was discovered next to Forest Service Road 325 (Jo Jo) near Kane in McKean County.
The road gets a good bit of traffic, so it’s thought the material was dumped just before it was discovered.
Anyone with information is asked to call 814-927-5797 or 814-927-5757.
Unfortunately, such instances of trashing public lands are almost the norm.
Been on a state game lands lately? Seen any garbage while you were there?
If so, you’re not alone.
Littering – ranging from beer cans resulting from an unauthorized party to leftover building materials — is a constant problem on those hunter-purchased properties.
Comments from wildlife conservation officers around the region echo that every year, and this has been no different.
“In one case, I was checking a fresh dumpsite and spoke to a canoer in the area. Later the same day this canoer noticed a truck full of trash heading back to this same dumpsite and recorded the license plate number and notified our dispatch center,” said Rod Burns, an officer in Armstrong County.
“I then checked out this new information and found all of the new trash at the old dumpsite location.”
He filed charges in that case, he said.
Fayette County officer Doug Bergman likewise filed against a Jeanette man for littering on game land 296. He dumped the trash from his car in a parking lot.
In Beaver County, officer Matt Kramer handled several cases.
In one, an Aliquippa man pleaded guilty to littering on game land 189 in Hanover Township. He had no choice, really; some of the garbage contained his name and address. He was fined $350.
In another, an investigation is ongoing into who dumped trash along Cottage Road in Hanover Township.
“The dumpsite contains several gallons of paint, paint thinner, car parts and assorted household items,” Kramer said.
It’s not just game lands, though. Officers say they often deal with garbage dumped on private lands enrolled in the commission’s public access programs. Apparently, people see an uninhabited stretch of road or piece of woods and think they can get rid of their trash there.
In Westmoreland County, conservation officer Matt Lucas stopped for individuals for littering on such a property in Sewickley Township. They were shooting there and left behind all their trash.
In Economy Borough, Kramer said he investigated a case where an asphalt company discarded some unused asphalt along a stream. Encased in that asphalt was even more garbage.
Citations were issued in that case, too.
