PA Steelhead Association

Working to improve
Pennsylvania Steelhead fishing for all !

The Pennsylvania Steelhead Association is a 501(C)4 nonprofit which works to: enhance and preserve the fishery in the streams flowing into Lake Erie; to improve access to those streams for fishermen; and to assist organizations such as the Western PA Conservancy in acquiring land and/or fishing easements and right-of-ways along important Steelhead fishing waters in Northwest Pennsylvania.

In May we had our elections meeting for Officers and Board of Directors. They are as follows:

Officers:

President – Ryan Novatnack Vice President – Karl Weixlmann

Secretary – Marty Grzasko Treasurer – Skip Simmons

Board of Directors:

Corey Shields Dan Beck

Dan Pastore Frank Scicchitano

Herb Kightlinger Mark Signorino

Paul Krott

Newsletter:

Sam Zacour

Rich Sherwin

The board has been busy over the summer months meeting and planning some projects and stream clean-ups. We have also created four committees to better serve the PSA and our fishery. The four committees are – Events Committee, Members Committee, Newsletter/Webpage Committee, and the Marketing Committee. If interested please sign on to help a committee with planning and organizing events.

The Steelhead are in the creeks. Member Paul Krott is shown here with a nice catch.

This picture also displays a good way to take a fish picture without harming the fish. If you plan to release it, keep your fingers out of the gills, support it underneath, keep it close to the water and get it back in as quickly as possible. Nice job Paul!

The Pennsylvania Lake Erie International Coastal Cleanup

The PSA was the site manager for the Walnut Creek Access area.

We had a good turn out Saturday Sept. 20th, 19 PSA members and other volunteers showed up to pick up 14 bags of trash weighing 163.17 lbs. We picked up 1242 cigarette butts to recycle, around 57 yards of fishing line, and 5 tires as well as all of the regular garbage. The group pictured below shows some of the cleanup crew! Thanks to all those who took the time to help clean up our environment!

The PA Lake Erie International Coastal Cleanup is an annual trash cleanup event, held the 3^rd Saturday in September along the Lake Erie shoreline and Erie County waterways. Volunteers gather at one of the sixteen different cleanup locations in Erie County between 9am and 12pm to pick up trash and collect information on each trash item. Information gathered from collected trash and recyclables is used to develop and prioritize management strategies to lessen the amount of trash entering our waterways and provide outreach and education information for local schools and organizations throughout the county.

The event is part of a larger global effort that is held the same day each year titled the “International Coastal Cleanup” which is the oldest and largest volunteer driven cleanup effort of its kind across the world. Beginning in 1986 with 12 sites on the Texas coastline, the International Coastal Cleanup has grown to over 6000 sites in 92 countries with more than 500,000 participating volunteers.

Garbage and recycling bags as well as work gloves are provided to all volunteers at each location. Certificates of appreciation will also be available to participating volunteers.

Matt Roman pictured above with PSA President Ryan Novatnack was awarded a PSA Hat & T-Shirt for being the individual to collect the most trash. Great job Matt!

Additional information on each clean up location can be found at: http://www.goerie.com/section/coastalcleanup

Please contact Jake Moore of the Dept. of Environmental Protection, Coastal Resources Management Program for additional questions at 814-217-9634 or by email at jacmoore@pa.gov.

On Saturday September 6th a group of PSA members and volunteers cleaned up 380 lbs of steel that had been lying on the creek bed of Upper Elk Creek near the area referred to as the Pet Cemetery. They carried a torch downstream about 200 yards from an private landowners property that allowed access to the creek and cut up and hauled out the scrap you see pictured below.

General Membership Meeting

Next Meeting is Wednesday March 11th!

Our December meeting is as usual on the second Wednesday of the month – the 10^th at 7:30P.M. Our speaker was supposed to be Matt Supinski. But Matt had to cancell due to a family medical problem.

Meetings are 7:30 pm on the 2nd Wednesday of each month. American Legion Post #773, 4109 West 12th Street, Erie, PA

PA Steelhead Associaton Facebook page link below:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pa-Steelhead-Association/136804763021961