Inflatable Dam Proposal Comments
R. L. Wasilewski, Vice President, Greater Wyoming Valley Audubon Society
Concluding Thoughts
The Susquehanna River's potential to provide educational and recreational opportunities through wildlife observation and study is enormous, as is the River's potential to contribute to the Wyoming Valley's economic revitalization through tourism. However, realizing the potential that exists in the River's varied possible uses presents a challenge to those who must manage this natural resource. Management of natural resources for multiple uses frequently gives preference to human activities at the expense of the needs of wildlife. The proposal to create a recreational lake in Wilkes-Barre by impounding the Susquehanna River behind an inflatable dam is an example of such lopsided management. The danger that an inflatable dam and its accompanying active recreation would present to the Susquehanna corridor's wildlife and natural character is perhaps best described by the words of Dr. Josef Reichholf (1976) of the Munich Zoological Museum in a paper prepared for the 1974 International Conference on Conservation of Wetlands and Waterfowl. Although the following excerpt addresses the risks of excessive recreational development of wetlands, Dr. Reichholf's comments are equally applicable to the Susquehanna River ecosystem.
"Governmental activities tend to improve the use of wetlands for recreational purposes, neglecting the limits of tolerance beyond which the basic functions of the wetland ecosystem are seriously disturbed. There is seldom an attempt to evaluate the wetland's 'carrying capacity' before it is 'improved' for recreational purposes. It seems a matter of urgency to determine the effects of the 'recreational load' of wetlands in quantitative terms."
Therefore, a prudent course of action to realize, rather than to simply exploit, the Susquehanna River's potential must incorporate a legitimate attempt to determine the River's recreational "carrying capacity" before an inflatable dam can be deemed appropriate. In addition, the process of evaluating the River's potential must be guided by a realization that the undeveloped River corridor serves as a natural environment in the midst of an urban setting, thereby providing refuge not only for the wild animals and plants that occur there, but also for humans who seek a quick "escape" from the stress of their daily routines. Thus, care must be exercised to avoid destroying the wild nature, and hence, the educational and recreational potential, of this unique resource.
Since the Susquehanna corridor's resident and migrant wildlife represent indispensable components of the River's educational, recreational, and economic potential, the needs of wildlife must be weighted appropriately to ensure its survival when considering the feasibility of a project that may significantly diminish the Susquehanna River's natural character. Careful and thorough consideration must be afforded the wild flora and fauna of the Susquehanna River corridor when assessing the ecological consequences, and hence, the feasibility, of altering the River's natural character with an inflatable dam. I hope that when all of the necessary studies have been completed, and when all of the relevant data have been collected and analyzed, those who must decide how to best manage the Susquehanna River will conclude that the River's greatest potential lies in its ability to provide opportunities for education and passive recreation, and that protecting, and displaying in an ecologically responsible way, the River corridor's wild flora and fauna is the best of the multiple uses by which the Susquehanna River's educational, recreational, and economic potential may be realized.