February 8, 1999
The Officers and Directors of the Greater Wyoming Valley Audubon Society (GWVAS) hereby submit the following comments regarding the proposal to install an inflatable dam in the Susquehanna River in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. These comments are based upon observations of the avifauna of the Susquehanna River corridor in the Wilkes-Barre area during six months of monitoring of federally endangered peregrine falcons, as well as upon a year's worth of data from GWVAS-sponsored monthly bird walks in the Kirby Park Natural Area and vicinity. These comments are intended to augment the attached GWVAS Position Statement, which was originally adopted by the GWVAS Board of Directors on August 8, 1994, and was subsequently revised in 1996 to reflect additional information. The revisions were approved by the GWVAS Board on January 8, 1996.
Although the Officers and Directors of the GWVAS are concerned about the inflatable dam's potential to negatively impact upon the Wyoming Valley's resident and migratory bird life, we recognize the potential economic benefits of the area's "watchable wildlife." These comments should therefore be viewed not merely as condemnation of the proposed inflatable dam project, but also as a suggestion of an alternative means by which the Susquehanna River might be used for ecologically responsible passive recreation and economic stimulation via its contribution to the region's wildlife viewing and educational opportunities.