—unc—torFwnihit, Saturday, Novembr it, 1979 Chester hearing Tuesday 12 DER says Scenic River Act no threat to farmers BY DICK WANNER HARRISBURG - Penn sylvania’s. Scenic Rivers Act of 1972 has been the focal point of a heated controversy in Western Pennsylvania. When the state Depart ment of Environmental Resources began public hearings there, a public outcry welled up that may have squelched the planners’ hopes for bringing streams into the program. According to Roger Fickes, a DER Scenic Rivers Program official, the out cries were based more on rumors than fact. “We maintain that the scenic rivers program is not a threat to local property rights,” Fickes said. “It Food processing adds STATE COLLEGE - Pennsylvania food processing firms rank second in the Northeast in the dollar value added to farm products by manufacturing, according to economist Milton C. Halberg of Penn State. He said this added value is two billion dollars in the Com monwealth. Although several food manufacturers in the Commonwealth are smaller than the national average, those dealing with grain mill products grew five-fold during the period 1954 to 1972, Hallberg said. He noted LEON B. HERSHEY Box 265 Paradise, PA 717-442-4807 B. RUSSELL SADDER R 5, 80x322A Manheim, PA 717-665-4153 JASON E. MILLER 169 Strasburg Pike Lancaster, PA 717-393-7244 costs the people nothing, and it doesn’t put their land under the control of the state goverment.” Fickes) whose parents still farm 200 acres in Bedford County, said the western Pennsylvania project was beset by rumors that greatly exaggerated the state’s power under the program. “The act only tells us, DER, to investigate areas for possible scenic river designation. It does not give us the power or the money to buy easements. “We can not force farmers or other property owners to move. “I heard one rumor that we were going to take an eight-mile wide corridor on companies preserving fruits and vegetables more than tripled in size during the same period. The growth rate of firms in these two Pennsylvania industries far exceeded that of the average company in the same business elsewhere, it was pointed out. Leading all the nor theastern states in dollar value added to farm food products by manufacturing was New York, with New Jersey third, Maryland a distant fourth, and Massachusetts fifth. As in other states, the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT YOUR LOCAL REPRESENTATIVES LISTED BELOW WM. J. YODER Rt. 2, Box 367 Narvon, PA 17555 717-354-0497 PAUL BITTNER Germansville, PA 215-767-7140 H. MELVIN CHARLES R 1 Washington Boro, PA 717-684-5783 AMOS HURSH LititzßD#4, PA 17543 717-733-6776 both sides of the Slippery Rock. “That would be a stretch of land 16 miles wide along the length of the stream. There’s no way we could do anything like that,” he said. Since 1972, only one river has been declared officially scenic, Fickes said. It’s a 90- mile stretch of the Schuylkill River, from Port Clinton to Fairmount Dam. Only the legislature can create a scenic river area, Fickessaid. DEH can find suitable bodies of water, and arrange hearings, but the full state assembly must enact a separate law for each river in the program. DER’s role, Fickes said, is $2 billion to number cf food processing firms in Pennsylvania declined sharply from 1961 to 1975. The findings came from a study of food manufacturing trends as carried out by Hallberg, R.M. Seeley, and James W. Dunn. As might be expected, regions of Pennsylvania with the highest population led in food manufacturing-Phila delphia, Allentown and Bethlehem, Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, Harrisburg, Lancaster, York, and Pitt sburgh. The study showed Penn sylvania dairy processing Figure it for yourself. You keep milk production up and feed costs down with our dairy pre-mixes. Wouldn’t you like to put some of that money you spend on commercial protein supplements in your own pocket? That’s the goal behind an alfalfa, grain and Vigortone Dairy Pre-Mix feeding program. It helps you take maximum advantage of the protein and energy already in your home-grown feedstuffs. And legume roughage is a good source of protein; but it’s low in phosphorus and other nutrients so important to the needs of all dairy cows. That’s where Vigortone Dairy Pre-Mixes help. These potent pre-mixes are specially formulated for the feeds grown on your farm and contain the proper amount of phosphorus to balance the calcium content of your legume roughages. VIGORTONE PRE-MIXES It’s Time To Compare! 50 branch offlcaa 6000 daalcra 3 manufacturing plant# RALPH E. BRUNGART Loganton, PA 717-725-2355 WERTZ BROTHERS R 5 Danville, PA 717-275-4407 CHESTER SOLTYS, JR. Spring City, PA 215-948-3647 JAMES STUTZMAN SONS R 3 Kutztown, PA 215-682-2624 215-287-7315 mostly advisory. “We can advise people what to do with properties in scenic river areas,” he said. “Our goal is to help local governments and local property owners preserve their scenic waterways. The things we say are the same things zoning boards, planning commission and the Soil Conservation Ser vice have been saying for decades.” In some cases, he said, DER recommendations might call for a 30-foot corridor along a riverbank to be kept free of con struction or crops. In other cases, they might recom mend as much as an eighth of-a-mile corridor. economy firms appear to be as ef ficient as dairy plants in other states. Hallberg commented that the dollar value added per worker in the dairy industry increased 77 per cent nationwide from 1954 to 1972. He said Pennsylvania dairy plants have matched this rate of efficiency. The report mentioned the somewhat smaller size of food processing firms in the Commonwealth, compared with companies in other states. Chief among the smaller firms are those dealing with meats, grain and bakery products, and beverages. Berks County landowners along French Creek, had a change at a hearing on Thursday night to find out more about scenic rivers. On Tuesday, Chester County property owners get their chance at a 7:30 p.m. meeting set for the Owen J. Roberts Middle School. “We’ve been getting wonderful, enthusiastic support from the French Creek people,” Fickes said. “It’s a complete about-face from what’ we’re ex periencing in Western Pennsylvania.” French Creek is one of three streams now under active consideration for the scenic rivers program, Fickes said. The other two are Stony Creek, a wild river just north of Harrisburg, and a section of the Lehigh River NOTICE There will be NO auction conducted at NEW HOLLAND SALES STABLES, INC. On Thursday, Nov. 22,1979 HAPPY THANKSGIVING Vigortone Dairy Pre-Mixes also furnish the minerals, vitamins and other nutrients so important to good nutrition and better milk production. Special ingredients promote proper digestion and assimilation of rations, so your cows benefit more from less feed. Your Vigortone Dealer can help you figure the energy and protein supplied by your own grain and roughage. You’ll know from the start how much, if any, additional protein you’ll need. Now is the time to compare. See your Vigortone Dealer soon. He’s ready to compare the performance of Vigortone’s cost saving dairy feeding programs with any other you name. SHERWOOD A. WITMER Box 138 Berrysburg, PA 717-362-8823 WILMERJ. WEAVER R 1 Fredericksburg, PA 717-865-6710 RON HERSHEY RD#2 Gap, PA 17527 717-442-8573 J. CLYDE BRUSAKER 2418 Harrisburg Pike Lancaster, PA 717-898-8984 flowing through Carbon and Luzerne Counties. After the law was passed, DER drew up a list of possible streams which might possibly be included in the program, Fickes said. One of those streams was the Conestoga River, which flows through miles and miles of Lancaster County farmland. “Our scenic rivers task force has been approached about studying the Conestoga,” he noted. “The Conestoga Valley Association has been lob bying us for years to start the scenic rivers machinery rolling. “But we’ve never done it. Maybe someday we will try to have it brought into the program, but right now it’s just too dirty to be declared scenic. It has too much silt.” WALTER L. HAY RD 3 Gettysburg, PA 717-334-1592 ELAM G. HOOVER R 2, Box 531 Reading, PA 215-926-2908 ELWIN H. REAM Hughesville, PA 717-584-4085
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