A34—Lancaster Fanning, Thursday, December 24,1981
BY DONNA TOMMELLEO
ETTERS - All right, Agatha
Christie fans, get out your pen and
paper and get ready to solve one of
the greatest mysteries of the year.
However, once you have all the
clues, you still may come up
empty-handed. Don’t fret. You’re
in good company because even the
Pennsylvania State Police,
Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
environmental engineers, state
legislators, veterinarians and
farmers have not yet solved the
“Great Whirly-Bird Caper.”
It began on an autumn day in
October in the Central Penn
sylvania community of Etters.
Around noon dairy farmers Jane
Lee and her brother-in-law
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These criss-cross back legs of this heifer, were just some of
the problems Lee encountered in a wave of abnormal births.
Pastureland emerges from strip mine scars e
QUICKSAND, Ky. - Post
mining land use presents
numerous challenges for strip
mine reclamation efforts
throughout the United States, with
the creation of new pastureland
emerging as a real potential in the
future, according to a five year
study by the U.S. Soil Conservation
Service.
“Under proper management, a
good portion of the many
thousands of acres disturbed
annually by surface mining in the
eastern United States could be
developed into new pastureland,”
says diaries F. Gilbert, manager
for the SCS Plant Materials Center
in Kentucky.
These results were brought to
the forefront during the 73rd An
nual Meeting of the American
Society of Agronomy, December 3,
in Atlanta, Georgia. The studies
Farmers and officials try to solve
‘The Great Whirly-Bird Caper’
Jeremiah Fisher were in a pasture
assisting a cow that was ex
periencing calving problems.
Finally they delivered a 150 pound
Holstein bull calf, which was a
little slow getting started, said
Lee.
Lee and Fisher were still in the
field when they said they saw a
blue and white helicopter that
landed in nearby field, owned by
Elias Connelly. The chopper pilot
left the craft, scooped up a soil
sample, boarded the chopper and
was gone.
“The entire episode didn't last
more than five minutes Lee
explained. Connelly was plowing
the very same field at the time,i
however, his back was to the
f.
were made possible through a U.S. “It has been determined,”
Environmental Protection Agency Gilbert pointed out, “that some of
grant. ,the new plants tested produced
Most surface mined land today is more hay than the standard
reclaimed with plants that mainly planting mixture of ‘KY-31’ tall
provide ground cover and reduce fescue and ‘interstate’ sericea
soil erosion. Present federal laws lespedeza. These were a mixture of
require many strip mine sites be- Causasian bluestem a warm
returned to their original contours, season bunchgrass introduced
Therefore, little use can be made from the USSR - with ‘Appalow’
of this mountainous or sloping land sericea lespedeza, a legume, and a
except for forestry, wildlife, and mixture of ‘Blackwell’ swit
recteation. chgrass, a native warm-season
Another method of mining in the
Appalachian Region, called
mountain-top removal, creates
large tracts of flat rolling land.
With proper management, many
other land uses are possible.
From an agricultural stand
point, it was decided to test the
value of growing hay and pasture
lants on surface mined land.
Results could demonstrate the
viable alternative of raising
livestock.
Establishment studies were,
conducted from 1976 to 1978. Then,
clipping studies were carried out
from 1978 to 1981. Many kinds of
forage plants were compared to
standard strip mine plantings.
Mystery leaves sleuths up in the air
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helicopter and he was unaware of,
the incident, said Lee. Mrs. Con
nelly explained that no one had
asked permission to take a soil
sample.
Before we go on readers, let’s
add one more item, which you may
or may not find useful- Fisher and
Lee's Holstein dairy sits within
four miles of Three Mile Island.
Lee was one of the dairy farmers
who said she had experienced
health problems with the herd and
other animals following the initial
TMI incident in 1979.
About two months prior the to
soil sampling, Lee said she ob
served black smoke emerging
from the cooling towers which are
quite visible from her farmhouse.
When she questioned officials at
the plant, she was informed that
Metropolitan Edison was just
testing.
Lee explained that following the
helicopter siting, she assisted in
four consecutive abnormal births,
including the large bull calf. Up
until that day, she recorded 18
consecutive normal births.
However, Dr. J. Cable, a
veterinarian with the Penn
sylvania Department of
Agriculture who recorded the
initial research on area animals
following the 1979 incident, said the
abnormal births were never
brougth to his attention.
“She (Lee) hasn’t said anything
to us and never brought anything
,into the lab,” said Cable. “That’s
what our labs are for. ”
Cable, who also has a post
doctorate in radiation, admitted
that'there was a small amount of
iodine released in the atmosphere
from the nuclear plant.
“But the effects they’re claiming
just don’t fit in with the dosage.”
Meanwhile readers, we still have
to solve the case of the elusive
chopper. Lee said that she along
with several neighbors had noticed
an increase in helicopter traffic
about a month before the siting.
Since the soil sampling, Lee ex
plained the aerial traffic has
markedly declined.
Lee reported the helicopter to
State Representative Bruce Smith
(R York, Cumberland). Smith
said he was unable to locate the
source of the chopper.
•The state police, who operate
prairie grass, with ‘lnterstate’
sericea lespedeza.
“Furthermore, certain warm
season grasses grown on
reclaimed surface mined land can
be used to produce more hay and
supplement tall fescue and ‘ln
terstate’ sericea lespedeza.”
“Warm-season grasses perform
well because they grow under
intense sunlight on dry sites with
poor soil, and produce higher
yields than cooi-season grasses,
under the same harsh conditions,”
he said.
Gilbert concluded, “At a time
when our nation’s farm land is
being lost, it is encouraging to
Etters. jry farmer Jane Lee administers to the needs of a
premature Holstein calf. The heifer was born after
mysterious helicopter siting.
similar blue and white crafts were
informed of the incident.
“We've had at least six
inquiries,” said Cpl. Harold
Hartman. “It wasn’t our helicopter
and I honestly don’t know who it
was.”
Hartman explained that
following the initial 1979 TMI in
cident, the state police were called
to perform radiological monitoring
from the sky. Since then, said
Hartman, Met Ed has contracted
private companies for such
monitoring.
The Federal Aviation Authority
also turned up a big fat zero. FAA
Flight Service supervisor Ray
Fitton said that without the -
learn level land can be made that sufficient, a good spin off from
will add to our farmland base. As surface mining could be new
we become more energy self pastureland.”
(Continued from Page Al)
tion for farmers against export
embargoes, and programs for
agricultural research, extension
and teaching.
“All Americans are gripped
today by a painful recession. Our
agricultural producers feel the
sting of high interest rates and
inflation the same as any other
business man or woman.”
The President continued, “The
Agricultural and Food act of 1981
recognizes the importance of the
market place and emphasizes the
great export potential of American
agriculture.”
Reagan then turned to domestic
affairs and announced that 30
million pounds of surplus cheese,
purchased by the Commodity
Credit Corporation and stored
around the nation, will be
distributed to each • state. The
stales are responsible for re-
registration number from the
aircraft, the chopper would be
difficult to trace.
Gerry Laßoche, NRC en
vironmental engineer was also
questioned about the incident.
“We haven’t been able to locate
the source of the helicopter. We’ve
investigated every lead we can
think of,” said Laßoche.
Well readers, have you.solved
this confusing whodunit, yet? This
one may take some time. While
Jane Lee and several other in
terested persons continue to ask
questions, a chopper pilot sits
somewhere with a bag full of soil,
grinning like the cat that just ate
the canary.
Farm bill
distributing the cheese, valued al
$43 million, to non-profit
organizations that provide service
to low-income families and in
dividuals.
Pennsylvania Secretary of
Agriculture Penrose Hallowell
said, Tuesday, that Pennsylvania
is already distributing much
cheese through non-profit groups.
The state, however, will look for
ways to broaden the eligibility of
other such groups.
Many state groups now receiving
surplus dairy products are schools,
senior-citizen groups and low
mcome persons, explained
Hallowell.
Hallowell urged any
which may be eligible for tnr
surplus cheese program but is not
now receiving any surplus, to call
Pennsylvania Department ot
Agriculture Surplus Food
Program at 717-787-2940.