gp The Dallas Post Dallas, PA Wednesday, November 8, 2000 4 EDITORIALS. Dallas Borough raises suspicions with secrecy The kindest comment that can be made about the govern- ment in Dallas Borough of late is that there's plenty of room for improvement. Less kindly words might be chosen by recently dispatched personnel, the press, atleast a couple of members of the borough council, and the public, if there is anyone who cares about the state of their local government. From the standpoint of the public, the most egregious shortcoming is the unwillingness of officials, especially William Peiffer, the council president, to release the full text of the borough's latest audit. After a couple of weeks of badgering, a copy of the basic audit was grudgingly given to reporters, but not two key sections that would elaborate on the state of the borough's finances and the auditor's observations and recom- mendations about how the borough does its business, and how it might improve. The Dallas Post is continuing to press for release of those documents, which should have been included all along. This is, after all, about the people’s money and how it’s being “handled. Dallas Borough has done an admirable job in recent years of maintaining a reasonable tax rate while providing adequate services, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement. Equally important, the longer officials appear to be hiding something, the larger suspicions grow about hanky panky. Personnel matters haven't been handled much better. The borough council recently fired Sally Buttorff, who had been part-time clerk since February and had done a fine job, according to several people who saw her in action. Buttorff was replaced by a full-time borough manager even before the council determines how he will be paid. Council members disagree whether Buttorff was fired for cause or to save her salary, and even the order of business at the meeting where she was canned is confused, with the first motion being to fire her and the next to eliminate her position. Buttorff's termination followed the abrupt departure of the part-time borough man- ager, about which little has been discussed. Perhaps borough officials should be given some latitude on the manager/secretary issue, but there is no room for forgive- ness when it comes to the release of records that are clearly in the public domain, and are of interest to every taxpayer. Publisher's notebook | There are some things I just don’t talk about, things that I believe are no one’s business but my own. Many family matters fall into this category, and so does money. And I don’t usually tell anyone except my family and closest friends how I voted, but this year I've decided to make an exception. See if you can figure out who I pulled the lever for Tuesday by using these clues: * There are four letters in his last name. (Sorry, Ralph, you missed by one.) * He's a member of the “Baby Boom” generation, just like me. e He's in excellent health, and is often seen out for a run. * He comes from an established political family, and many observers think he is fulfilling his father’s destiny by seeking the highest office in the land. * His wife and daughters were often seen on the campaign trail. * He says he wants to cut taxes. e He wants to spend more on the military than we do now. * He supports tax incentives for conservation and new energy technologies. * He would continue moratoriums on oil and gas drilling off the coasts of Florida and California. e He says he'll save Social Security, but his plan doesn’t assure its survival for 75 years, the commonly accepted standard. Now, you may have your suspicions based on this list, but it’s a little confounding, since some items seem to apply to _ _ _ _ and some to __ _ _. But here's my little secret; the positions listed here were held by both candidates — at least until Tuesday — the difference was in the details. Perhaps the decision did come down to character after all, and that means I voted for the one who was honest, straightforward and clear about his life and his politics. Now you're really confused, I'll bet. a EE Your news is welcome The Dallas Post welcomes submissions about Back Mountain people and events. In order to plan each issue, we must adhere to self-imposed deadlines, as well as those of our printer. To have the greatest likelihood of publication, items should be received at our office by 4 p.m. the Friday prior to each issue. Items will be accepted until 4 p.m. Mondays, although much of the paper is already assembled by that time. Send or bring items to: The Dallas Post, 607 Main Road, P.O. Box 366, Dallas, PA 18612. Our normal business hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. A deposit box is located at the front of the building for after-hours submissions. The Dallas Post Published Weekly By Bartsen Media, Inc. P.O. Box 366, Dallas PA 18612 570-675-5211 Charlotte E. Bartizek ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER OFFICE MANAGER Ronald A. Bartizek PUBLISHER Ken Brocious Ly a ADVERTISING ACCT. EXEC Elizabeth Skrapits REPORTER Joanna Cease OFFICE/TYPIST/CLASSIFIEDS Ruth Proietto PRODUCTION MANAGER 71 PRINTED WITH PENNSYLVANIA Wheelbarrow silhouette at Huntsville Nursery. Photo by Charlotte Bartizek. What's on the Horizon? Rick Koval This is a monthly column writ- ten by members of the North Branch Land Trust, which is head- quartered in Trucksville. Anyone with a profound inter- est in observing wildlife undoubt- edly makes it a point to revisit that favorite place. The size of these unique habitats can be small backyard bird feeders and butter- fly gardens to the larger city parks and State Game Lands. Depend- ing on the diversity, these habi- tats can support various num- bers of plant and animal species. During the past 10 years of conducting wildlife inventories, I would have to say the area known as Bear Hollow Road offers the most bio-diversity. I was intro- duced to Bear Hollow Road by my ~ best friend and birding partner Jim Hoyson. This area is referred by the Wyoming Valley Audubon Society as a “must visit hotspot.” Many Audubon Society bird walks and wildflower tours begin at Bear Hollow Road. : Bear Hollow Road is located in Lake Township about one-half mile northeast of Loyalville. The mile long dirt road is paralleled by mixed forest transitions. The southern end travels through narrow old farm fields that are in the regeneration process. Vari- Library news Carol King Amnesty Week Martha Butler announces that next week, Nov. 13-18, is Amnesty Week. You are urged to return any and all over- due library items. No late fee will be charged! National Children’s Book Week Come to visit the children’s library during National Children’s Book Week, Nov. 13-18. The theme is “Fuel Your Mind.” Stop at Mrs, Rudolph’s desk and pick up a crossword puzzle based on the Caldecott Gold Medal books — solve it and win a book! New software programs This past summer the library received a grant from the Bill Gates Foun- dation, which included four work- stations with Internet Access and (+) Local 'hotspot' for watching nature ous species of native and alien shrubs like American Dogwood, Serviceberry and Lilac are inter- mixed with goldenrod and grasses that provide thick habitat. North- ward intersects a dark canopy of intermediate sized Eastern Hem- locks, which shadow the road. The cooling capacity of these co- nifers is most noticeable during the hottest days of summer. The temperature is as much as 15 degrees cooler in this section of forest. The final two-thirds of the road is guarded by gentle hill- sides of mixed hardwoods like American Beach and Red Oak. A slow moving stream located on the west side runs the entire length. Several vernal ponds and sphagnum wetlands occur within this riparian forest. Three springs are found on the east side on the road. The land on both sides of the road is privately owned by several parties. From a naturalist’'s perspec- tive, Bear Hollow Road is a cornu- copia of wildlife. I have recorded 104 species of birds that either nest or migrate through Bear Hollow Road. Uncommon birds of Luzerne County that nest along or near Bear Hollow Road are: Great Blue Heron, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, three species of owls, Red-bellied Sapsucker, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Winter Wren, Brown Thrasher, Blue-headed Vireo, Northern Water thrush, Yellow- rumped Warbler, Dark-eyed Junco and Purple Finch. I have found evidence of 30 species of mammals that during some part of the year utilize Bear Hollow Road. Several unique spe- Amnesty week is Nov. 13-18 : several software programs. The programs include: World English Dictiorrary 2000, Encarta Ency- clopedia, Encarta Africana 2000, World Atlas 2000, and Streets and Trips 2000. POWER Access, a statewide-sponsored online ref- erence resource, is available to library patrons and includes: Ebsco Magazine database (like Infotrac, only full-text), Sirs Dis- coverer, a research tool for el- ementary and middle school stu- dents; the Grolier Encyclopedia, and Accunet-AP Photo Archive, an extensive collection of news- paper photos. The staff is available to assist you with any of the library’s com- puter programs, the Internet, and online resources. Holiday hours and Open House The library will be closed on Thanksgiving Day; on Satur- day, December 23, and on Christ- mas Day; and on Saturday, De- cember 30 and New Year's Day. You are cordially invited to drop in to enjoy refreshments at the library's Holiday Open House on cies include Star-nosed Mole, Red Bat, Woodland Jumping Mouse, Eastern Coyote, Black Bear and Mink. The small pockets of sunny openings that heat sections of the road are reliable locations to find butterflies like Eastern Comma, Question Mark, Mourning Cloak, Milbert’'s Tortoiseshell and Wood Nymph. The grassy meadows on the southern end provide habitat for many more species of butter- flies. Wildflowers abound through- out the year. During the cold month of February one can ob- serve Skunk Cabbage in bloom near the spring seeps. Early spring wildflowers include Colt's Foot, Hepatica, Spring Beauty and Trail- ing Arbutus and Trillium species. A splattering of yellow clusters enlighten the shady creek when Marsh Marigold comes into bloom. Summer brings blooms of Day- lily, Panicled Hawkweed, Black- eyed Susan and Wild Bergamot. The fall offers plumes of Sweet Goldenrod, Woodland Sunflower and New England Aster. Uncom- mon wildflowers located here are: Blue Lettuce, Cardinal Flower, Turtlehead, Lowrie’s - Aster, Fringed Loosestrife and three spe- cies of Orchid which includes the rare Purple-fringed Orchid, cur- rently found in only two locations in Luzerne County. The cool moist understory is most suitable for the Reptiles and Amphibians (collectively "herptiles”). 1 have recorded twenty-five species of herptiles to the Pennsylvania Herpetological» Atlas Project. In fact, of the thir- teen possible species of sala- Tuesday, December 19, and Wednesday, from'1 to 4 p.m. Book discussion group The Monday morning group discussed Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone atits recent meeting, Allwe really need to say is that we fell under its spell, like millions of other people. The overwhelm- ingly positive vote (nine 10s, the rest 9s, for an average of 9.7 out of 10) resulted partly, I think, from our pleasant surprise (astonish- ment?) at finding the book so en- joyable. The group felt the book was moral (not “on the dark side”), a mirror of life, and, above all, imaginative and charming. In talking subsequently to cousins in IN, UT and CA, I have learned that adults everywhere are decid- ing that the Harry Potter books are not just for kids. Citrus fruit sale deadline: November 20 November 20 is the deadline for getting your orders for citrus fruit in to the library. This is one of the Friends’ best fund-raisers for the library, so please order now! Look for an manders that can be found in Luzerne County, eleven species occur along Bear Hollow Road. I have found all eleven species in a fifty-foot section of suitable habi- tat! While assisting in field stud- ies with world-renowned her tologist Dr. Michael Klemmons, he indicated that this area has the largest biomass of sala- manders that he has observed anywhere, especially the Moun- tain Dusky Salamander! Bear Hollow Road has one of Pennsylvania's largest breeding sites of the very rare Jefferson Salamander. Along with Jeffers Salamander, other uncommd®® species I have documented in- clude Long-tail Salamander, Smooth Green Snake and Red- bellied Snake. This past summer I observed thousands of Wood Frog tadpoles in the process of metamorphism swimming in the vernal pools. The region known as Bear Hol- low Road is truly unique and cer- tainly needs to be preserved “P protected from disturbance ar pollution. At least for now it re- mains in a natural state. Let's help keep it this way. I would encourage any. nature oriented person to visit this area and ob- serve from the roadway. You will truly enjoy your experience. Rick Koval is a volunteer for the North Branch Land Trust. He rg sides in Plains. He participates tn a wide variety bird counts and animal and plant surveys within Northeast PA. Rick is also a con- sultant for public agencies and private individuals. & order blank on page 11. New display The collection of white ironstone and a few copper luster pieces now on display be- longs to Joyce Hislop and her husband Richard. Natives of Dallas, they are antique dealers and members of the Pennsylvania Antique Dealers Association, of which Richard is president. Thigh have been collecting white iron- stone for.«about. 9 years.” The pieces on display range from 100 to 150 years old, but the ware had been made centuries before that. ‘English potters decided to sell white ironstone to New World set- tlers when they were just setting up their homes, loading it on ships from England as ballast. Joyce - says they were very shrewd in their choice of the “Ceres” paid) tern, incorporating images of wheat and corn. The ware was sturdy and did not chip easily, and the pattern became very popu- lar in the American market. Be sure to look at this interest- ing display the next time you're in the library. Send The Post to a friend. It makes a great gift. Call 675-5211 for details. 7
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers