6 The Dallas Post Dallas, PA Thursday,May 30, 2002 EDITORIAL Teenagers lead the way with public safety efforts Two teenagers have stepped into the forefront of public safety in the Back Mountain in recent weeks, and they rep- resent a much larger group of young people who are con- cerned about big issues, even if they don't express them openly. Angelo Georgetti and Dan Piccilo know firsthand about life and death, and both have taken action that might save local families from heartbreak. Angelo’s father, Larry, a beloved figure in youth sports and the schools, died unexpectedly of a heart attack nearly two years ago. In response, the Lake- Lehman senior has organized a benefit golf tournament that will raise funds to purchase a automated external defibrilla- tor for the Lehman Ambulance and Fire Company, which serves his hometown. Angelo says there's no way to tell if the device might have saved his father’s life, but there’s a good chance it will save others. As a volunteer Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Dan Piccilo has seen the results of reckless, careless or impaired driving and he wanted to give his classmates at Dallas High School a clearer view of what can happen to anyone who dis- obeys the rules of the road. He organized a demonstration last week at the school complete with ambulance personnel, a medical helicopter and two “victims,” one of whom did not survive a mock two-vehicle crash. Judging by the expres- sions on students’ faces, he made his point. These are just two examples of young people who are mak- ing a positive difference in the community. If you'd like to help them, call 675-6462 to participate in the golf tourna- ment, or any local fire and ambulance department to investi- gate volunteer opportunities. Publisher’s Notebook Ron Bartizek An article in last Friday's New York Times raised deeply troubling questions about tactics used by television net- works desperate for advertising dollars. It seems that NBC has been selling segments on its show, “The Other Half,” to companies like Clorox, Hyundai and others, with the only disclosure coming in the closing credits under the terms, “Promotional consideration provided by . .” In one instance, the hosts, Dick Clark, Danny Bonaduce and Mario Lopez, competed against members of the audience in a make-be- lieve game show about housekeeping. Sounds like Clorox got its money’s worth on that one. You can imagine how shocking this revelation was to those of us accustomed to the time-honored tradition of separating the news and advertising sides of the media business, such “as Knight Ridder Incorporated, publisher of The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Miami Herald and other high-quality newspa- pers nationwide. We are committed to maintaining our credi- bility by building a solid divider between departments, much like an Allan Block wall, available at fine distributors in your area. I think it's totally unfair for the network to take such an underhanded approach to raising ad revenue. They should . show more respect for an audience that is accustomed to = such sophisticated fare as “Pajama Streetware Fashions.” Imagine replacing that sort of programming with car-buying tips from your favorite Hyundai pitchman. This is almost as reprehensible as the non-too-stealthy placement of sponsors’ merchandise in the “Survivor” series, or a deal between Wendy's and the producer of Rosie O’'Donnell’'s show to have her eat a Wendy's salad — or two, or three — on stage. No, you-won't find this newspaper engaging in slippery tac- tics such as this. We'll maintain a secure grip on integrity with a little help from Tacky Finger fingertip moistener, or Acco Swingline rubber fingertips This high standard also applies to our photographs, which are taken with an Olympus digital camera, great for outdoor or indoor use under all lighting conditions. And while some newspapers and magazines have been known to alter photos, we won't put our versatile, easy-to-use Adobe Photoshop software to such nefarious uses. If you still doubt our integrity, you can check with the Bet- ter Business Bureau, a highly respected organization that keeps tabs on commercial entities across the U.S. They charge a membership fee. Share your opinion Letters to the editor are welcome and will be published, subject to the following guidelines: * Letters should not exceed 500 words. * No writer may have more than one letter published during a 30- day period, except as a reply to another letter. * Letters must be signed and include the writer's home town and a telephone number for verification. e Names will be withheld only if there exists a clear threat to the writer. » The Post retains the right to accept or reject any letter, and to edit letters for grammar and spelling, as well as to eliminate any libel, slander or objectionable wording. In addition to letters, we welcome longer pieces that may run as columns. The author or subject's relevance to the Back Mountain will be the prime consideration when selecting material for publication. The Dallas Post TIMESeLEADER P.O. BOX 366, DALLAGPA 18612 * 570-675-5211 Ronald Bartizek GENERAL MANAGER William J. Dunn Jr. ADVERTISING ACCT. EXEC. Timothy J. Raub REPORTER Ruth Proietto AD PRODUCTION MANAGER Terry Quinn PAGE DESIGN Darlene Sorber : OFFICE MANAGER Silent tribute to fallen heroes. Photo by Ron Bartizek. ES Students say thanks for food drive support Editor, We are currently, juniors at Lake-Lehman High School, Lehman. In order to, fulfill .our senior requirements, we chose Luzerne County Head Start, Inc. and the service project, National Association of Letters Carriers Food Drive. On behalf of the children, families, and staff, of Luzerne County Head Start, Inc., we would like to extend our gratitude to the local letter carri- ers of the United States Postal Service for the collection and de- livery of food to LCHS during the National Letter Carrier's Food Drive held on May 11. What's on the Horizon? Sarah P. Carr Seven hundred and fifty ever- green seedlings are only the be- ginning of veterinarian Doug Ay- ers’ plans for his Noxen farm. He's planting them this spring to provide wildlife shelter and ero- sion control, secure in the knowledge that no future owner of the farm will ever bulldoze them to build houses on the land that borders Bowman's Creek as it runs down from North Mountain through Noxen toward the Susquehanna River. On December 31, 2001, he gave the North Branch Land Trust a conservation easement on the entire 123-acre property that will forever limit develop- ment and encourage projects to improve the land. The property is nearly surrounded by thou- sands of acres of Gamelands 57. Part of it is flat pasture land in a wide bend of the creek; across the dirt road are steep slopes thick with hickory, maple, and immense oak trees. An open hillside holds Doug's small or- chard of apple trees — many of which he grafted himself — as well as the grave of his father, Dr. Donald Ayers, a conservative Republican environmentalist (no, that’s not necessarily an oxymoron) who died this past winter and who loved the wild lands as much as Doug does. The land shelters a wide vari- ety of wildlife, from the rare and - Luzerne and: : We received a colossal amount of food, which was distributed to the families of children enrolled in Head Start and Baty | Head Start pr . i This was Letter Carriers and the generosi- ty of the people of the Wyoming Valley. Thank you to all the Head Start volunteers, staff, stu- dent volunteers form Lake- Lehman High school, and the Harvey's Lake community, whose efforts helped in the mas- sive chore of receiving the food and in turn, delivering to those in need. cal We also would like to thank the Commission on Economic Opportunity for coordinating lo- efforts to “stamp out ger.” We also would like to take this opportunity to thank, : Qo coaiont cop iin (Onde lly Lyons, Social Service. the dedication and hard work of pecialist at L.C.H.S. for all of her guidance during our project. It was a pleasure and honor to work with all of the organiza- tions involved with our senior project. Andrew and Christopher Coombs Lake-Lehman High School Luzerne County Head Start, Inc. Noxen farm preserved forever elusive fisher to deer, bear, coy- ote, and turkey. There are native brook trout in Bowman's Creek, and many species of amphibians in the wetland areas near the creek. The Noxen farm is just a tiny addition to the 6.3 million acres of land in the United States currently protected by conservation easements held by some 1,400 land trusts/conser- vancies. The Nature Conservan- cy has also protected approxi- mately 12 million acres. The to- tal acreage now protected is larger than the combined areas of Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Rhode Is- land! This is the largest single ease- ment that NBLT has accepted, and brings its total of preserved land to nearly 400 acres. Our land projects have the potential to bring the local total to 10,000 acres in the next year or two. There is no such thing as a “standard” easement; each one is carefully worked out by the landowner and the land trust staff so that its terms fit the landowner’s wishes for the prop- erty. The document sets forth the reasons why the property is worthy of protection, identifies what is currently on the proper- ty (buildings, water sources, plant and animal species, etc.), and specifies what may or may not be done to the property in the future. The easement docu- ment is signed by the landown- er(s) and the land trust officers, and is then filed and indexed in the county Recorder of Deeds of- fice. Supporting documentation — species lists, photographs of boundary markers, buildings, and natural features, etc. may or may not be filed with the document. Properties are monitored regu- larly by the easement holder's staff to make sure that the ease- ment’s terms are not being vio- lated. The current farmhouses, post-and-beam barn, and other outbuildings on the Ayers farm will remain, and may be re- placed if they are destroyed. The easement permits two additional building sites. The uses of the remainder of the property depend upon its nature. The easement's empha- sis is on protection and en- hancement of native species; for example, activity in wet areas is limited to projects such as im- provement of habitat for trout or native plant communities. Doug originally intended to forbid tim- ber clear-cutting, but changed his mind when he learned that seedlings of black cherry, which he wants to regenerate, will grow only in a cleared area where they receive full sunlight. Any logging for commercial sale must be done under a plan developed by a professional forester. Farm- ing activities need soil conserva- tion plans based upon stan- dards of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) or the Penn State Agricultural Ex- tension. The easement atiinowledss the tangible benefits of land preservation, like preserving forested open space in the Susquehanna River watershed to protect drinking-water sources. It also recognizes the intangibles, like the pleasure that passers-by heading for the trails up through the gamelands toward Mountain Springs and Ricketts' Glen will take from the sight of a well-kept farm and un- broken woodlands. - The value of Doug's farm. is See HORIZON, pg 7 ONLY YESTERDAY 70 Years Ago -May 27, 1932 NEW AMERICAN STORE AT HARVEYS LAKE For convenience of residents of Harveys Lake and vicinity, American Stores, Co., has opened a new and up-to-date branch stoe with all equipment and services to csre for Lake pa- tronage. Some of the tems you could get at A & P stores were: butter, 3 lbs., 59¢; cigarettes, carton $1.25; potatoes, 6 lbs, 29¢; hams, half Ib., 13¢; tomato soup 3 cans, 19¢. Kingston township school board, at a special meeting adopted the budget for the school year of 1932-93 and namd the high school teachers, all being reappointed. Edwin Hay was elected treasurer at $400 per year. 60 Years Ago - May 29, 1942 RECORD LEHMAN CLASS OF 41 TO GRADUATE A graduating class of 41- largest in the history of the school-will participate in Com- mencement exercises at Lehman Township. Valedictorian of the calsss is Martha Hadsel. The Lake Township High School graduating classs will hold its Commencement pro- gram, with diplomas going to 18 students. A five-room frame dwelling, lo- cated on a farm near Beaumont, burned to the ground. The ¢ 4 house, owned by Walter Der- hammer of Alderson, was unoc- cupied for the past several years. 50 Years Ago - June 6, 1952 AREA FAILS TO MEET ITS CANCER DRIVE QUOTA The Back Mountain Region has fallen short of its quota in the current Cant ve. Even with an extension of the campaign's closing date, the area has contirbuted less than $1,000 according to Mrs. Harry Ohlman, chairman. Commonwealth Telephone Company announced that all numbers at Harveys Lake will be changed to enable subscribers to dial Dallas numbers. William Roger Oney, son of Mr. and Mrs. Amos Oney, of Shavertown, was chosen Boy of the Month at Westmoreland High School. Bill was honored at the Dallas Rotary dinner at Irem Country Club. 40 Years Ago - May 31, 1962 BACK MOUNTAIN BASEBALL FOR BOYS OPENS SEASON Opening ceremonies for Back Mountain Baseball for Boys was held at the Little League Field in Dallas. Clinton Brobst, head basketball coach at Dallas Se- nior High school was speaker. John Miliauskas, director of Lake-Lejman High School Band, will direct. a Back Mountain Community Band to be spon- sored by Back Mountain Memor- ial Liberary. Sister Mary Augustine, the former Mary Kern, daughter of Mrs. Marion A. Kern and the late Ediwn Kern of Idetown, is doing work for retarded children at the Benedictine school in denton, Maryland. 30 Years Ago - June 8, 1972 OPPOSITION VOICED TO WATER AUTHORITY PLAN An “quietly angry” crowd of over 600 Back Mountain resi- dents banded together to form a Back Mountain Taxpayers Asso- ciation, with the objective of protesting the formation of an area water authority. | Hanson's Park,could possibly be closed all sumer due to litiga- tion which stems from a family dispute. Organizations and clubs have been adivsed to seek reservaitons elsewhere. ; Steve Asby of Shvertown is the altest of an ever-increasing number of Back Mountain chil- dren to join the ranks of news See YESTERDAY, pg 7 | | Po 1] r ETRE % 0
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers