May 17, 2014 4 min read

The Washington County Planning Commission is asking citizens for input on long-range plans for Cross Creek and Mingo Creek county parks.

One of the proposals is for a beach at Cross Creek Lake.

Mark me down for a “no.”

I’m not against beaches, mind you. But I am against having one at a lake that is one of the few fishing resources in the area.

And that’s not the only reason. In fact, there are many.

First and foremost, this being Western Pennsylvania, spending millions to put a beach at Cross Creek would seem like a significant waste of money. If you’ve been to other lakes in the state with beaches, they have one thing in common. They sit empty for about 85 percent of the year.

Sure, there are exceptions, but most beaches at small, inland, freshwater lakes are a waste of money and the energy needed for upkeep.

Think about what’s needed to develop and maintain a beach area. Because of large grassy areas that usually surround inland beaches, they often draw plenty of localized Canada geese, which in turn, leave behind reminders of their presence.

It just wouldn’t be worth the potential pricetag.

As for some of the other ideas, they’re great.

Improvements to existing trails around the lake are needed. And a wetland boardwalk would be great for those with small children who wish to explore nature without worrying about the little ones getting too close to the action.

So too, are the primitive camping area and much-needed improvements to the parking lot and boat launch.

The county is conducting a survey on its web site, www.wacountyparksplans.com, until the final plan is due June 13.

Observer-Reporter earlier this week, “I don’t want you to write that we’re building a beach, because we’re not.”

There are plenty of public pools in Washington and Greene counties. What we don’t have are a lot of good, fishable waters. Cross Creek might be the crown jewel. When you carve a jewel in pieces, you don’t typically increase its value.

• Here’s betting there are a lot of frustrated turkey hunters out there after the first couple of weeks of spring gobbler season.

We seemingly went from having no leaves on trees to everything being in full bloom and six-foot high in a period of a week-and-a-half thanks to the heavy rains we’ve had in the past two weeks.

Hopefully, most of the turkey haven’t begun nesting just yet. Heavy rains and a good reproduction year just don’t mix.

• The Pennsylvania Game Commission named Jack Lucas the Southwest Regional Land Management Supervisor and Patrick Sickles as the Region Wildlife Education Supervisor.

Pennsylvania Game Commission Southwest Region Director Pat Anderson today announced the promotion of Jack Lucas to Region Land Management Supervisor (LMS) and Patrick Snickles to Region Wildlife Education Supervisor.

Lucas will oversee the ongoing habitat work and related management issues on the more than 200,000 acres of State Game Lands and more than 750,000 acres enrolled in the agency’s cooperative Hunter Access program within the 10-county region.

Snickles will be responsible for all wildlife education activities within the region and coordinating Youth Field Days. He will be working closely with the many school districts and educators within the region to develop and implement wildlife and environmental education curriculum and programs in the classroom.

Outdoors Editor F. Dale Lolley can be reached at dlolley@observer-reporter.com.