Sep 26, 2015 4 min read

As I wrote last week, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources held a meeting at West Greene High School in regard to the situation at Ryerson Station State Park.

Since I am friends with the park ranger, Alan Johnson, I attended and offered my opinions. Most of the offerings from the audience pertained to fixing and refilling of the lake.

But the decision to not refill the lake was made and it will not be refilled in my lifetime. The real question to look at is, what to do with the park?

Usually, plans are made for a project and then funding is sought. In the case of Ryerson, the funding is already there but decisions need to be made about how to spend the money.

The DCNR held the meeting to look for suggestions. Most of the suggestions were what one might expect.

A new body of water in the form of a smaller lake or pond should be built. A lake around 19 acres would suffice, which is nothing more than a large farm pond.

I am sure such a pond could be done without the threat of a catastrophe. Some sort of fishing should be available.

With that in mind, it wouldn’t hurt to improve Dunkard Fork, which feeds, or should I say fed, the lake.

Improved hiking trails should be built, taking into consideration they could be utilized by schools, church groups and the general public. Such trails could be used as nature walks. Perhaps benches could be strategically located, creating rest stops for the elderly.

Other things mentioned include a place for ice skating and an archery range. Johnson is an expert in archery and could lead the push for such a range. A baseball field would be nice, as would a place for volleyball.

I had a suggestion for something I hadn’t heard mentioned before. I would put a high priority on building a pavilion or outdoor stage where local entertainers could perform. It needn’t be large -maybe about 100 seats – and if it drew a larger crowd, visitors could simply spread a blanket and sit on the ground.

Entertainment needn’t be high-priced or even well-known. It also could be used at times as a money raiser or for guest speakers.

Even meetings such as the one we were attending could be held at such an amphitheater. There once was such a set-up in southeastern Washington County on private property and it drew crowds as large as 250 people.

Unfortunately, the property was sold and that ended the music.

It sure would help the general population in just giving young people something to do. Hey, maybe it could be named George Block Amphitheater.

As I look at the suggestions, I would place the pond high on the priority list, then the hiking trails, stream improvement and, my idea, the amphitheater.

Of course, I don’t live in Greene County but do have friends who do and I have no doubt the people of this rural county in the southwest corner of the state got a raw deal when Duke Lake was destroyed.

My advice to those who are interested in the park? First and foremost, they have great leadership in Johnson. There isn’t a park manager in the state better or more dedicated to any project. Secondly, shoot for the moon and seek to end up with the best state park in Pennsylvania.

• I’ll probably attend the gun show at Washington County Fairgrounds both Saturday and Sunday.

While I probably won’t buy a rifle, I will be looking for a target mount base for a Winchester rifle. This is the base that is used in conjunction with Unertl and Lyman scopes.

If you have one to sell bring it to the show and I will hope to connect with you.

• My good friend Bobby Rogers of Ruff Creek caught a 13-pound, 6-ounce walleye fishing the Monongahela River last week. There’s a good chance that will be the biggest walleye caught in the state this year. Last year’s biggest walleye caught in the state was 12 pounds, 12.5 ounces.

George H. Block writes a Sunday Outdoors column for the Observer-Reporter.