Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - May/June 2020 - 25

NOTES from theStreams
he noticed the orange indicator on
the ground. He thanked us, and said
he thought he noticed the indicator
flying in the wind. We all laughed
at the irony of the encounter and
continued on our ways. As we drove
away, I said to WCO Kephart, "Only
on the opening day of trout would
you see that happen."-WCO Rachael
Thurner-Diaz, Adams and western
York counties.

Facial recognition

One in custody

As a WCO, I have made many
arrests for Boating Under the
Influence (BUI), Driving Under the
Influence, dangerous felons with
outstanding warrants, and drug
offenses. One summer, however, I
assisted with taking one subject into
custody that I had not previously
encountered. When I pulled into
our marina to get the patrol boat
ready for a busy summer weekend
on the Three Rivers, the Police
Dispatcher keyed up the radio and
called out, "Are there any Fish & Boat
Commission Officers in service?"
I responded with my call sign and
that I was available. She responded,
"Pittsburgh Police requesting your

assistance at the 18th Street Boat
Ramp." I did not hear the nature
of the call, as the 18th Street Boat
Ramp is in a different patrol zone
and on a different radio channel than
the police zone our marina is in. I
acknowledged the request and made
my way to the boat ramp to provide
assistance. My initial assumption
was that I was being dispatched to
a boating accident or BUI. The call
turned out to be one of the more
unusual ones of the summer.
As I arrived on location, several
Pittsburgh officers quickly brought
me up to speed with the nature
of the call. A family was fishing
near the boat ramp and spotted
an alligator in the river. The gator
was hiding under a tree near the
ramp. Since alligators are not a
native species to Pennsylvania, their
capture and safe handling was not
something that was covered in our
curriculum during the cadet training
program. Fortunately, Pittsburgh
Animal Control arrived on location
shortly after I did. After several
minutes, and a team effort, we were
able to safely capture the alligator
and take it into custody.
Crocodile Dundee would have
been proud. The alligator was treated
by Humane Animal Rescue and
later turned over to a wildlife refuge
to live out its life.-WCO Matthew
Raetsch, western Allegheny County.
photo-courtesy of WCO Matthew Raetsch

While on boat patrol at Chambers
Lake, Chester County, a designated
panfish enhancement lake, I was
beckoned by a kayak angler. This was
his first time fishing Chambers Lake,
so he asked me if I knew the best
areas to fish and what species of fish
he could expect to catch at the lake.
I often fish Chambers Lake, so I am
familiar with the depth and structure
in the lake. I pointed out the various
coves and fallen trees where he may
have the most luck and explained
what kinds of fish he may catch, along
with the best baits and techniques to
catch these fish. He thanked me for
the information. As we shook hands,
I said to the angler, "You are welcome,
Tom," telling him my name. He looked
at me with surprise and said, "How
did you know my name was Tom?" I
replied that I did not know his name
was Tom, but my name was Tom. He
laughed and said that he assumed I
must have something on board the
boat that identifies people as WCOs
approach or talk with anglers and
boaters. At the time, my usual patrol
boat was having engine issues, so I
was utilizing a 14-foot aluminum row
boat with a 9.9 horsepower Evinrude
outboard tiller motor. I pointed at the
boat, chuckled, and told the angler
we were not that technologically
advanced yet to equip our boats
with facial recognition equipment
or software.-WCO Thomas E.
Benevento, Southern Chester County.

merganser gracefully glided into
the large pool on the creek. Within
a few seconds, the merganser made
several dives into the deep pool.
After its fourth dive, the merganser
surfaced with a trout, swam to a
large boulder across the stream, and
devoured the fish. With the warm
sunlight shining on the merganser, it
groomed itself, almost showing off as
if to say, "Catch me if you can." Then,
within a few seconds, the merganser
took off upstream. I never did see
if it had a license.-WCO Walter A.
Buckman, Lackawanna, Wayne, and
Susquehanna counties.

Catch me if you can

After a trout stocking, I decided to
observe the activity at a well-stocked
creek. As I sat patiently, a female
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