Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - July/August 2022 - 17

NOTES
Honored
During the trout stocking
season, Waterways Conservation
Officers (WCOs) travel thousands
of miles a month to make sure all
the stocked trout waters are ready
for Pennsylvania's Opening Day
of Trout. With multiple trucks of
trout and traffic concerns on local
streams, many WCOs help cover
multiple counties.
I was assigned to cover a trout
stocking in the spring of 2021 in
Cameron County. I was unfamiliar
with this particular section of stream.
I arrived at the meeting location
and met a retired Pennsylvania Fish
and Boat Commission employee
with extensive knowledge of the
water being stocked and the
stocking locations.
At our first stocking point, I
was approached by an angler who
politely asked about stocking fish at
a particular location downstream.
He explained that it is his favorite
place to fish. The angler explained
that he lives with medical conditions
that limits his mobility, but this spot
is easily accessible for him. I was not
sure if we would be stocking this
location but told him I would find
out and let him know.
We decided to make sure to
stock this location. As we exited
our vehicles to begin stocking fish, I
was again approached by the angler,
who had a big smile on his face. He
repeatedly thanked me for stocking
his favorite spot. I noticed he was
wearing a pin from the United States
Army 1st Calvary Division. He told
me that he served in the 1st Calvary
in Vietnam, and he showed me the
medals he received in Vietnam,
which included a Purple Heart. The
angler also shared with me that his
current medical conditions were a
result of his time spent in Vietnam.
I thanked the angler for his service
to his country and for sharing some of
his story with me. I thought back at the
smile on his face and how thankful he
was that we were stocking his favorite
fishing spot. I felt honored to make
this angler's day as a small token of
appreciation for the selfless service he
made for his country.-WCO Gregory
R. Kraynak, Centre County.
Just holding the fish
At Lake Greeley, Pike County, I
encountered two men fishing from the
docks. I approached the anglers, asked
about the fishing, and requested to see
their fishing licenses. As one of the
men went back to the car to search for
his fishing license, I looked in a bucket
he had at the end of the dock. The
bucket contained six under minimum
length pickerel. The angler said he was
keeping them in the bucket while he
continued to fish so he did not recatch
them when attempting to hook a
legal-sized pickerel. I let him know
that temporarily holding onto the fish
that were below the size requirement
was not how this worked, and he
would be receiving a citation. The
fish survived being in the bucket and
were released back into the lake.-
WCO Emily R. Borger, Northern
Wallenpaupack District.
New reptile discovery
One evening in June, a fellow
WCO and I were patrolling Long Arm
Reservoir, York County. The lake has
parking areas and a boat launch, but
these access areas are closed daily
from 9:00 p.m. - 5:00 a.m. When
finishing patrolling for the evening,
we made our rounds at each access
area to ensure that there were no
vehicles or persons in the areas after
hours. The last access area is located
at the top of the reservoir with elderly
and handicap parking access. After
ensuring that no one was in the
parking area, we exited the parking
lot. As I reached the road, I heard
my fellow WCO over the radio. He
exclaimed, " Get back here, something
just crossed the parking lot! " I laughed
and asked, " What is it? " He answered,
" Some kind of lizard. "
I parked my truck and started
illustration-Andrea Feeney
walking back to his vehicle. He got
out and said that it crossed in front
of his truck and ran into the bushes. I
searched the bushes, found the lizard,
and removed it from the bushes. The
other officer said that it must be a new
species of lizard, because he had never
seen one like it before. Before I could
say anything, I broke into laughter
then said, " Are you kidding me? It's a
gecko you buy at a pet store. " Before
trying to explain to him in more detail,
I emptied my lunch box and placed the
gecko in it. I then searched the internet
for leopard gecko on my phone to
show the officer. He laughed, and we
concluded that someone must have let
the gecko go. Because it is not a native
species to Pennsylvania and would
not survive the colder months ahead,
I took the gecko home. Even though
my husband loves reptiles and wanted
to keep the gecko, we were able to find
a good home for the gecko in a few
days.-WCO Rachael L. Thurner-Diaz,
Adams and western York counties.
July/August 2022
17
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - July/August 2022

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