Winter Carnival boasts sled races, scavenger hunts

TAFTON — Tanglwood Ski Area will host its eighth annual Winter Carnival on Saturday, March 2, with outdoor activities and a chicken barbecue from 12:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m.

Activities will include face painting, a scavenger hunt for the little ones, a big air contest in the terrain park, the sloppy slalom, the messy pasta contest and the wacky sled race. Winners will be awarded certificates at a ceremony at 4:00 p.m.

For all aspiring racers, a course will be set up on the wildcat trail. Race coaches will be on site to offer tips.

Music and complimentary ice cream floats will be available throughout the afternoon.

A DJ will be available for your listening pleasure during the outdoor activities, and strolling entertainers. Live entertainment will be held in the Apres Ski Lounge with Scott Erickson from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m.

Woodloch staffers learn ice safety

HAWLEY — Woodloch Pines Resort recently held an Emergency Ice Rescue class at Lake Teedyuskung. Such rescue and safety classes are important at this time of the year as the thick layers of lake ice melt and become unstable.

Twenty Woodloch Pines employees braved the frigid temperature of Lake Teedyuskung and obtained certification as Ice Rescue Technicians. Timothy Allen, Joe Roegner, William Miller, Mark Dulay, Bob Campen, John Vander Wiele, Lori Armstrong, Rodney Branning Jr., James Mould, John Taninies, Dave Neenan, Victor DaGraca, John Galizia, Dennis Hiller, Brett Laabs, John Peltonen, Paul Russel and Herbert Weaver will be awarded the certification through Dive Rescue International, an internationally recognized organization. Jeff Chorba and Tony Sanseverino were awarded the Ice Awareness Certificate.

The class was comprised of eight hours of classroom training, in-water demonstrations, written tests and a live rescue. Class learned how to reach and rescue victims with equipment such as Stern Ice Rescue Suits, ice rescue caribiners, ice anchor screws and hundreds of feet of rope.

Park pass vehicle stickers available

REGION — Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area will begin the sale of 2002 annual pass vehicle stickers this week. The pass permits access to all park fee areas for the calendar year.

Pass sales will begin at park headquarters on River Road and at the Kittatinny Point Visitor Center on Route 80 in New Jersey.

All park visitor use fees for this year, including the annual pass, will remain the same as last year. Daily fees will be $5 per day per vehicle on weekdays and $7 per day per vehicle on weekends and holidays. These rates apply to those vehicles carrying seven or fewer people. Vehicles with eight or more occupants will be charged the rate of $1 per person.

The annual pass, which sells for $40, will be honored at all park sites at which fees are collected, providing that room is available. A second annual pass for a vehicle registered at the same address and in the same name can be obtained for $20.

Fees will be collected at the same areas this year— Smithfield Beach, Bushkill Boat Launch, Dingmans Boat Launch, Milford Beach and Boat Launch, Watergate Recreation Site and Depew Recreation Site—on dates to be announced later.

Golden Age or Golden Access passports can be obtained at any time and will entitle holders to discounts.

NPS plans to squelch knotweed growth

UPPER DELAWARE — The Japanese Knotweed is a very aggressive species of an herbaceous perennial plant, which is a non-native, and has been known to crowd out all other vegetation.

The plant, which has become abundant along the banks of the Delaware, especially in Lackawaxen, is difficult to control due to its vigorous roots that form a dense mat. This makes it difficult to control in a river area.

Lackawaxen has had the opportunity during last summer to serve as host for the first Japanese Knotweed study plot in the Upper Delaware River area. Approximately one sixth of an acre of knotweed in front of the Zane Grey Museum was chosen for the study, conducted by the National Park Service.

Water-soluble herbicides, such as “Rodeo,” were used as a foliar spray to destroy the plant during the study. Such approaches to the control of the plant are used to determine which techniques will be most effective in controlling knotweed in the Upper Delaware River region.

Research will continue through the April through August growing season this year, to determine the regrowth of knotweed in the area. Decisions on additional treatment for the plant will be based on the extent to which knotweed reappears this year.

For more information, call 570/729-7842.