Update On The Progress of Wisecarver Lake...

For anyone unfamiliar with Wisecarver Lake (Reservoir) it is a property leased to the county for public use just a few miles from downtown Waynesburg. Locals also know it as the "Waterdam".

Wisecarver would be a perfect site for a much needed outdoor recreation area for fishing, kayaking, walking/biking trails and more. The problem with the site is access. There is currently no safe and easy way to access the banks of Wisecarver.

Interest in developing the site started 2011 when the Dam was rebuilt. In 2018 Greene County received a $200,000 grant to start developing the property. To date no noticeable change to the property has been started. 

We reached out to Commissioner Blair Zimmerman to get more information on the progress of Wisecarver as of June 2019. The following includes a few quotes provided by his office to help explain the process.

"Currently the County has provided a preliminary design and grant request to DCNR.  DCNR came through with funding in the amount of $200,000.  This money will go towards parking lot, driveway from Water Dam Road, and a walking trail around the proposed softball fields.  The term for this grant is 1/1/2019 through 12/31/2022.  We currently have our engineer completing the permitting process through DEP and PennDOT.  The engineer is also doing the bid specifications for the construction of fields and grant funded items above.  We are hoping for construction to start this fall but it can’t start until we get the permits.  We are, of course, coordinating with the softball association through this process to ensure their needs are also met."

"Walking trail will circle the 3 softball fields only.  Phase 2 of the project will increase the walking trails throughout the property"

"We have also applied for funding to complete a Recreational Site Plan for the entire property.  That has not been funded yet.  We hope to have a plan that maximizes the use of the entire facility.  The impoundment and fishing are to play a big part in the development of the park."

"The Commissioner envisions the next phase of development to include a boat launch, clearing and sloping the area near the water to provide greater access, and creating walking trails through the property."

For more information about Wisecarver's past, present, and future progress visit our Wisecarver Lake Page

By Ben McMillen

Such a fun group to kayak with!

With local creeks too low to float we decided to take our local Kayak Greene County group to the Mon River for 6.5 miles of fun! 

Started things off with a brief rain to cool things off at the beginning. The rest of the day was absolutely perfect. Temps in the low 80's and warm water made conditions ideal for our 3rd big group trip this season.

We started off by launching in Crucible, PA at the end of the old Ferry Road. There is an old concrete ramp that at one time was used by a car transportation ferry. We ended the trip 3.5 hours later in Fredericktown, PA at the old Ferry ramp which has an newly build kayak ramp. Launch points can be found here.

Most people worry about boaters on the river but as long as your staying on the sides they are not much of a problem. The waves they create actually add to the fun!

As with most river trips on the Mon you have to do a lot of paddling since the water flow is much slower than you think. 6.5 miles is a pretty tough trip on the river but everyone did great and most likely took a nice nap when we they got home. 

Enjpy the photos!

Be sure to join our Facebook group for for details on our next trip! 

Website sponsored by McMillen Photography and maintained by Ben McMillen

By Ben McMillen

June 12th, 2018, my friend Ed and I hit Tenmile once again. This time we dropped in at Pollocks Mill and had a nice float all the way to the end of Tenmile and continued on through the Monongahela River until we came to the Fredericktown Ferry Ramp. Temperature reached 80 degrees with the water still being cool from the previous few days rain. Water discourage rate was around 400-500 which made for nice day on the creek. Trip took us 3-4 hours at an easy pace. Even stopping at our friend Brian's house for a Goat Selfie.

By Ben McMillen

Water was a little dirty but other than that it was a perfect day for kayaking in Greene County. 19 kayakers showed up for the fun. Be sure to follow our facebook group to see when our next float is.

Water discharge rate on Dunkard was a bit over 600 and was perfect for kayaking. We spent about 2 hours going from Pigeon Hole to the Ballfields. Enjoy the photos!

By Ben McMillen

​This week we took a 7 mile trip down Tenmile Creek starting at the 188 Soccer Field Launch in Waynesburg, PA and ending at the Beagle Club Rd Launch in Jefferson, PA.

We had a nice size group including 2 conservation officers giving us some tips on safe Kayaking in Greene County. Led by conservation officer Eric Moore, local kayakers where able to ask questions during the 4 hour informative float down Tenmile Creek.

Water discharge rate was around 200. A little low but passable with only a few kayakers having to pull through a couple low sections. Enjoy the photos!

By Ben McMillen

Dunkard Creek 5.6 Mile Trip
Pigeon Hole to the Baseball fields.

For this trip my buddy Ed came along again as did my daughter Hanna. It was Hanna's first time in a single kayak all by herself and she did great!

The water discharge level was around 200 cubic feet per second.  Kinda low but we were still able to pass without too much trouble. The trip took us a little over 2 hours to complete.

Enjoy the photos

By Ben McMillen

We dropped in at the Bucktown Dam and pulled out at the 188 Soccer Field Ramp, both in Waynesburg PA. Ed, one of my best friends went along for the trip. It was Ed's first time in a Kayak and a small piece of me was hoping he'd go overboard. I had my camera ready just in case. 

The 4 mile trip took about 1.5 hours at an easy pace. Creek discharge rate was around 220 so a bit lower than we hoped but we had no problem getting down the creek. Only got hung up once because I wasn't paying attention. Hoping to go back soon when the discharge rate gets a little higher. 

Here are some photos we took along the way...

By Ben McMillen

It was just 33 degrees when I loaded up my truck the morning of April 29th, 2018. There was actually ice built up on my Kayak as I dragged it through my yard.

​I considered cancelling the trip but we didn't feel like waiting for mother nature to let go of her winter grip. The way things have been going this year it will probably snow in June. My nephew Brett and his girlfriend layered up and joined me for our first float of 2018.

It finally warmed up to about 38 degrees when we hit the Monongahela at 10am. We dropped in at the end of the Old Ferry Road in Crucible PA and pulled out at just 2 miles away at the Lock Wall in Rices Landing PA. Good times.

Recent 2018 POLL of Greene County Recreational Kayakers

RECREATIONAL KAYAKS
"SIT-IN" TYPE OR "SIT-ON" TYPE KAYAKS PREFERRED BY RECREATIONAL KAYAKERS IN GREENE COUNTY

• 80.5% SIT-IN TYPE KAYAK PREFERRED
• 19.5 SIT-ON TYPE OF KAYAK PREFERRED

LENGTH OF KAYAKS PREFERRED BY RECREATIONAL KAYAKERS IN GREENE COUNTY

• 64% PREFER 10 FOOT KAYAKS
• 24% PREFER 12 FOOT KAYAKS
• 5.5% PREFER 9 FOOT KAYAKS
• 5.5% PREFER 8 FOOT KAYAKS

Experienced local kayaker Jason Forbes also offered some advice for new people getting into recreational kayaking.
"A lot of factors can come into play here. If the bottom of the boat has a V shape, it will most likely track better. By "track", I mean if you stop paddling, it's how the kayak "drifts". A smooth or round bottom boat is much more likely to turn to one side or spin around. 

A longer boat generally adds a little more stability. Boats intended for whitewater kayaking are very short and have smooth, rounded bottoms. This allows the paddler to spin and maneuver the boat around obstacles very freely. However, on flat water (creeks, ponds, lakes, etc) a whitewater boat is more difficult to paddle in a straight line. On the flip side, a 12' v bottom boat will usually track very straight, but would not do as well in big rapids. 8' and 10' boats are among the most common entry level boats for Greene County."

See more info on types of Kayaks and how to choose here

Here we dug up some youtube videos people have made kayaking in and around Greene County. Enjoy!

For the first blog post I thought I would post some images submitted by local kayakers from trips in Greene County and beyond! Thanks to the following people who submitted these images:

Brandy Andrade
Dawn Wood
Eric Davis
Gretchen Georgi Brandstetter
Joe Moore
John Grim
Jonathan Phillps
Justin Phillps
Kevin Rohland
Michelle Mego Nelson
Russell Johnson
Shanna Yourchik
​Steve Bifano
​Tom Akrom