"what You Need: You Need A Large Wooden Frame And Enough Space To Accommodate 
It. Put Comfortable Chairs Around It, Allowing For Eight Women Of Varying 
Ages, Weight, Coloring, And Cultural Orientation.'' 
How To Make An American Quilt, By Whitney Otto.

Coach Plays Patience Game With Struggling Monarchs

By MARK E. JONES; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Tuesday, February 11, 1997 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1A 





NANTICOKE -- Your nostrils signal that something is terribly wrong by the
roadside. Then you see the skeletons. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Dozens of dead animals -- beaver, muskrat and raccoon -- cast a stench
along this dirt lane on the border of Nanticoke and Hanover Township, where a
fur trapper apparently has been illegally dumping his catch after stripping
its pelts. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "It gives all good trappers a bad image, and we're very much concerned
about it," said Jack Weaver, a spokesman with the state Game Commission's
regional office. So concerned, in fact, that an officer agreed to inspect the
site on Monday with a Times Leader reporter and photographer. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Joseph G. Wenzel, a wildlife conservation officer, identified the discarded
animals largely by the attached tails. The carcasses were in various states of
decay. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 If caught, a person dumping dead animals faces a $300 littering fine, plus
a $10 fee for each piece of rubbish. "I'd say whoever did this doesn't live
too far from here," Wenzel said, indicating he had "a good idea" who might be
responsible. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 During its hunter/trapper education programs, the Game Commission teaches
proper disposal methods: Carcasses should be buried or, particularly if the
ground is frozen, bagged with other household garbage and taken by a
legitimate hauler to a landfill. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Wenzel condemned the trapper's actions: "It is offensive to me and
degrading to the animal, too. Animals deserve better than that." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But the officer also emphasized that animal carcasses can quickly decay.
The manmade junk at this unsanctioned dumping ground on Earth Conservancy
property will be a more permanent eyesore, he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The property -- about two miles from downtown Nanticoke, near the
intersection of Middle Road and Kosciuszko Street -- was strewn with all the
trappings of a convenience store: Coca-Cola bottles, Camel Lights cartons, Red
Dog beer bottles, a Maxwell House Coffee container and diapers. More hefty
items included a refrigerator, two arm chairs and what appeared to be a full
living room set of rattan furniture. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 While sifting through one pile, Wenzel removed paperwork that included a
Bell Atlantic letter addressed to a resident of Hanover Street, Nanticoke. He
kept the letter and other scraps that contained identification. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Illegal dumping, a widespread practice in the Wyoming Valley, has rankled
Wenzel since he began patrolling this territory after years of service in
Centre, Mifflin, Juniata and Snyder counties. "When I came here four years ago
I could have cried," he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 While no property is immune, the non-profit Earth Conservancy, which owns
16,000 acres of undeveloped Luzerne County land, seems particularly
susceptible to late-night dumpers. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The conservancy had previously met with representatives of 20
municipalities to discuss illegal trash dumping, said public affairs director
Elizabeth Hibbard Ortega. It also had proposed a countywide "trash czar," she
said. But funding for the post was not provided. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We really have to change the consciousness of people in the area that
dumping is not OK," she said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Tom Chesnick, an engineering projects manager with the conservancy, said
metal gates and dirt embankments seldom discourage people riding all-terrain
vehicles and off-road trucks from trespassing and littering. "We're interested
in working with others to come up with a game plan to prevent this type of
activity," he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Under a temporary agreement with the Game Commission, about 13,000 acres of
Earth Conservancy property are open to public activities such as hiking,
hunting and trapping. According to the conservancy's maps, the site inspected
Monday is not open. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 TIMES LEADER/RICHARD SABATURA &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Amid a pile of household waste, Joseph G. Wenzel of the state Game
Commission searches for clues as to who is littering on this swampy field near
Nanticoke. `No one despises dumping more than I do,' he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 TIMES LEADER/RICHARD SABATURA &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Apparently, a trapper dumped animal carcasses like these on a site near
Middle Road, Nanticoke. Joseph G. Wenzel, a wildlife conservation officer,
identified the carcasses as raccoons, muskrats and beavers. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Trapper's Trash Stinks Up Eyesore