Don Jacobs column

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Go Joe XII is coming to town!

Sunday July 19, 2009 | 01:00 AM

Don Jacobs

Newswatch 16’s Morning Meteorologist, Joe Snedeker, will be at it again starting tomorrow morning. Once again he will be bike riding to raise money for St. Joseph’s Center, Dunmore. While Joe wants to thank you for supporting the Charity Bike Ride for the last 11 years, he is hoping to build on the more than $1 million he has already raised. All of the money goes towards helping the severely mentally and physically challenged children and young adults of St. Joe’s. Though the exact route may alter as he travels, we do have a list of towns he will be stopping at and the routes he plans on taking throughout the week. You’ll know Joe is coming when you see the decorated RV carrying the Go Joe Logo. The RV will be in the town just before Joe, so come out, give a cheer and if possible, a donation towards the bike ride.

I have the honor and privilege of spending the week with Joe and reporting on his travels through our viewing area. The only difference is that I will be in a vehicle for the 100 miles a day and Joe will be on his bike. The trip is inspiring to say the least. People have a tendency to line the streets in support of his efforts. The morning, noon and evening festivities planned draw quite a crowd. I am excited that he will be riding through the west side of the Greater Pittston area tomorrow, the first day of his trip. Here is a complete listing of his plans for tomorrow, Monday July 20.

Joe leaves from the top of Elk Mountain in Susquehanna County and mountain bikes down 1,000-feet in elevation. He switches bikes and heads north up Rt. 374 hitting Dimock Corners and Gelatt before turning left in Jackson to Rt. 492.

He will then take Rt. 547 at Gibson, go through Harford to Kingsley. Near Kingsley, he takes Rt. 11 South through Nicholson

Joe will then dip down through Factoryville before heading to Dalton, while making his way on Rt. 632 to Waverly.

He will be at the Waverly Community House Live at Noon before he leaves back on Rt. 6/11 to Clarks Summit.

He will departing Clark Summit on Rt. 307 through Schultzville to Falls, and cross the Susquehanna River and head south on Rt. 92 to West Pittston before picking up Rt. 11 again through Exeter, Wyoming, Forty-Fort, Kingston, and turning up Union Street to Luzerne

He will receive a police escort on Rt. 309 North through Trucksville, Shavertown, Dallas, then out Rt. 415 to Harveys Lake

The Harveys Lake Beach Club will be open to the public from 1-8 p.m. with activities for the Go Joe Bike Tour

We invite you to cheer him as he makes his way through our hometown or you can visit with us at Harveys Lake. Joe will be riding at his own pace with a target of reaching specific places each day. He may not be able to stop very frequently between these locations but he’d love to give a wave.

For Joe’s safety and the public’s safety, WNEP-TV asks viewers not to join Joe on the bike ride. Traffic and riding terrain may put people in danger and we do not want anyone to get hurt. Please don’t ’jump out’ to try to give Joe a donation for St. Joe’s. Though every donation is appreciated, this may cause unsafe riding. Try to meet the Go Joe RV along the route and at announced stops to present donations for St. Joe’s - please. Also, each evening, representatives from St. Joe’s will be on site to personally accept your donation. If you can’t make it to the noon or evening locations, you can still mail your donation to: Go Joe XII, c/o WNEP-TV, 16 Montage Mountain Road, Moosic, PA 18507.Thanks for any support you can give St. Joe’s.

A Record Breaking Herpathon!

I can honestly say that I am still a kid at heart and I proved it for the third year in a row. Naturalists John Serrao and Rick Koval, along with Pennsylvania Outdoor Life Producer Brian Hollingshead and I were recently out on our annual herpathon. We call it that because we try and catch as many reptiles and amphibians as possible in a one day period. Herpetology is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians and reptiles. John and Rick have been declaring such a day for years. Three years ago we started tagging along and it has been one exciting moment after another ever since.

We concentrated our one day extravaganza to Monroe and Pike Counties. The day started at Skytop Lodge in Monroe County where John is employed as the resident naturalist. His scouting paid off as we found several species of frogs, salamanders and snakes. The most amazing find were the three mature rattlesnakes we located on the rocky mountain top. We four- wheeled it to the top and started walking across the face of the ledges. Much to our surprise, a four foot long black phased rattlesnake was basking on the rocks just a few yards in front of us.

Rick Koval, Pennsylvania Outdoor Life Field Staff Member and Naturalist for the North Branch Land Trust, is a member of the research team studying rattlesnake populations in Pennsylvania. He quickly identified the snake as a mature male rattlesnake just gathering warmth from the sun. Later on we found a five foot mature pregnant female also thermo-regulating itself. It appears that this area is frequently used by rattlesnakes because we also found a broken off rattle and a rattlesnake skin shed.

This was indeed our third adventure together as a group of old kids looking for things that creep, crawl, slither and jump in the woods and waterways of Pennsylvania. It started in 2007 when we scoured the mountains of the Pocono’s for the first time. We found a total of 26 species of frogs, turtles, toads, snakes, and salamanders. Last year we focused our attention in Luzerne County where we managed to capture and video 24 different species of herps. This year was indeed a record setting year to say the least.

This year we found 31 species in all including 10 salamanders, 8 frogs, 2 turtles and 11 snakes. We consider this quite an accomplishment since there are only 49 species of herps in the state and some of which can’t be found in this area.

The important thing to remember is that Rick and John are trained naturalists and they know how to handle and release delicate critters. All of the animals we caught that day were released right where they were found and within moments of their capture. You can expect to see several more stories about our day in the field on Pennsylvania Outdoor Life because it was truly a record breaking Herpathon.