Clarks Creek Watershed Preservation Association

10/15/2025

Saturday, October 11, 2025.: Your CCWPA 28th Adopt-A-Highway Trash Collection Crew! Left to right: Sherry McLain, Mike Blum, Paula Zankel, Denise Scotland, John Mimnall, Arlene Taylor and Karen Stilp! We managed to do the entire 2-mile stretch, both sides, and Arlene took away four HEAVY bags of recycling (mostly beer cans and a few vodka bottles ...). Hope you can join us in the spring!

09/25/2025

DeHart Dam Update and Dam Day!

Capital Region Water invites community members to DeHart Day 2025, a special event highlighting the pristine source of much of Harrisburg's drinking water.

The date is Friday, October 24, 2025, from 4:30 PM to 7 PM at the Capital Region Water Administrative Office building (3003 N. Front St. Harrisburg, PA 17110) to celebrate the source!

Attendees will enjoy food trucks and have the opportunity to meet and speak with Capital Region Water staff. A shuttle bus will be available to transport guests from the Administrative Offices to the DeHart Dam and Reservoir in Clarks Valley.

There, participants will take part in a guided tour of the property. It's unclear if participants will be allowed to see the inner workings of the dam but there's always hope!

The bus can accommodate a maximum of 48 passengers, so all attendees must register for a spot through the Eventbrite page (dehartday2025.eventbrite.com).

Remember -- the inner workings of the dam take water from the DeHart Reservoir and split it in half: one half becomes Clarks Creek; the other half is piped via the AQUEDUCT all the way to Harrisburg! This has been the situation since about 1942.

08/26/2025

05/27/2025

7TH TRASH COLLECTION SESSION ACCOMPLISHED IN CLARKS VALLEY

Dauphin, PA: Saturday, May 24 saw the Clarks Creek Watershed Preservation Association (CCWPA) host its 27th consecutive “Adopt-a-Highway” Trash Collection session on Rte. 325 in Clarks Valley, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.

In all, 10 volunteers worked three hours, and collected 12 large bags of trash, 7 of which were recyclables. The total weight of trash removed from the road and the watershed is estimated at 77 pounds.

Individual items picked up were charted by the volunteers, and totaled 260 cigarette butts, 72 pieces of food wrappers, 70 food take-out containers,19 bottle caps, 29 lids, 19 straws, 11 pieces of plasticware, 52 plastic beverage bottles, 90 glass beverage bottles, 89 metal beverage cans, 30 grocery and other bags, 26 cups and plates, 36 to***co packaging items, 106 car part pieces such as shards of reflectors and pieces of car bumper, 80 plastic pieces, 2 balloons, 14 pieces of construction debris, 17 additional paper product items, 20 personal items such as diapers and tissues, 1 license plate, 1 syringe, 1 windshield scraper, 1 gift card and numerous other items of metal, paper, ceramics and plastic.

Volunteers for the day included Teresa Bender, Mike Blum, Jeremy Campbell, Allison Kiser, Judy Kiser, Sherry McLain, Brian Royer, Kathy Royer, Arlene Taylor, and Paula Zankel, all under the direction of Adopt-a-Highway Chairman Mike Blum. Gloves and trash bags were provided by PennDot, and “Safety First” was the watchword: prominent signs and flags announcing the event were posted at each end of the trash collection range. “Traffic comes down Rte. 325 way too fast, in our opinion,” states Blum. “We have to be very careful working on the side of the road.”

Originally scheduled for May 17, the date was moved to May 24 due to an inclement weather forecast. “The weather on May 24 was really nice: mostly cloudy, cool and not too breezy,” states Blum. A pizza party followed the collection efforts.

The trash collection was under the auspices of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful and 2025 Pick Up Pennsylvania. The next session is currently scheduled for October 11, 2025 (rain date: October 18).

05/27/2025

A GREAT TIME WAS HAD BY ALL at our 27th Adopt-A-Highway Trash Collection session -- May 24, 2025 (postponed from May 17). 10 intrepid volunteers scoured both sides of 2 miles of Rte. 325 in Dauphin County ... we have a new appreciation of the threats posed by a certain hard selzer brand, empty cans of which we found in profusion by the roadside (at least, one group did!).

05/14/2025

Hello, INTREPID volunteers for the 27th CCWPA Trash Collection! Plus our other Adopt-A-Highway friends!!!

Well, the forecast for Saturday morning 5/17 is 80% rain with thundershowers, so WE ARE RE-SCHEDULING this to:

Saturday, May 24, from 9 am to noon.

Yes that's Memorial Day Weekend’s Saturday but we’re not free the next Saturday and we don’t want to wait until June. Besides, maybe the activities that get in the way will take that weekend off, and you can join us for 3 hours!!!

The current forecast for May 24 morning is “CLOUDY AND COOL with no rain.” May it be so!

Again, just for the record — we will meet once again at FLEMISH DOWN, 1231 Clarks Valley Road, at 9 am, for orientation and distribution of gloves, tools, masks and trash bags.

The pick-up session lasts until noon, after which we will have a PIZZA PARTY (outside, with picnic tables, weather permitting!) to thank the volunteers! I don’t think the pool will be in operation even by May 24 but if by some miracle it is, well, maybe there will be swimming!

OK? Invite your friends! Your family! It’s been 7+ months since our last trash session and Clarks Valley Road and our watershed will benefit muchly from your volunteerism!

Go to our website to contact us:

the Clarks Creek Watershed Preservation Association works to preserve, protect and enhance the environmental integrity of Clarks Creek, and to advocate the conservation and sustainability of its natural resources while promoting restoration and safety within the watershed.

08/17/2024

National Night Out at Clark’s Valley Zion EC Church on August 13th! We had a great time.

08/16/2024

The 2024 ANNUAL MEETING/PICNIC of the Association is being held on Saturday, September 14, 2024, at 1 pm, at the Pool Area of Flemish Down — 1231 Clarks Valley Road, Dauphin.

We elect Board Members, review our activities over the past year, and discuss many important developments in the watershed.

Please visit our web site -- https://ccwpa.org -- for more information!

05/11/2024

Meet at Evans Acres 1211 Clark’s valley Rd for todays Adopt a Highway trash pickup!!! 9-noon!!!