Lady of the Lake

I have not but you mentioning idewild reminds me of something that happened a few years ago.. We were all in line for the waterslides with the view of the big lake beside the water park and way back at the far end of the lake we could see a huuuuggee fish i'm talking like 5-6ft long just gracefully swimming around.. me my dad and my brother noticed it first then began pointing it out to others, nobody knew what it was.. It was just swimming around near the surface, I'm wondering if anybody here would know what it is? Yes it was a fish and yes it was very very big for being around here, way to big to be in that lake. The fish was very long and not very wide probably like a 6:1 ratio of length:width. We were all joking how we would probably need a chain and an anchor for a hook to catch this thing lol

Carp

nope...chuck testa...

Carp, if you throw some fries in the water right near the water park, you can sometimes see carp that are at least 3 to 4 feet long. I saw a bass in there that had to go at least 10 pounds

theres a few sturgeon still

lol i just watched the video for chuck testa.. funny stuff, never heard of it before

Bullshark.It swam up the mississippi.

Mega Burpit.

ORIGINAL: catbass

Can you see this lake from 30? I might go take a drive and see it if its still drained, I like seeing whats at the bottom of lakes

Make sure you get permission. It's private property.

Also, the Idlewild fish are definitely carp. There are more of the big 4 foot plus fish on the far side of the water park than you typically see from the areas that are open to the public. I'd love to fish it.

"Instead of building a pond, center officials acquired the land in 2009 with the aid of several foundations.

The property has been placed in a conservation easement, which was a condition imposed by the foundations as part of the purchase."


The underlined suggests that once restored, the lake will/must be open to public access.

You are a correct. I had been under the impression that most easements, required at least some level of public access. Wonder who the outside foundations that prvided funding were? That might tell the tale.

Public Access May Not Be Required
Easements do not open property for public use. Public access is granted only if the
landowner and grantee agree to this and state it in the easement document. Public
access could be permitted for a wide variety of recreational uses, or it could be limited to
specific uses such as a hiking or equestrian trail or environmental education visits. Because
the purpose of municipal conservation easements is generally open space protection rather
than creation of recreational amenities (trail easements excepted), many do not provide for
public access.
As noted in more detail in Part IV, easements designed to protect farmland, scenic vistas, or
wildlife and plant habitats do not require public access to be tax-deductible. On the other
hand, IRS regulations require that easements donated for recreational or educational purposes
allow public access.
Municipalities should be aware that the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and
Natural Resources (“DCNR”) Community Conservation Partnership grant program and many
county grant programs may require some degree of public access on properties acquired with
public funds. The type of access acceptable to these funders is varied, but may include
environmental education visits to the property by designated organizations or limited public
hunting and fishing.

I would highly doubt there would be public access throughout the summer months. LCCC is filled with kids in the summer time, and it sounds like this will provide additional recreational opportunities for their campers. Liability, not to mention just plain common sense, would probably not allow public access during this time.

From my past experience with LCCC at their already established camp, I could see them opening the lake during the off season, but that's just conjecture on m part. Their main camp was often open just for hiking and enjoying nature during the off season, and they even allowed deer hunting there on a permit basis in the past. That may have changed, as it's been about 5 or 6 years since I've been there.

In the grand scheme of things, we haven't lost anything. When it was Lady of the Lake, it was closed to public access with no guarantee that it would remain a lake and remain free from development. Now, there's at least a possibility of limited public access, and an easement in place to maintain it.

ORIGINAL: spoonchucker

"I was under the impression that they agreed to the easement in return for a tax break."

As a Christian non-profit, they are most likely tax exempt. They agreed to the easement as a condition for funding from other entities. The article doesn't state who those "foundations" are. Could be the Audobon, W. Pa. Conservancy, Rachel Carson, or the BSA almost certainly someone conservation related/oriented. As I said WHO those foundations are, might tell the tale of if public access is included in the easement.

Did not know/think about tax-exempt status. Thanks.

Either way, the angling public hasn't lost any water, and if it prevents a frack site from going in, thumbs up.

IIRC, conservation easements are granted in perpetuity, that is, even if LCCC sells the property, the easement would still prevent development, yes?