Wayne Township Nature Park Pond Remains Open; Options Pursued

RecordStaffJuly 16, 2019Last Updated: July 16, 2019

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McELHATTAN – The Nature Park fishing pond near McElhattan will remain open for catch-and-release fishing for youth and the disabled while plans are developed for an upgraded facility to protect native trout in nearby McElhattan Run.

That was the outcome of a public meeting Tuesday before a standing-room-only crowd at the Wayne Township Municipal Building.

The meeting was set up after local officials had received word that the pond, stocked by the Wayne Township Recreation Committee, had been denied renewal of its permit application by the state Fish and Boat Commission. Reports circulated that fishing would not be allowed.

F & BC Waterways Conservation Officer Justin Boatwright

Local Fish & Boat Commission Officer Justin Boatwright told an audience of some 75 that while the application from the township had some “misinformation,” it was not denied, but rather not granted at this point. He termed the Tuesday meeting as a “preliminary” step to find a permanent solution so that fishing may continue in the tributary to nearby McElhattan Run.

Dan Vilello, Local Government Liaison for the state Department of Environmental Protection, assured the audience the fishing spot “will stay where it is…it’s all positive.” He said there are “great opportunities” at the site and indicated that for the short-term the pond will remain open while plans are developed for an upgraded facility.

Tom Shervinskie, chief of the Fish & Boat Commission’s watershed analysis section, explained commission concerns about stocked trout in the pond co-mingling with native trout, fish that have been in the nearby run for “eons,” he said. He talked of parasites found in some stocked trout from commercial hatcheries.

Vilello said Wayne Township and the Fish & Boat Commission among others will be looking for a long-term solution, one he said, designed to keep the fishing area in place and “make it better.”

Township board chairman Dave Calhoun chaired the meeting which last slightly longer than 30 minutes. The audience was orderly, asked questions, and received answers.