UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — For Master Watershed Steward volunteer Dean Neely, preserving Pennsylvania waters, forests and lands for future generations is a priority. He is happy to roll up his sleeves to take on conservation projects throughout Monroe County.
Neely said he always has loved the outdoors and was involved with the Pocono Heritage Land Trust and the Brodhead Creek Heritage Center before becoming a Master Watershed Steward. He explained that Penn State Extension and its Master Watershed Steward program provided him with a source for continued learning and more opportunities for participating in environmental preservation.
After retiring, Neely became one of the first certified Master Watershed Stewards in Monroe County after the program began there in 2018. He has completed more than 1,000 volunteer hours as a steward, working on projects such as removing invasive plants, planting riparian buffers, maintaining trails and monitoring streams.
“Dean is an incredible person and a huge part of our program,” said Jim Vogt, Monroe County Master Watershed Steward coordinator. “He volunteers for lots of hands-on work, public education and outreach.”
A primary initiative Neely helped lead as a Master Watershed Steward was the construction and revitalization of a 1,100-foot boardwalk located in the wetlands next to the Pocono Mountain West High School. The boardwalk is used as an educational tool for students and the public.
According to Neely, the Tobyhanna Creek/Tunkhannock Creek Watershed Association originally designed the low-impact boardwalk using natural cedar to “float” on the soft bog surface. A permit was secured in 2004 to utilize half-logs of northern white-cedar, a wood that resists rotting in wet environments, but the logs could not be sourced at that time. Red cedar boards were substituted, but they did not last in the bog environment and degraded over the past 20 years.