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Angler researches lowering lakes from the bottom to cool waters and help trout survive

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Angler researches lowering lakes from the bottom to cool waters and help trout survive


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An avid angler believes allowing more water to be released from the bottom of lakes will give coldwater fish like trout a better chance to survive the hot summer months.

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“I would notice that Laurel Hill Creek would super heat in the really warm months of summer,” said John MacDonald, 66, of Rockwood, Somerset County. 

“The trout would suffer horribly, many would die and the ones that didn’t, took refuge downstream and left the area.”

In the heat of the summer, MacDonald would wear snorkeling gear and swim down the creek looking for fish.

“I noticed they would hide in the deeper pools,” he said, “and I would find a cold water spring down there, that they were all huddled up against.”

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Ongoing research

About five years ago, he approached Camp Soles, a nearby children’s camp, about opening their lake’s bottom drain pipe to release some of the colder water to see how that would impact the temperature of the water flowing downstream. The camp’s 18-acre lake flows into Lost Run and then into Laurel Hill Creek.

“We had to make sure that at all times that water flowed over the top for the health of the lake,” he said. “We had to find a blending point which let water over the top, but enough cold water off the bottom to bring (the temperature) down,” he said.

Let’s go fishing: A look at what you need to know to fish for trout this spring across Pennsylvania

He started measuring the temperature of the water at several locations, including in Lost Run before it reached the lake, in the lake itself and then several spots down stream. 

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During the heat of the summer, he said water coming into the lake would be below 70 degrees. The water flowing over the spillway would oftentimes be 80 degrees or more and the water below where the spillway and bottom pipe blend in Lost Run would be back down to below 70.

“We are able to get to the same temperature below the dam as it was coming into the lake,” he said “We were actually able to get to that same point, as though the dam wasn’t there,” he said.

Susan Fletcher, president of the Friends of Camp Soles board of directors, has been observing MacDonald’s efforts.

“It’s not only that the fish are more vigorous and survive better, but there’s something about what they feed on that has improved,” she said.

Fletcher said MacDonald is a friend of the camp and they appreciate his efforts.

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“He’s clearly interested in the environment and when you have a summer camp, that’s what you want the kids to do, is to appreciate the natural world,” she said.

She said the dam was named Lake Tris for a descendant of the camp’s founders. She said there are online references to the waterway that have it also spelled as Lake Triss. “It’s hard to get that changed,” she said.

“One of the most popular things in recent years has been fishing,” she said about the campers enjoying the lake to catch catfish, bass and a variety of panfish.

“We love that John has taken an interest and is keeping (the lake) healthy. Because one of my favorite sayings is, when you tug at one thing in nature, you find it attached to the rest of the world.”

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This year, MacDonald is continuing his research with recording temperatures and studying the ratio of water coming over the spillway with the water being released from the bottom of the lake. He also wants to measure water volume, too.

More: Pennsylvania fishing license fees to remain same in 2025 because of increased sales

“Once I establish the ratio of what is needed, other lakes with a spillway and bottom pipe, can experiment with how far to open the pipe each year,” he said about making it a simple process for people to mimic or at least try. 

He said he’s not changing the amount of water being released, but blending the two sources of water discharge.

With the help of Camp Soles, he said the goal is to, “Someday find a very simple solution for these types of lakes to bring the water temperature down below 70, and protect our cold water heritage.”

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MacDonald isn’t officially trained to study waterways, but said he’s an avid sportsman who wants to protect the fishery. He’s hoping his research can be used by state agencies and private lake owners “for the betterment of our cold-water heritage.” 

State agency response

Lakes in Pennsylvania are managed by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

Lauren Camarda, regional communications manager for the DEP, said, “A cold water, low-level discharge is not always required or beneficial, but many dams have been retrofitted with cold water releases over the years. While there could be benefits from discharging from the bottom, it could have the unintended consequence of releasing anoxic water (water with low levels of dissolved oxygen that fish need), sediment that can pollute the water downstream, or entrapping or impinging fish in the lake.”

If the lake has to retrofit its pipes on the bottom of a lake it can be cost prohibitive based on what is needed.

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“Simply ‘cracking open’ the low-level valve is generally not a viable solution as high velocity flow could be detrimental to the valve and debris may lodge in the valve preventing it from being able to shut,” she said through an email. “If a dam owner wants to change normal operation of the pool level, a permit is required from DEP. DEP’s division of dam safety consults with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission regarding situations where a cold-water release requirement may be warranted. Ultimately, this idea may have merit in certain situations but must be approached on a case specific-basis and in concert with DEP review to ensure that it is in fact beneficial for aquatic life downstream. DEP encourages dam owners that are interested in this to contact DEP to determine if it is something that could work for them.”

Mike Parker, communications director for the Fish and Boat Commission agreed that colder water may help trout survive the summer months, but referred questions about lowering lakes to achieve that to the DEP.

 Brian Whipkey is the outdoors columnist for USA TODAY Network sites in Pennsylvania. Contact him at bwhipkey@gannett.com and sign up for our weekly Go Outdoors PA newsletter email on this website’s homepage under your login name. Follow him on Facebook @whipkeyoutdoors, and Instagram at whipkeyoutdoors.





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Pennsylvania man arrested for allegedly feeding pet parakeet marijuana and beer

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Pennsylvania man arrested for allegedly feeding pet parakeet marijuana and beer


A Pennsylvania man was arrested on animal cruelty charges for allegedly feeding marijuana and beer to his pet parakeet after bringing the injured feathered friend to a bar, according to reports.

Timothy Grace, 40, was busted on Feb. 21 after carrying his wounded pet budgie named “Blue Skies” in his pocket to Callaghan’s Bar in Greensburg, according to CBS Pittsburgh.

Timothy Grace was arrested on animal cruelty charges for allegedly feeding marijuana and beer to his pet parakeet after bringing the injured feathered friend to a bar. WTAE

“The caller’s a bartender. She says there is a white male at the bar with a parakeet,” a dispatcher reported on the police radio transmissions obtained by the outlet.

“The patron was bragging to other people that were inside the bar that he feeds the parakeet marijuana and has it drink beer on a daily basis,” Detective Sergeant Justin Scalzo told the outlet.

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Grace “appeared extremely intoxicated” when police showed up to the bar and found the pet bird in distress, according to court documents obtained by the outlet.

“Its leg appeared to be broken,” Scalzo said, according to WTAE. “Its foot was actually facing the wrong direction.”

Grave was initially arrested for public intoxication and now faces charges including aggravated cruelty to animals and transporting animals in a cruel manner, the outlet said.

The pet bird was brought to PEARL Parrot Rescue in the Pittsburgh area, which rushed him to an emergency care facility.


Exterior of Callaghan's bar, with a sign showing
The injured parakeet is still breathing hard, remains on antibiotics, and has to wear a splint on his right leg. WTAE

Blue Skies spent four days in the hospital and was later taken in to be fostered by Teri Grendzinski, the president of PEARL. The injured parakeet is still breathing hard, remains on antibiotics, and has to wear a splint on his right leg, CBS reported.

“They realized his leg was broken. He also had some respiratory issues going on,” Grendzinski told the outlet. “He was also very, very skinny.”

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“The leg was broken badly enough there is a chance they’re going to have to amputate the leg if it doesn’t heal correctly,” she added.

If Blue Skies is eventually put up for adoption, he will require specialized care, the outlet said.

“When we got that call, it was horrifying. Why would you do that to a bird?” Grendzinski said.



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Pa. man found guilty of raping teen girl who he took to Mexico

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Pa. man found guilty of raping teen girl who he took to Mexico


A Pennsylvania man was found guilty of repeatedly raping his daughter’s best friend over a three-year span before fleeing with the teen to Mexico.

On Thursday, March 5, 2026, Kevin Esterly, 53, of Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania, was convicted on all counts of rape, statutory sexual assault, involuntary sexual intercourse and endangering the welfare of children.

Esterly shook his head as the verdict was read but said nothing in the courtroom.

Resources for victims of sexual assault are available through the National Sexual Violence Resources Center and the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-4673.

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Esterly’s trial began on Tuesday, March 3, after a judge denied his pretrial motion for the charges against him to be dismissed and for the Lehigh County District Attorney to be removed as a prosecutor in the case.

Both Esterly and his victim testified on Wednesday, March 4.

The victim — who is now 24-years-old — told the courtroom that she met Esterly and his family while attending church as a child and became best friends with one of his daughters. Esterly was a youth leader and elder at the church at the time. The victim said Esterly also coached her soccer team.

The victim said she became so close to Esterly’s family that she called his wife “mom” and eventually spent almost every weekend at their home in Lowhill Township, Pennsylvania. She also said she vacationed with them in New York state and Ocean City, Maryland.

The victim said Esterly first sexually assaulted her in August 2015 when she was 13-years-old after he gave her alcohol during a family birthday party.

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“I was scared. Frozen in fear,” the woman told the courtroom on Wednesday. “I pretended I was sleeping.”

The woman accused Esterly of sexually assaulting her almost every time she slept over at his home. She told the courtroom she eventually became addicted to alcohol and drugs, which Esterly gave her in exchange for sex. According to the woman, Esterly gave her cocaine and methamphetamine to keep her awake during school because she “would be up with him all night.”

The woman said Esterly continued to sexually assault her until he was confronted by his wife in 2017. Esterly’s wife then threw him out of the house, according to the victim. She said Esterly continued to sexually assault her over the next year.

Esterly was later arrested and then sentenced to prison after federal agents found him with the victim in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, in 2018. She was 16-years-old at the time.

The woman said she moved on and went to college after Esterly’s sentencing though she still struggled with drug addiction. She said she sought counseling in February 2025. She told the courtroom she received a message from Esterly on LinkedIn that same month in which he apologized for “failing you as a person I was supposed to be for you.” At that point Esterly had been released from prison.

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The woman said she had not told anyone about her relationship with Esterly up to that point and replied to him, “I live with our secret every day as I promised. I would appreciate an apology.”

The woman told the courtroom that Esterly responded by writing, “I hope one day you can forgive me. Nobody knows I reached out to you. That is the best for both of us.”

On Feb. 21, 2025, Allentown Police received a report of Esterly’s sexual assaults which led to the new charges being filed against him. He was arrested in West Virginia in June 2025 after two police pursuits. He was then extradited to Pennsylvania.

The victim told the courtroom on Wednesday that she kept quiet about Esterly’s abuse for years because she “was afraid to speak,” and felt “dirty and ashamed.”

“I wasn’t ready to tell anyone,” she said. “He was a father figure in my life. I loved him.”

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The woman also said she didn’t want to hurt Esterly’s daughter who was her best friend.

When the District Attorney asked her why she was “here today,” she replied by saying, “I want to tell the truth. I want to be set free.”

The woman ended her testimony by saying, “I don’t want to live with this secret anymore.”

After her testimony, Esterly took the stand for 45 minutes, denied all of the accusations against him and accused the woman of lying.

Closing arguments then took place Thursday morning. It then took an hour for the jury of seven women and five men to reach their verdict.

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3 dead in apparent murder-suicide spanning from Pennsylvania to Illinois, police say

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3 dead in apparent murder-suicide spanning from Pennsylvania to Illinois, police say



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Two women are dead in Pennsylvania and a man is dead in Illinois after an apparent murder-suicide, police said on Wednesday.

According to a report from the Pennsylvania State Police, the investigation began in Hillside, Illinois, when police there were dispatched after a man reported two women dead in Jackson Township, Pennsylvania. Police said that when officers got to Hillside, about 15 miles west of Chicago, they found that the man had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

After identifying him, troopers said Hillside officers contacted police from Jackson Township to request a welfare check at the man’s home on Dior Drive, about 30 miles north of Pittsburgh. 

Map shows distance from Hillside, Illinois, to Zelienople, Pennsylvania

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KDKA


Police said officers used forced entry to get into the home and found two women dead from apparent gunshot wounds. It’s believed the two women were family members of the man who died by suicide in Illinois, investigators said. 

Pennsylvania State Police said they’ve assumed control of the case and are “actively investigating” what happened surrounding the three deaths.

Police didn’t release any names, saying the process of formal identification and notification of next of kin hasn’t been completed. Sources told KDKA that the victims were a husband, wife and their daughter.

“At this time, investigators believe there is no ongoing threat to the public, and law enforcement is not searching for any additional individuals in connection with this incident,” police wrote in the public information release report. “This remains an active and ongoing investigation.”

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State police didn’t release any other details on Wednesday but said more information will be made public when it’s available.  

“My first reaction was shocked because this is such a close-knit neighborhood, and to think something that horrible could happen here is very tragic because they were such a good family,” neighbor Danielle Sporer said on Wednesday. 



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