We regret to inform you that our family's tradition of fishing tournaments will no longer take place. Last year, actions were initiated by some members of the Lake Henry Cottager's Association (LHCA) and State Representative Ed Staback, at which time the LHCA made unfounded accusations that fishing tournaments were causing aggregious damages to the resources of Lake Henry. Clayton Park was purposely excluded from the initial discussions and resulting decisions between the LHCA, Representative Staback, and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC). The discussions resulted in unprecedented measures after which the PFBC began requiring written permission from all three land owners on Lake Henry. The PFBC sent a letter informing Clayton Park only of the new requirement long afterward, and subsequent to the actions taken. And although Clayton Park was eventually granted an audience with officials involved, it was only after a great deal of effort on our part, and our concerns were only heard as an afterthough in their "process of decision-making". As a result of the difficulties associated in obtaining required permissions from the LHCA and the other land owner, Clayton Park will not be offering our boat launch for fishing tournaments until further notice.

The PFBC did not feel that the tournaments on Lake Henry were a detriment to its resources. Clayton Park shares this perspective, based on our personal observations, PFBC records on tournament fish mortality, and PFBC records indicating the average number of boats per tournament. The mortality rate was less than 1%. And, although Clayton Park held over 40 tournaments in the 2009 season, the average number of boats was 12, and a large percentage of those tournaments were conducted over 3 hours on Thursday evenings. These numbers are in drastic contrast to what the LHCA reported. Up until the LHCA's complaint to Representative Staback, the LHCA made repeated "requests" for proceeds from Clayton Park's fishing tournaments, afterward expressing concern to Clayton Park over the number of tournaments, and indicating Clayton Park's lack of tournament oversight.

Clayton Park wishes to express our love of Lake Henry and our desire to protect the resources we so vitally depend upon, while providing contributions based on sound lake mangement principles. In recent years, we have made considerable strides to educate ourselves and those who visit us on the protection of those resources. We are concerned about the presence of Eurasion Milfoil in the lake, but also concerned about the use of herbicides in the lake that kill numerous types of vegetation which are vital to fish life, and increase the likelihood of decreased oxygen and anaerobic activity. Due to these concerns, Clayton Park installed and runs year round at its own expense, 5 aerators. We ask that all those who use our boat launch, are cautious of those aerators when moving through our channel. And finally, we wish to be good neighbors and continue offering our tradition of boating experiences on Lake Henry for many years to come. We hope to see all fishing activities restored to normal through the appropriate legal channels.

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