I love it when things get cute , don’t you?  Why else would Ludwig’s Corner Horse Show Grounds now be having an environmental dance of some sort with the state over skeet shooting?

State investigates contamination complaint at Ludwig’s Corner

Published: Wednesday, January 25, 2012

By SARA MOSQUEDA- FERNANDEZ, smfernandez@dailylocal.com

WEST VINCENT — The state Department of Environmental Protection is investigating complaints concerning the Ludwig’s Corner Horse Show Grounds.

The investigations are the result of a neighbor of the grounds filing separate complaints with the state about possible lead contamination and with the Chester County Conservation District regarding stormwater runoff.

“The DEP is looking into whether the debris from the (skeet) shooting constitutes a waste and whether or not the debris presents an environmental concern,” said Deborah Fries, community relations supervisor for the DEP’s southeastern regional office.

According to Fries, the state is investigating both the plastic and clay pigeons and the increased runoff from the newly constructed horse ring….According to John Jacobs, president of the association’s board…..the state is mistaken in thinking that there might be contamination from the skeet shooting’s pigeons, and he said the sport was unpopular with the site’s neighbors.

“They don’t like it from a noise standpoint,” he said.

Does West Vincent have anything quiet to do with this because they want to kill the things that happen at Ludwig’s Corner Horse Show Grounds to try to use that as a back door angle to get paws on land after that eminent domain for private gain gig failed at the end of 2011? (And oh, yes, I can indeed ask that question – funny thing about inalienable rights.)

Or is this complaint just the end result of some new McMansion dweller in Chester County who doesn’t want to hear skeet shooting or smell horse manure?  If that is the case, why did you move out to Chester County with your giant luxury SUVs?

It seems to me that some of the very ways of life that made Chester County so appealing are constantly being threatened.  What is next?  Outlaw farming, country fairs, antique shows, and horseback riding?  Lordy are these the same people who have issue with deer culling even though Chester County is starting to look like parts of Long Island it is so overrun with deer?

Now circling back to farming and the DEP, it seems to me I recall seeing something on the Chickenman’s site about some groady violations having to do with stockpiling manure and Birchrun Hills Farm?  Just curious but was this covered with as much fanfare in The Daily Local? If it was, could someone post a link to the corresponding article?

I am sorry but wow, Chester County sure has some happy horse manure going on.

I personally have been in close proximity to skeet shooting.  It’s not THAT noisy and most places hardly go ALL day.  Geez.  I think the sounds of cars whirring by on a highway are more annoying and find the sounds of video games far more offensive.  And of course that is the irony, isn’t it?  People see no problem with all the fake weapons noises on video games, some of which are quite violent, yet they yammer on about skeet shooting.  This cracks me up as much as seeing people in riding togs who don’t actually ride, it’s just an outfit.

Eyes rolling.

Now – back to Birchrun Hills Farm Cheese for a minute and a question.  My question is this: Birchrun Hills Farms appear at all these Farm to City Markets and other places sitting side by side with organic food, are they certified organic?  Or are their products just raw?  I did purchase their products in the past because I wanted to support the Bryn Mawr Farmers Market, but after the whole Ludwig’s Corner Eminent Domain thing, I will look to other farms.   No matter how folksy that supervisor sounds in those PBS videos loaded on their website.  I won’t boycott the markets they appear at, because that is unfair, but I do choose to buy other Chester County cheese, dairy, meat, and poultry now.

I passed through Ludwig’s Corner and Birchrunville a few days ago and noticed looming in the back off roads some pretty icky development.  It reminded me of certain places I pass on the Main Line where horses and cattle used to graze, and now there are planted McMansions and more.

I don’t get it.

And every year more and more land gets gobbled up.  Once it’s gone, it’s not coming back, and neither is the life and customs surrounding it.  It’s the country, not Disney Land, people.  If you want Disney Land, then by all means go to Disney Land.  But please, let some of the integrity of Chester County remain…or seriously, it will become something you won’t appreciate in 20 years.

UPDATE:

In order to be fair and to try to be a good citizen journalist, I feel I should post this comment I received from someone who shoots regularly (I don’t know that they have ever gone skeet shooting at Ludwig’s Corner, however) – but fair is fair, and this is not anti-Ludwig’s Corner:

Not to put too fine a point on this but there is no way the DEP would be investigating this over the clay pigeons. The real issue with any skeet shooting range is the tremendous amount of lead shot that accumulates over a period of time on the ground surface. Any shooting range should be aware that this is an issue and there are companies that come in and vacuum the shot off the ground surface. I’m not sure but I believe there’s a specific schedule for the cleanings and the gun club in question has to provide number of shooters times number of days shot for just this reason. If that shooting range hasn’t been cleaning they are screwed…