Standard-Speaker 12/05/2007, Page 5

Naughty field photo won’t be online forever

From staff reports
The embarrassing photo of Harman-Geist Memorial Field in Hazleton that is available on Google Maps won’t remain on the Web site forever.
The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources expects to do another aerial survey to rephotograph a big chunk of eastern Pennsylvania in 2008, Helen Delano, DCNR senior geologic scientist, said. If Luzerne County is included, an updated photo of the field could be available as early as 2009.
Vandals hit the football field, which is owned by the Hazleton Area School District, in the summer of 2004, using a herbicide to trace a phallic symbol on the turf.
When the grass died, their handiwork became apparent, stretching from sideline to sideline near midfield.
In the time in which the vandalism was visible, DCNR snapped the X-rated aerial photo of the stadium as part of its PAMAP project.
“It’s unfortunate, but it’s part of life,” Delano said.
If visitors browse the aerial maps of Pennsylvania long enough, they’ll see any number of “funky things,” from unusual patterns in freshly plowed fields

Photo added by Yale

to messages such as “Support the troops” mowed into hayfields, Delano said.
“We capture all kinds of things, but this is one of the least pleasant,” she said of the vandals’ work. The photo can be found at www.maps.google.com.
In the search box, type in the address of the stadium, “300 N. Cedar St., Hazleton, Pa.”
After the map loads, click the “satellite” view and zoom in on the stadium.