713:. The Lake Raystown Program of Dedication relates the significance of the Tropical Storm Agnes and the Lake Raystown Dam by noting, "The partially completed Raystown Lake Project was effective in storing 160,000 acre-feet (200,000,000 m) of flood water (ultimate flood control storage is 248,000 acre-feet (306,000,000 m)) during the June 1972 Storm Agnes which resulted in reducing peak flows in the Juniata River at Lewistown and Newport, Pennsylvania by 7.5 feet (2.3 m) and 4.5 feet (1.4 m), respectively. Had the project not been available for flood storage, stages at both of these stations would have exceeded the record 1936 flood. It is estimated that Lake Raystown Dam was effective in preventing Agnes damages in the Juniata Basin downstream from the dam of $ 48,100,000 and of $ 11,900,000 along the lower Susquehanna River" (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 1974). The formal ceremony of dedication for Lake Raystown was June 6, 1974 and the area attracts about 1.5 million visitors annually.
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recreational activities primarily were planned around summer water-based and outdoor sports by Karl
Kaufffman, chief of outdoor planning and Michael Kolessar, project planning chief, both of Baltimore District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) (Anon., 1973). Their plan included impounding 8,300 acres (3,400 ha) to create a 30-mile-long (48 km) lake, creating 110 miles (180 km) of shoreline. In the early stages of the recreation creation it was projected that there would be 1.4 million annual visitors with a $ 2 million annual intake (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 1974). There were also the plans to build Seven Points Marina recreation area and Rothrock camping area.
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554:, October 12, 1905 in which it stated: "earlier in the year 1905 George Ernest Simpson and Warren Brown Simpson were fishing along the Branch. It was good water for bass at that time and their catch was very gratifying. Uncle Ernest, sometime during the day, said: 'W. B., this would make a fine location for a hydroelectric development.'" That idea took immediate fruit for they were both "promoters." No one knows how much time and thought was put into the project idea, but eventually permanent charters for the development of the stream were granted by the Commonwealth and signed by Governor
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682:, did not approve of funding this unnecessary project. In the "Help Save the Raystown Dam" petition it states, "Senator Allen J. Ellender... has expressed his dissatisfaction with the new dam because he feels the Army Engineers should be taking care of flood control, navigation and hurricane projects, and not building recreational areas. The Army Engineers have told the committee that 62 percent of the reason for building the dam is for recreation." This petition listed five areas of concern:
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Hills
Campground, and Allegrippis Lodge. The lake is also known for its mountain biking, Seven points has a mountain bike skills park as well as many trails. Raystown Lake has two marinas. One is Seven Points which has a restaurant, a beach area, disc golf, boat rentals, and weekly summer events. The other is the Raystown Lake Resort. The resort offers boat rentals, cabins, camping, a waterpark, a restaurant, an ice cream shop, fireworks, and summer events.
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591:(Public Law 87-874, 87th Congress, second session). The dam has a flood storage capacity of 247,900 acre-feet (305,800,000 m), equivalent to about 5 inches (13 cm) of runoff from the drainage area of 960 square miles (2,500 km) above the dam, between elevations of 786 and 812 (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 1965). "The project would reduce flood stages along the Juniata River at
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lake very different from many other lakes; the hills on the shores of the winding lake are blanketed right down to the water by the trees. Raystown has a fishery including largemouth bass, striped bass, smallmouth bass, muskellunge, walleye, pickerel, perch, calico bass, lake trout, rainbow trout, brook trout, brown trout, bluegill, catfish, carp, white bass, rock bass, salmon and shad.
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859:"Final Technical Report Pennsylvania Archaeological Data Synthesis: The Upper Juniata River Sub-Basin 11 (Watersheds A–D), Walter Industrial Park: Mitigation of Adverse Effects, U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration, Greenfield Township,Blair County, Pennsylvania, ER 00-2888-013, GAI Project No. 2002 236-10 February 10, 2003"
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Two of the most popular activities
Raystown Lake offers are boating and camping. Raystown Lake has seven public boat launches; Seven points, Snyder's Run, Aitch, Tatman Run, Shy Beaver, James Creek, and Weaver Falls. There are also many campsites. Some of which are Sesquenhannock Campground, Pleasant
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Another issue was the amount of land needed. The lands authorized to be acquired consisted of 15,000 acres (6,100 ha) for the dam and reservoir area, 13,000 acres (5,300 ha) for the public access and recreation area, and 2,000 acres (810 ha) for the wildlife mitigation area for a total
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Much of the controversy had to do with the design of the station, because it was now publicly instead of privately owned, which opened the decisions of the design to a vast array of individuals instead of a limited few. "In August of 1979, the Board of
Engineers for Rivers and Harbors, an independent
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There are also two marinas Seven Points and
Raystown Lake Resort. At Seven Points Marina there are houseboat and pontoon rentals. They also offer permanent boat slips and rental boat slips as well as indoor boat storage. Along with boating activities, Seven Points has a restaurant, a beach area, and
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It is estimated that
Raystown Lake was effective in preventing damages in the Juniata Basin downstream from the dam of $ 48,100,000 and of $ 11,900,000 along the lower Susquehanna River (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 1974). Another important aspect was the plan for its recreational activities. These
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in turmoil just because some people have started talking about a new high level dam for this area; completely cover all existing cottages and permanent homes. This has resulted in a condition of such unrest that the real estate value of the present area has been very seriously harmed" (Drake, 1905).
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Raystown Lake also offers many campgrounds some of which are
Sesquenhannock Campground and Pleasant Hills Campground. There is a variety of camping options including campers, tents, cabins, and some campgrounds only accessible by boat. Some other activities available at the lake are a mountain bike
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Sheep Rock
Shelter is an area of archaeological significance near the present-day Susquehannock Campground. Originally a wide ledge over the Juniata River, it provided shelter from the elements for its inhabitants. Its location and orientation preserved the remains buried below by protecting them
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The construction of the dam was a project of the
Baltimore Corps of Engineers with Colonel Love in charge, Karl Kauffman chief of outdoor planning, and Michael Kolessar as project planning chief, and the Green Construction Company. Construction started in 1968 on the dam and operation began in 1973
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Using the new dam for hydroelectric power should not have been a surprise considering that that was the primary purpose of the original dam. What was surprising was that the hydroelectric power was under much controversy and not completed until August 31, 1988, when the
William F. Matson Generating
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This dam also started to open the area for vast cottage development, but with this came problems. "Almost a thousand cottages are near its shores, and the construction last year by the County Commissioners of Fink's Bridge opened up another large area for development. But right now all this area is
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Much of the land surrounding the lake is owned by the Army Corps of Engineers and is not available for residential development; because of this summer homes were built near the lake rather than on the waterfront, and most of the lake remains undeveloped. This makes the experience of boating on the
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Part of the town of Aitch is now under the level of the lake. While it is rumored that there are entire towns (and dead bodies of townspeople who refused to leave) still intact under the water, only a few more permanent structures were left in place. Some roads, a bridge over the old river, the
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Seven Points Marina was planned to provide long-term boat storage and marina services according to minimum specifications set by USA-CE. Kauffman and Kolessar stated that Seven Points recreation area was designed for public use and convenience, with camping areas, boat launching sites and bathing
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The development of the first Raystown Dam in 1905 conceived the starting point for a history in consequential dams which eventually led to the creation of Raystown Lake in 1972. It has been said that the original dam was the creation of George Ernest and Warren Brown Simpson. The formation of the
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stated, "The first power dam on the Raystown Branch was the product of private enterprise. It was conceived in 1906 when ten area men formed the Raystown Water Power Company. The corporation financed the construction of the dam, which took from 1907 to 1912 to build" (Shuck, 1989) The dam also
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The 1905 Raystown Dam brought many changes for the Huntingdon area, physically and economically. The Raystown Dam was the first hydroelectric dam to be built on the Raystown Branch of the Juniata River and the construction process had fewer financial problems because it was a product of private
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The history of the Raystown Dam is not limited to the history of the dam and lake itself but also includes the human history of the watershed and the environmental laws relevant to the area. The original 34-foot-high (10 m) hydroelectric dam underwent construction in 1907 resulting in the
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Rothrock camping area would provide a camping space with a boat launching ramp, beach and shower facilities. But what is interesting is that Kauffman noted that the "camping spaces at the new reservoir will be 50 feet (15 m), center to center, and his (Kauffman's) management plans include
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The proposal for the new dam incorporated the ideas of bringing tourism into the area, promoting recreation, and flood control. The actual purpose stated, "The project will provide flood control, recreation, water quality and fish and wildlife enhancement" (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 1974).
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excavated to uncover artifacts that would otherwise be flooded, ending their state of preservation. Their work recovered human remains from as long as 12,000 years ago. The Penn State University Library holds a 29-minute film about the site, titled "Discovery at Sheep Rock."
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to build a run-of-the-river hydro power station just below the breast of the dam (Shuck, 1989). In this plan the turbines would only be spun by water exiting over the dam's spillways, eliminating the threat of significant water fluctuations (Shuck, 1989). But because of the
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In 2015, a Texas-based energy company proposed building a large resort on the mountain above and marina with luxury amenities on the shore. Several Residents joined in protest and the Proposal didn't meet the criteria required by the USACE for ecological and safety reasons.
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review agency within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, put the issue of pumped storage hydro-electric generation to rest by announcing that it couldn't recommend federal participation in such a project due to a lack of local support" (Shuck, 1989). In 1980,
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acreage of 30,000 acres (12,000 ha) at $ 20,000,000.00 (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 1974). In the end 1,800 property owners sold their deeds or easements to the federal government and 407 graves were relocated (Shuck, 1990).
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Although tourism and recreation was what was projected as the most important to the public and community, the reason the dam was approved was for flood control. The project was authorized under the general provisions of the
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The expansion brought the water level up to a normal operating level of 786 feet (240 m) above sea level with an overflow at 812 feet (247 m), and included a 20 megawatt conventional hydropower generator.
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The construction of the dam did leave an impact on the area which included covering many of Huntingdon County landmarks, such as the old Raystown Dam, Fink's bridge, Murrell Worthing property near
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Although it might appear that the dam was well accepted in the area there were some controversial issues. One of the main controversies dealt with funding the project. During this time period the
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special events in the summer. Raystown Lake Resort also offers boat rentals, permanent boat slips, boat slip rentals, and summer events. The Resort also has a restaurant and an ice cream shop.
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458:. Raystown is around 200 feet (61 m) deep in the deepest area near the dam. The lake was created primarily to control floods, provide electricity, and support recreational activities.
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454:. The original lake was built by the Simpson family of Huntingdon as a hydroelectric project. The current 8,300-acre (34 km) Raystown Lake was completed in 1973 by the
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facilities-to provide the "whole gamut of outdoor recreation" (Anon., 1973). Also it was to be advertised national and supervised by the USACE Raystown Force (Anon., 1973).
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Raystown Water and Power Co. (later Penelec) generating their first electricity in 1912. The spillway elevation was around 650 feet (200 m) above sea level.
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withholding 20 percent of the total available camping area from use each year, on a rotating basis, to allow the vegetation time to recoup" (Anon., 1973).
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to be responsible for the project in 1986. This $ 41 million facility had the capacity of generating 21 megawatts and service 8,500 homes with energy.
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Before the current Raystown Dam was constructed in 1972, the original dam underwent two purchases and one merger before it became the property of
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operates the Raystown Hydroelectric Project and William F. Matson Generating Station at the Raystown Dam,a 21 MW, two-unit hydroelectric project.
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The Army Engineers should spend their time in projects that are more concerned with flood control, navigation and hurricane projection;
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Discovery at Sheep Rock Pennsylvania State University.;Psychological Cinema Register (Pennsylvania State University), 2008, ©1966. DVD
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This petition was to take action for the May 8, 1968 hearing. The dam was approved for a total expenditure of 67.8 million dollars.
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brought a new diversity to the area in which Italian immigrants set up a small village and built the dam by hand and horsepower.
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The construction of the new Raystown Dam and Raystown Lake was completed in 1972. The lake was conveniently nearly filled by
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trails. Firework displays are held at the Raystown Lake Resort on Memorial Day Weekend, July 3, and the Sunday night before
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was occurring and so leisure spending was not received well by most individuals who had ties with
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skills area, hiking and biking trails, bird watching, fishing, fishing guides, and picnic areas.
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The federal government should not be spending money to build recreational projects at this time;
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578:(Penelec) in 1946 (Shuck, 1989). This dam is now a popular diving site by local scuba divers.
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from wind and moisture. When it was announced in the 1960s that the lake would be expanded,
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Raystown Lake has many recreational activities. Some of the most popular activities are
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The average taxpayer in Central Pennsylvania does not support this new dam (Anon. 1968)
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513:. The fireworks at the resort are watched from the lake but can also be seen from the
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and the Pennsylvania Electric Company (Penelec) jointly filed application with the
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that have restaurants and often hold special events. There is also an abundance of
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below the mouth of the Juniata River" (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 1965).
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All available money should be spent in supporting Armed Forces in Vietnam;
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All unnecessary spending should be cut to help keep the dollar sound;
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instead of public enterprise. The December 9, 1989 edition of the
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original power station and the original dam still remain.
798:. Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association. Archived from
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90:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
1030:Bodies of water of Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania
1010:Protected areas of Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania
450:. It is the largest lake that is entirely within
517:bridge; the resort is just south of this bridge.
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990:WorldCat record for "Discovery at Sheep Rock"
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903:: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
16:Man-made lake in Pennsylvania, United States
857:Kellers Engineer Inc. and GAI Consultants.
501:surrounding the lake. The lake also offers
53:Learn how and when to remove these messages
1015:United States Army Corps of Engineers dams
741:Raystown Lake from Ridenour Overlook, 2014
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230:Learn how and when to remove this message
212:Learn how and when to remove this message
150:Learn how and when to remove this message
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796:"Allegheny Electric Cooperative, Inc"
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937:"Raystown Lake Public Boat Launches"
637:Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
88:adding citations to reliable sources
505:, a waterpark, fishing guides, and
823:"Untitled (Field Guide Fall 2004)"
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558:on March 30, 1906 (Drake, 1905).
34:This article has multiple issues.
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489:. Raystown Lake offers several
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75:needs additional citations for
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633:Allegheny Electric Cooperative
550:idea had been recorded by the
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758:Pennsylvania State University
676:Senate Public Works Committee
576:Pennsylvania Electric Company
393:Raystown Branch Juniata River
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318:Show map of the United States
844:Raystown Dam... Days Gone By
540:View from the western shore.
881:G Aberg; Joseph W Michels.
192:the claims made and adding
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1005:Reservoirs in Pennsylvania
425:8,300 acres (33.6 km)
589:Flood Control Act of 1962
433:200 ft (61.0 m)
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288:Show map of Pennsylvania
644:disaster, Penelec left
627:Station was dedicated.
456:Army Corps of Engineers
417:32 mi (51 km)
1025:Dams completed in 1973
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515:Pennsylvania Route 994
493:as well as two larger
980:– tourism information
605:Newport, Pennsylvania
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369:40.43361°N 78.00667°W
1020:Dams in Pennsylvania
978:Raystown Lake Region
941:Raystown Lake Region
922:Raystown Lake Region
711:Tropical Storm Agnes
84:improve this article
986:– short description
802:on December 1, 2017
747:Archaeological area
582:Second Raystown Dam
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545:First Raystown Dam
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177:possibly contains
680:Allen J. Ellender
642:Three Mile Island
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821:Jay Shuck.
668:Vietnam War
593:Mount Union
556:Pennypacker
414:Max. length
372: /
347:Coordinates
140:August 2012
999:Categories
867:2013-11-05
828:2013-11-05
782:References
765:Recreation
678:, Senator
564:Daily News
430:Max. depth
360:78°00′24″W
357:40°26′01″N
186:improve it
110:newspapers
39:improve it
899:cite book
891:435878359
597:Lewistown
511:Labor Day
503:disk golf
499:campsites
444:reservoir
190:verifying
45:talk page
657:Entriken
471:swimming
328:Location
672:Vietnam
601:Mifflin
532:History
495:marinas
487:camping
483:fishing
467:boating
184:Please
124:scholar
889:
603:, and
507:hiking
485:, and
126:
119:
112:
105:
97:
946:5 May
927:5 May
862:(PDF)
661:Aitch
442:is a
400:Basin
131:JSTOR
117:books
948:2023
929:2023
905:link
887:OCLC
808:2017
756:and
103:news
446:in
188:by
86:by
1001::
939:.
920:.
901:}}
897:{{
885:.
599:,
595:,
481:,
477:,
473:,
469:,
338:,
334:,
48:.
950:.
931:.
907:)
893:.
870:.
831:.
810:.
233:)
227:(
215:)
209:(
204:)
200:(
182:.
153:)
147:(
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138:(
128:·
121:·
114:·
107:·
80:.
55:)
51:(
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