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December 20, 2024

Forest Fridays: Yule logs and Yule cakes

‘Tis the season for many diverse holidays and celebrations. One that I look forward to is the winter solstice with cultural, religious, and astronomical significance. It is the celebration of light and increasing hours of daylight. Yule, celebrated during the winter solstice, originated as an ancient pagan celebration of rebirth, and welcoming back the light. It is a time for introspection, reflection, and anticipation of the new year. A common part of the Yule celebration (and now Christmas) is the Yule log, a tree or a piece of wood ceremoniously burned. Some choose to feature a cake that is decorated to look like a log. 

December 17, 2024

Susquehanna bridges, then and now

The Susquehanna River is a piece of living history, connecting communities to the natural landscape throughout Pennsylvania. Bridges make up one building block in this network of connections, and many of them used to be covered. Of the 14,000 covered bridges constructed across the United States, 1,500 were built in the State of Pennsylvania between 1820 and 1900. To celebrate the engineering and history of these architectural treasures, let’s explore a few of our favorites along the Susquehanna River’s West Branch.

December 16, 2024

ANF snowmobile trails open for the winter season

Snowmobile trails are officially open for the season in the Allegheny National Forest in the Allegheny National Forest and Surrounds landscape of the Pennsylvania Wilds! The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service announces the opening of snowmobile season at 8:00 a.m. on December 16, 2024, in Allegheny National Forest. Snowmobile trails will remain open until 12:00 p.m. on March 31, 2025. These dates are chosen for public safety, occurring after the regular firearms deer hunting season.

December 12, 2024

BIRD LORE: Winter finch report for 2024-25

It’s that time of year again. Fall migration is essentially over and, while we’ll miss most of the colorful bird species we enjoy in the spring and summer, there are a few arriving from northern latitudes and the boreal (northern) forest. These birds ought to get our attention and hold our interest for much of the winter.

December 10, 2024

Have family visiting for the holidays? Here are some activities for spending time together in the PA Wilds!

The holiday travel season is here! Whether you have family visiting the PA Wilds for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah or New Year's, there's nothing like welcoming your extended family members and making them feel at home. Here are some ideas for how to make special memories while your family is visiting.

December 6, 2024

Indigenous names of the Susquehanna Greenway

The Susquehanna River has drawn people to its banks for thousands of years. Many of our Susquehanna Greenway River Towns were built where former Native American villages once maintained extensive agricultural fields, towns, and roads along the easily navigable shores of the Susquehanna River. Acknowledging the importance of Indigenous people in Pennsylvania’s past, present, and future is key to understanding and respecting the Susquehanna Greenway that we explore today.

December 5, 2024

Brady Tunnel opens in Clarion County, completing top ten trail gap

Some were skeptical that it could be done, but after six years of hard work, Armstrong Trails celebrated the opening of the newly renovated Brady Tunnel on Friday, Nov. 1. After decades of dormancy, the 2,468-foot railroad tunnel, located in Clarion County, will be open to non-motorized public use. The accomplishment marked the closing of one of Pennsylvania’s Top Ten trail gaps, creating 100 miles of connected trail in the Armstrong Trails network.

December 2, 2024

Viewing the Aurora Borealis in the dark skies of the PA Wilds

In May and October of this year, solar storms have presented northern Pennsylvania with multiple unique and rare opportunities to witness the Northern Lights from their backyards. This year, we have been hit (granted) with multiple large solar ejections, also known as solar flares. This has produced opportunities to witness these epic events first-hand, spontaneously, with barely having to travel. In fact, the lights could be seen within the Pennsylvania Wilds!

November 29, 2024

Forest Fridays: I brought the green bean casserole

The first Thanksgiving was held near Plymouth, Massachusetts, and not the Pennsylvania Wilds. However, many of the things eaten during that first Thanksgiving meal would have also likely been found in our rural section of Pennsylvania... and would seem very different from what Thanksgiving looks like nowadays.

November 25, 2024

Cameron County leans into dark sky tourism

Cameron County is taking advantage of its location to capitalize on the tourism benefits of dark skies. The PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) recently awarded a grant to the Lumber Heritage Region, which will help fund a master site development plan to create a dark skies park in Cameron County. The park site is a reclaimed county landfill. The plan will explore strategic goals, timelines, and implementation methods. Ultimately, the desire is to have a site and community recognized by the International Dark Skies Association.