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September 30, 2024

Emporium Crosswalk Mural Project: A celebration of community and art

The Emporium Crosswalk Mural Project is a vibrant community art initiative that is set to transform the heart of downtown Emporium. This project is a collaborative effort between the Elk County Council on the Arts (ECCOTA), The Emporium Borough, artist Mickayla Poland from PA Made, and various local organizations, all united by the common goal of celebrating Emporium’s rich community through art.

September 26, 2024

Coming Soon: 2024 Ghosts of the PA Wilds

“Ghosts of the PA Wilds” describes a series of ghost stories from the region written by historian Lou Bernard, who also revels in folklore and the paranormal. Each Thursday of October 2024, and leading right to Halloween, the PA Wilds Are Calling blog will feature a new ghost story to celebrate the spooktacular season upon us.

September 24, 2024

Wilds Child: Late summer migratory paths at Parker Dam State Park

Every year around mid-August, millions of monarch butterflies take flight from their botanical homes and travel thousands of miles along an ancestral fall migration path. Monarchs in the eastern United States, including monarchs that call the Pennsylvania Wilds home, depart to Mexico to overwinter together in fluttering clusters, only to return to our wildflower fields and backyard gardens in the spring. Every year around mid-August, millions of children across Pennsylvania take a similar migratory path, departing from their sunsoaked backyards and the ease of summer vacation and into large yellow buses that trace familiar routes to their primary and secondary schools.

September 23, 2024

Silver in the Pennsylvania Wilds

Fifteen years ago, I was asked to do a research job that involved lost deposits of silver in Clinton County. I looked into it and discovered that it was plausible, though I didn’t personally find any silver (you’ll notice I still have to work for a living). Recent discoveries have reopened that research job for me, and I’ve spent part of the summer again looking into the possibility of undiscovered silver within the Pennsylvania Wilds.

September 20, 2024

ATV trails will close for summer in Allegheny National Forest on September 29

The US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service will close the all-terrain vehicle and off-highway motorcycle (ATV/OHM) trails in the Allegheny National Forest for the summer season at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, September 29, 2024.

September 19, 2024

Taking care of the Chuck Keiper Trail

Keystone Trails Association's trail care program focuses on trails that lack formal trail maintenance clubs. Deep in the Sproul State Forest just south of Renovo in Clinton County, the Chuck Keiper Trail is one of those trails. Over the past several years, the Chuck Keiper Trail has earned a reputation for having very rough conditions. Now with the help of Keystone Trails Association and the Outdoor Corps, part of the trail is looking much better.

September 17, 2024

Ride the PA Wilds (and share your cycling feedback!)

The PA Wilds is filled with endless opportunities to explore via bicycle, from scenic rail trails like the Pine Creek Rail Trail and Clarion Little-Toby Trail, to thrilling purpose-built mountain bike trails such as Jakes Rocks, to thousands of miles of gravel and dirt roads. Cycling, in particular off-road cycling, has grown in recent years with more participants than ever taking to the trails to discover the joy of two wheels. E-bikes have made the sport even more accessible, lowering the physical barrier for using bikes for both transportation and recreation. Now a survey is asking for your feedback about how you bike in the PA Wilds!

September 16, 2024

Last swim

Quick is usually best. A deep breath, a plunge and the cool September water laughs and envelops me one last time. Everything feels sharp and alive. The smooth stones slip by below and newly browned and yellowed leaves ride the surface with me as we journey together for a while. Eventually their delicate veins will slip beneath the surface as mine have now, marveling at late afternoon slant of light on stone and branch and leaf now resting below.

September 13, 2024

Forest Fridays: Chewing the fat

For many of our migratory songbirds, the journey southward will commence soon or has already begun. Their arduous voyages consume vast amounts of energy that must be steadily replenished along the way. Of the most valuable food sources during this time are those that are high in fat content. When it comes to native versus non-native berries, it’s no contest. Oft-eaten, non-native berries include those of the multiflora rose and various invasive honeysuckles, which contain less than one percent fat. For our feathered migrants, that just won’t cut it.

September 12, 2024

The Allure of the Allegheny National Forest and the Surrounds

I was born in Oil City, Pennsylvania, and lived in the Guys Mills area for a few years before work took my parents out of the state and ultimately back to Virginia, their home. My parents thought a gap year program might benefit me, which is what brought me back to Pennsylvania - specifically, Spring Creek. My plan was to stay in PA for only a few months and then head back to Virginia, but apparently it wasn’t meant to be. Twenty-four years later, I still call Spring Creek, Pennsylvania home. I never left, and I don't think I ever will.