Stewardship

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.

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.

November 15, 2024

Forest Fridays: Thank a veteran and thank a forestry veteran

Veterans Day calls on us to thank the members of our community that defend our American way of life. This Veterans Day we honor all the veterans who have served in our armed forces and the forests of the Commonwealth with a brief history of World War I and how it affected Pennsylvania’s forestry professionals. 

November 13, 2024

Pennsylvania Wildlife Habitat Unlimited: Stewards rebuilding in the PA Wilds

The Pennsylvania Wildlife Habitat Unlimited (PWHU) is an amazing group dedicated to protecting, enhancing, restoring and maintaining wildlife habitat in north central PA, established almost 40 years ago. One of our marquee events is the annual Adopt-A-Stream restoration project on Medix Run in Elk County. Medix Run is an incredibly picturesque stream in north central PA, located in Medix Run, within the Township of Benezette. But sadly, this year’s Adopt-A-Stream will be dramatically different due to recent flooding damage.

November 8, 2024

BIRD LORE: Keeping an eye on the sparrow

On Seven Mountains Audubon’s October bird walk just outside the Pennsylvania Wilds, I was thrilled to spot four birds I wouldn’t have noticed or identified without the help of more experienced birders: a Red-shouldered hawk, a Yellow-rumped warbler, and two Nashville warblers. Always eager to see less-familiar birds, I’m grateful to those who can spot and identify them better than I. But of the thirty species tallied that day, the one that delighted me most was one I heard but didn’t see: a White-throated sparrow, calling somewhere in the tall grasses: “Poor Sam Peabody, Peabody!”

November 4, 2024

Hickory Creek Wilderness in ANF celebrates 40th anniversary

Happy 40th anniversary to Hickory Creek Wilderness in the Allegheny National Forest! The USDA Forest Service, which oversees the Allegheny National Forest and other national forest areas throughout the country, announced the 40th anniversary of the designation of Hickory Creek Wilderness as part of the National Wilderness Preservation System on October 30, 1984. Located near Tidioute, Warren County, the wilderness protects 9,337 acres of heavily forested area home to black cherry, oak, beech, birch, and eastern hemlock trees. Two major creeks run through the wilderness, East Hickory and Middle Hickory.

October 29, 2024

Nominate your favorite waterway for 2025 River of the Year

Want to show a little extra love to your local river? Pennsylvanians are being asked to nominate their favorite waterway for the 2025 River of the Year! The nomination period is open until November 11.

October 25, 2024

Forest Fridays: The working forest

National Forest Products Week is celebrated the third week of October, annually. Today we recognize, while acknowledging their innumerable other values, the benefits of working forests. Seeing a forest tract “at work” can mean different things. The forest is always working to provide habitat and clean water, and mostly does so without human influence. However,
producing a steady yield of timber and recreational opportunities like trails requires human work.

October 11, 2024

Forest Fridays: Oddities in the forest

The forest is an easy place to be struck with wonder. I often find myself staring at something, contemplating the how, what, why, or when while out in the woods. Below are a few forest oddities that may have, at one point in your forest travels, given you a reason to ponder.