Stewardship

February 9, 2019

Snowbirds: Signs of winter and hope for spring

Ryan Reed's mother always enjoyed watching birds at the backyard feeder, and so has he.  When he was young, his mother taught him to identify the “snowbirds.” Years later, he learned to formally identify them as “slate-colored juncos,” and still later yet, “dark-eyed juncos." Learn more about these birds, often spotted throughout winter in the Pennsylvania Wilds.

February 2, 2019

Frozen Frogs: A miraculous winter strategy

When winter’s glacial groan begins to sweep across the land, animals are ready to meet the challenge with a variety of strategies. But the wood frog neither flees nor flops nor frets…it freezes.

January 2, 2019

Clarion River, Finalist for ‘River of the Year,’ Honored with Postage Stamp

The year 2018 was a huge year for the Clarion River, and 2019 stands to be even bigger. In late November, the Clarion was named one of four rivers nominated for “Pennsylvania River of the Year, 2019,” and this Pennsylvania Wilds river is also among 12 U.S. Wild and Scenic Rivers to be featured on a postage stamp issued by the United States Postal Service in the new year.

December 15, 2018

Leaf after Death: Explore the benefits of tree ‘litter’

Chartreuse budburst tinged with pink is a welcome sight in spring after a dreary winter. Deep green leaves radiant in the summer sun are appreciated for their cool shade. Autumn foliage painted in vivid colors can stop traffic with its beauty. But what impression is left on the leaves that have fallen to the ground, besides the tread of your boots?

December 12, 2018

Elk visit Bennetts Valley Elementary, create opportunity for learning

When you live in Elk Country, it’s not uncommon to spot elk. Sometimes they’re perched in a yard near the woods; other times they’re lying nonchalantly next to the road. The youngsters who grow up in this part of the Pennsylvania Wilds are used to these enormous cervidae.  But, who would have thought the elk visit them while in school?

November 23, 2018

Headwaters Mountain: The Triple Continental Divide of the Pennsylvania Wilds

This is something geologically unique to these Pennsylvania Wilds because Potter County is home to the only Triple Continental Divide east of the Mississippi River, where rainfall travels in three separate directions to the sea. At the end of a gravel road, in a pasture atop the mountain, raindrops falling in the same area, a mere few inches apart will merge into one of three springs. All within less than a thousand yards of one another, the descent of these three springs becomes the starting point for three major rivers and primary watershed divides, one north, one west, the other east.

November 18, 2018

Hungry, Hungry Bear Season

Late fall is a great time for food connoisseurs, as Thanksgiving is on the horizon and families are preparing to gather. Emily Just from the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Bureau of Forestry looks at how, unlike humans, bear are able to consume plenty of extra calories this time of year, ahead of winter hibernation.

November 8, 2018

The Man Who Saved the Wolves

The McCleery Discovery Center in Kane opened in 2017 in a restored 1871 Pennsylvania Railroad depot, the same depot where the first Lobo wolf pups arrived in 1921. Its mission is to highlight the accomplishments of Dr. Edward McCleery and it holds a collection of letters, journals, photos, and various artifacts commemorating the man who saved the wolves.

August 29, 2018

10th Annual Allegheny River Cleanup is Sept. 8-15; Register by Aug. 31 to participate

The 10th Annual Allegheny River Cleanup will take place between September 8-15, and everyone is welcome to get involved! Volunteers can sign up to participate in one cleanup or all - but must do so by Friday, August 31st.

August 28, 2018

Flowers of Fall: Pennsylvania’s Asters

As summer begins to wind down and Labor Day approaches, a group of Pennsylvania wildflowers come into prominence—the asters.  With over 35 species of native asters in the commonwealth, there is a species for nearly every habitat you can imagine.