Stewardship

August 14, 2023

Full Circle Bioconversion uses fly larvae to transform food scraps

Have you ever seen food waste literally disappear as it's digested by larvae? Full Circle Bioconversion is food recycling service that uses black soldier fly larvae to create compost, dried larvae and frass. It serves Lycoming County, and owner Aubrey Fornwalt collaborates with many businesses around the area to reduce their waste!

August 9, 2023

Allegheny National Forest Centennial Celebration planned for September 24 at Twin Lakes

The USDA Forest Service is inviting the public to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Allegheny National Forest’s establishment on Sunday, September 24, 2023, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Twin Lakes Recreation Area in Wilcox, Elk County. Admission is free for this family-friendly event. Planned festivities include live music, guest speakers, kids' activities, commemorative giveaways, interpretive hikes, an expo of organizations, history displays, food trucks, and beverage vendors.

August 7, 2023

High performance buildings in the PA Wilds

LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It is a program that works through each project, or building, meeting goals and earning points through designs that tackle carbon, energy, water, waste, and other environmental qualities and outputs. Are you surprised to know that our region hosts almost half of all the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ LEED certified buildings? It’s pretty impressive!

August 4, 2023

2023 PA Wilds Champions receive awards at July 27 dinner

On July 27, the eleven recipients of the 2023 Champions of the Pennsylvania Wilds Awards were recognized for their efforts to help grow and sustainably develop the region’s outdoor recreation economy and nature tourism.  Approximately 200 people from across the 13-county PA Wilds region and Harrisburg gathered to celebrate the award winners during the 2023 PA Wilds Dinner & Awards, held at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Jefferson County. The event is organized by the PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship, Inc. (PA Wilds Center) and the PA Wilds Planning Team, and the theme for this year’s dinner was “Celebrating Decades of Conservation and Innovation.”

July 28, 2023

The Truth About Snakes

PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources wildlife biologist Aura Stauffer understands people’s trepidation with snakes.  After all, they are portrayed in religion, mythology, and literature as evil creatures which are always up to no good. Part of Aura's job as a wildlife biologist with DCNR is to convince others of the importance of the noble serpent. 

June 26, 2023

The Kinzua Bridge Tornado – 20 Years Later

A wise person once noted, “Mother Nature is beautiful, Mother Nature is powerful, and Mother Nature is cruel.” Nowhere is this truer than in the Kinzua Creek Valley where, in fewer than 30 seconds, the “powerful and cruel” became real on July 21, 2003 and something “beautiful” that stood for 121 years, was gone. It has been 20 years since the Kinzua Viaduct/Bridge was blown out by a tornado.

June 16, 2023

National Arborist Appreciation Day

June 16th is National Arborist Appreciation Day. What is an arborist? If you search for the definition of an arborist online, the first response is “a tree surgeon.” Just as you wouldn’t go under the knife for high blood pressure or the flu, they are better defined as practitioners of arboriculture, i.e. the care and maintenance of trees.

June 12, 2023

Volunteers still needed for IRONMAN 70.3 at Bald Eagle State Park

The first IRONMAN competition in Pennsylvania is almost here, and volunteers are still needed to help make this event a success! Volunteers are needed June 29 - July 2 at Bald Eagle State Park and Beaver Stadium, among other places along the journey. Athletes will take on their race with a 1.2-mile swim in Foster Joseph Sayers Reservoir at Bald Eagle State Park, a scenic 56-mile bike ride through the beautiful rolling hills of Centre and Clinton Counties, and a 13.1-mile run on the campus of Penn State University.

May 11, 2023

One of the best things you can do to help the environment… plant a native tree!

With the recent celebrations of Earth Day and Arbor Day, many people have been seeing more information about ways to help the environment -- perhaps even overloaded with all the information out there. The impacts of climate change and the threat of invasive species have some people wondering if helping the environment is a losing battle, and some don’t know where to start. We’re here to say that it is not a losing battle. While there are many ways to help the environment, one of the best things you can do is to plant a native tree!

May 5, 2023

Leaves of five, let it thrive

May fifth is Cinco de Mayo, a holiday that celebrates the Mexican victory over the French in the Franco-Mexican war. “Cinco” means five in Spanish, so let us discuss plants with five-part flowers and leaves with five leaflets.