Habitat rehabilitation partnership in Allegheny National Forest is a win for wildlife
- by Guest Contributor
- July 8, 2024
- Share:
By USDA Forest Service – Allegheny National Forest
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service recently partnered with multiple organizations to rehabilitate and enhance existing wildlife habitat in the Allegheny National Forest. On Saturday, June 1, 2024, three dozen participants worked in the Farnsworth watershed to improve wildlife habitat by restoring fencing, installing bird boxes, and planting trees and shrubs.
Image: USFS staff, Gracie Archer, and volunteers, Don Bickle and Mary Ellen Scowden, plant eastern white pine saplings in the Farnsworth watershed. Photo by the National Deer Association.
The event was organized in partnership with the National Deer Association (NDA), a non-profit organization whose mission is to ensure the future of wild deer, wildlife habitat, and hunting. Two dozen volunteers from the NDA joined Forest Service and Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources staff in the rehabilitation effort at Farnsworth.
Image: New fencing being installed at Farnsworth watershed by volunteer, Don Bickle, and USFS staff, Gracie Archer and Lisa Barlow. Photo by the National Deer Association.
Volunteers were additionally gathered through the Working for Wildlife Tour hosted by MeatEater, Inc., an outdoor lifestyle company with a commitment to conservation. The Working for Wildlife Tour began in 2023 to bring attention to the critical work done by conservationists to improve public lands and steward our nation’s natural resources. The tour’s purpose is to bring hunters and anglers together, volunteering their time to improve wildlife habitat, restore ecosystems, and clean up public lands and waterways.
Image: Volunteer, Alex Gizowski, and President and CEO of the National Deer Association, Nick Pinizzotto, pictured with a newly installed bluebird box. Photo by the National Deer Association.
During the June 1 event, participants installed 14 bluebird boxes with predator guards, 600 feet of new fencing to protect plants from animal browsing, planted 50 eastern white pine and buttonbush saplings, and removed 2,000 feet of worn fencing. This work resulted in the creation of critical nesting habitat, high-value seasonal food, and needed cover for a variety of wildlife, including pollinators such as hummingbirds, honeybees, and butterflies.
About the USDA Forest Service – Allegheny National Forest:
Established in 1923, the Allegheny National Forest (ANF) is Pennsylvania’s only National Forest. Situated on the Allegheny Plateau, the forest is comprised of 514,029 acres in the northwestern corner of the state. The slogan “Land of Many Uses” captures a vision of a healthy, vigorous, working forest that provides timber and wood products, watershed protection, access to underground minerals, ties to cultural history, a diversity of wildlife habitats, and outstanding outdoor recreation opportunities — not only today but in a sustainable way so future generations can enjoy these benefits.
