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Reflections in Nature: A pond freezing is amazing process

The Susquehanna River, which had been frozen over, is now open, and our lakes and ponds are beginning to thaw. These are all signs that the ice fishing season is coming to an end. The fishermen have had a longer season this year than they usually do. The winter was cold enough that even Lake Erie was completely frozen over. In years past, the ice had not become thick enough for ice fishing, which prevented most ice fishermen from participating in their sport. The process is amazing that ponds and lakes go through when freezing and thawing. In the past, I wrote about the process that ...

Releases of Mylar balloons can endanger wildlife

Here is a sad tale: those colorful and cheerful Mylar balloons commonly released at celebrations and funerals are, ironically, also inadvertently creating dangerous and even lethal situations for birds. Why? Such balloons can become hazardous litter. More than 100 balloons were recently collected at the Edwin B. Forsythe Natural Wildlife in New Jersey on one beach. Balloons have also been found more than 100 miles out in the ocean. Balloons are often ingested by fish, dolphins and sea and land birds. Wayne Laubscher, a local birding expert who frequently accompanies groups on ...

A look at drifting to catch fish this spring

Trout season is almost upon us, and I, for one, cannot wait. It’s been a long winter with little chance to get on the water, and my fishing addiction needs a fix. Today, I want to take a moment to share how I prefer to target the local Salmonidae. Although I have successfully filled my creel using a variety of methods, my favorite is drifting. It lets me do something other than wait for my bait to be picked up, doesn’t involve as much constant action as retrieving a lure, and provides a level of excitement unlike almost any other method. When the float twitches and then ...

Susquehanna Trout Unlimited presents “Getting Started Fly Fishing in Northcentral PA”

The Susquehanna Chapter of Trout Unlimited invites everyone who might be wondering how to get started fly fishing in northcentral Pennsylvania to a special program hosted by our local Trout Unlimited members. The meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 11, at 7 p.m. at the Covenant Central Presbyterian Church at 807 W. Fourth Street in Williamsport. Parking and entrance to the church meeting room is at the rear of the building with access off of Campbell Street. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend. For more information, please see our website at https://susquehannatu.com. ...

Yaw, Boscola propose restoring traditional opening day of rifle season

HARRISBURG – A bill to restore Pennsylvania’s traditional opening day of statewide firearms deer season to the first Monday after Thanksgiving will soon be introduced, according to Sen. Gene Yaw (R-23) and Sen. Lisa Boscola (D-18), sponsors of the measure. For more than 50 years, the first Monday after Thanksgiving marked the start of rifle season in Pennsylvania. That long-standing tradition was changed in 2019 when the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) moved the opening day to the Saturday following Thanksgiving, citing the goal of increasing participation and hunting license ...

Reflections in Nature: Formation of snow in winter months is far from simple

Back when the television weatherperson was predicting the January snowstorm he stated that our area was to expect about a foot of snow. While the flakes were falling, PennDOT was announcing on the news what the cost of snow removal, from our roads and highways, would be. Several nights earlier I had watched a segment on the same television station about how happy the proprietors of local ski areas were with the cold temperatures. A video was shown making snow. The snow guns were spraying a fine mist of water into the dry cold air, where it froze and fell back to the earth as ...