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Outdoors

Haley Redmond named new manager for Little Pine State Park Complex

HARRISBURG — Department of Conservation and Natural Resources secretary Cindy Adams Dunn announced the appointment of Haley Redmond as the manager for the Little Pine State Park Complex in the Pennsylvania Wilds. “Haley’s deep knowledge about the environment and passion for connecting to visitors will be a tremendous asset to the Little Pine complex and the Pennsylvania Wilds region,” Dunn said. “We expect she will continue the strong history of leadership at these beautiful parks and the incredible wealth of natural resources within.” Redmond oversees the park complex, ...

Reflections in Nature: Migration will be seen in number of types of birds, other species

At the end of February, Mary Alice and I took our friends Nancy and Patrick Beebe down to the PA Game Commission’s Middle Creek Wildlife Area to see the snow geese that had stopped to rest and eat during their northern migration. Middle Creek is located on the Lebanon/Lancaster County lines and is a key stop for northern migrating snow geese. Although we saw several thousand snow geese on our visit, the numbers were not as high as in previous years, when there were often 100,000 snow geese resting and eating on the lake and hillsides. We were told that the snow geese are arriving ...

Outdoors community calendar for week of March 10

FREE KIDS FISHING TOURNAMENT WHERE: Clinger’s Bait and Tackle at 1566 Route 287 Highway in Jersey Shore WHEN: Saturday, March 28, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. NOTES: The tournament is for kids up to the age of 15. There will be prizes for first, second and third for both boys and girls anglers. The rules are to fish any Pennsylvania stocked waters and follow all Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission rules and limits. The fish must be brought in to Clinger’s Bait and Tackle then to be measured by 5 p.m. In the event of a tie, the award will go to the first fish brought in.

Hundreds visit Montour Preserve for Environmental Educational Expo

More than 300 people braved minus-20-degree windchills and numerous roadways impacted by snowdrifts and limited visibility due to blowing snow to attend the Third Annual Environmental Education Expo at the Montour Preserve this past month. “It was great to see so many families brave the ...

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 ...