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Outdoors

Community Outdoor calendar for week of June 3

INSECT SAFARI WHERE: Little Pine State Park and Hyner Run State Park WHEN: Friday, June 6 at 3:30 p.m. (Little Pine) and Saturday, June 7 at 3:30 p.m. (Hyner Run) NOTES: Join the park naturalist for an insect safari and learn some of the characteristics of an insect and also go on a walk to look for different insects and their cousins. There will be a craft. This program is intended for children, but anyone is free to attend. All children must be accompanied by an adult in order to participate. The program may be modified or canceled in the event of severe weather or new ...

CHIRPING AWAY: A closer look at Pennsylvania’s songbird mimics

With one of the largest shares of Appalachian Mountains among all the eastern states, Pennsylvania is home to many dozens of songbirds that fill our forestlands each summer. These voracious insectivores not only protect forest trees from overgrazing by insects, but also produce a rich array ...

Migratory bird game seasons set for the 2025-26 year

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s 2025-26 migratory game bird seasons have been set. There are two significant changes to waterfowl seasons. The regular season daily bag limit for Canada geese in the Atlantic Population Zone has decreased from three to one, and for northern pintail, there will be a flat daily bag limit of three. “The Atlantic Population Zone allows the Atlantic Flyway to closely manage harvest for this smaller, more delicate population of migratory Canada geese,” said Game Commission Waterfowl Biologist Amanda Hoyt. “The most recent breeding pair estimate on the ...

Why don’t more anglers chase panfish?

Over the weekend, I had one of the best fishing trips of the season. No, I did not catch a personal best or even anything worth keeping. I was not fishing some exotic location or hard-to-get-in private club — just the lake at a local state park. I was not even trying out a fancy new piece of gear, only a rod, a bobber, some weights, and a hook. So, what made the day so special? Why would a count catching too-small-to-keep fish on a local lake, with one the most essential of gear, the best trip of the year? Two reasons: one, I got to do it with a dear friend and former coworker, ...

Native wildflowers are abundant in our region

In our region we host wildflowers galore from May through September. These wonders of nature grow in every size from two inches high (violets) to towering overhead (mountain laurel, our state flower). Native wildflowers are important food sources versus non-native wildflowers, which have ...