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Community Outdoor calendar for week of April 8

AUDUBON EVENT: BIRD WALK at RPANA WHERE: Meet at the barn at 1722 Sylvan Dell Road WHEN: Saturday, April 12 from 8-10 a.m. NOTES: Join the Lycoming Audubon Society for a bird walk at the Robert Porter Allen Natural Area. Volunteer opportunity to follow for those who are interested. The program is free and open to the public. More details can be found at www.lycomingaudubon.org. AUDUBON EVENT: Community Work Day at RPANA WHERE: Meet at the barn at 1722 Sylvan Dell Road WHEN: Saturday, April 12 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. NOTES: Volunteers are needed for a habitat ...

Pennsylvania’s outdoor recreation economy has been growing

Outdoor recreation enthusiasts and businesses that cater to the industry recently gathered inside New Trail Brewing in Williamsport to share ideas on how to elevate their game. “It is important to us,” said David Hertwig, co-founder and sales director at New Trail Brewing, which is a ...

Does color really matter when it comes to fishing lures?

Growing up, fishing lines, like the channels on TV, came in very few colors. Most were clear. Others were tinted with sublime blue or green hues but were also primarily clear. There were no reds, browns, yellows, or camouflage. It was a fishing line, not clothing. Now fishing line comes in almost any color of the spectrum. You can even get a multi-colored line, changing colors every foot. So the question is does color matter? The quick answer is no, at least not to the fish. If your setup includes a main line and a leader, the line’s color is irrelevant. This fish will see the ...

PGC releases deer harvesting estimates for 2024-25

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania hunters harvested about 11% more deer in the 2024-25 hunting seasons than they did the year before, according to Pennsylvania Game Commission estimates released today. The statewide 2024-25 harvest is estimated at 476,880 deer, 175,280 of them antlered deer and 301,600 antlerless. By comparison, the statewide 2023-24 harvest was estimated at 430,010 deer. Most of that year-over-year increase is attributable to the antlerless deer harvest. The 2024-25 buck take was up 2% over the year before, and 9% over the most recent three-year average. The 2024-25 ...

Freshwater research institute director to speak at meeting

The public is invited to a meeting of the Trout Unlimited Susquehanna Chapter featuring Matthew Wilson, Director of the Freshwater Institute at Susquehanna University. The meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 9 at 7 p.m. at the Covenant Central Presbyterian Church, 807 W. Fourth Street, in Williamsport. Prior to modern settlement, the Appalachian lowlands of the Susquehanna watershed were wet and swampy. Beavers were very abundant, creating a complex network of ponds and braided channels, keeping cool groundwater at the surface and stream temperatures low. This was the perfect ...

Reflections in Nature: Forest fire wardens become busy in spring

During March, April and May, forest fire wardens and local fire companies become busy with brush fires and larger forest fires. This springtime danger comes when bright sun, strong winds and warming temperatures quickly increase wildfire dangers across Pennsylvania’s forests and brush lands. When things turn green later in the spring the fire season will slow down. The Bureau of Forestry within DCNR is responsible for the prevention and suppression of wildfire on the 17 million acres of forest lands throughout the commonwealth. Today the bureau aids fire companies across the state ...