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Outdoors

Forest landowners should plan for spongy moths

HARRISBURG — The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is urging Pennsylvania’s forest landowners and woodlot owners to start planning now for spongy moth treatment this spring to protect their trees from severe damage. Spongy moths (Lymantria dispar dispar) are a major threat to Pennsylvania’s forests, having killed millions of oak and other tree species. For the past three years, populations have reached outbreak levels, leading to widespread defoliation. With nearly 70 percent of Pennsylvania’s forests privately owned, DCNR is encouraging landowners to secure ...

Keeping volunteers? The key is knowing your audience and what excites them

On Feb. 10, 2025, the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association hosted its second Riverkeeper Roundtable webinar, covering Watershed Volunteerism. Travis Wingard, the Penn State Extension Master Watershed Steward Coordinator of the PA Wilds Region, presented an overview of the Master ...

Time to start catching perch is right around the corner

After a long winter of cold temperatures and few fishing opportunities, people are itching to get on the water again. While many anglers anxiously await the opening day of trout season, others are prowling local lakes for monster perch. If you love perch, which is often considered one of Pennsylvania's tastiest species, there is no better time to catch a big one than now. Like many species, perch come alive in spring. After spending the winter simply trying to survive, it is time to eat, spawn, and be happy. Large schools will gather where the conditions are right and provide the ...

Former PFBC executive director to speak at Trout Unlimited meeting on March 12

The public is invited to a meeting of the Trout Unlimited Susquehanna Chapter featuring former PA Fish and Boat Commission executive director John Arway. The meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 12 at 7 p.m. at the Covenant Central Presbyterian Church at 807 W. Fourth Street in Williamsport. Parking and entrance to the Church is at the rear of the building with access off of Campbell Street. Arway will discuss his remarkable career of over 30 years with the PA Fish Commission, beginning as a fisheries biologist and culminating as executive director from 2010-18. Also in ...

Reflections in Nature: Arrival of March means spring is almost here

Hopefully we all made it through the month of February. Although February is our shortest month, it appeared to me that it would never end and was happy to turn the page on the calendar to the month of March. Although many of us consider March as the start of spring, cold weather and snowstorms can still occur. However we will begin to see signs of spring, such as migrating birds returning home and tinges of color appearing on the hill sides. The weatherman tells us that March is the beginning of the meteorological spring however the date shown on the calendar as the first day of ...

Newest game wardens join their latest ranks

HARRISBURG — Their training now complete, Pennsylvania’s newest State Game Wardens are working in their newly assigned districts. The 36th Class of the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Ross Leffler School of Conservation graduated Feb. 1, adding 18 more officers to the ranks. Members of the 36th Class and their assigned districts are: Jonathon R. Boland (McKean County); Travis L. Brown (Schuylkill County); Alex J. Christofaro (Berks County); Alex W. Cook (Montgomery County); Kaitlyn L. Corle (Fulton County); Isaac N. Decker (Delaware County); Madeline M. Delly (Dauphin County); ...