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Outdoors

General elk season is finally here in Pennsylvania

HARRISBURG — One of the most highly sought-after hunting opportunities in the country is the chance to pursue Pennsylvania elk, and the most popular of the state’s three elk seasons starts soon. The general elk season opened on Monday and runs through Saturday, Nov. 9. While Pennsylvania now has three separate seasons for elk – a two-week archery season in September, the general season, and a late season that begins Dec. 28 – the general season is tops in participation. This year, 68 of the 140 Pennsylvania elk licenses awarded by lottery are valid for the general season. ...

White nose syndrome with bats is likely reshaping ripple effect

On certain summer nights, you can find Richard Fritsky slowly driving the backroads of northeast Pennsylvania with a specialized microphone attached to the roof of his car. “The microphone picks up high-frequency sounds that bats make but are above human hearing,” he said. “I’ll drive so slowly, like only 20 miles a night, and record every noise and the computer that microphone is attached to identifies the type of bat and uses GPS to show exactly where they are flying.” After 10 years of this study specifically and 17 years with the Pennsylvania Game Commission, the ...

Erie Bluffs state park inducted into national old-growth forest network

LAKE CITY — Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources state parks director John Hallas celebrated the induction of Erie Bluffs State Park in Erie County into the national Old-Growth Forest Networ, an organization that connects people with nature by creating a national network of protected forests. Erie Bluff’s woodlands are the 33rd forest in Pennsylvania to join the OGFN as it works to preserve at least one forest in every county in the U.S. that can sustain a forest. The network’s mission is to identify forests, ensure their protection from logging, and ...

Outdoors community calendar for week of Nov. 5

Audubon Event: SUSQUEHANNA RIVER WALK WHERE: Susquehanna River Walk (meet at South Williamsport Recycling Center at top of the dike) WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 9 at 8:30 a.m. NOTES: Join the Lycoming Audubon Society for an easy bird walk along the Susquehanna River WAlk on the South Williamsport side. You will view waterfowl and enjoy species of raptors like bald eagles, peregrine falcons and red-tailed hawks. We will check out birdlife that frequent the brush and trees along the path. The program is free and open to the public. For more details, check out ...

‘Then and now’: Susquehanna is a landscape flowing with history

At approximately 340 million years old, the Susquehanna River is older than the Nile, the Thames and the Amazon rivers, spanning 672 miles across three states. It’s no wonder that over time, people in central Pennsylvania and beyond have returned to the river to celebrate its history and ...

Ducks are back in the landscape

In October, two groups welcome the sound of wings over the waters of our land: birders and duck hunters. The sight of the brightly-colored drakes and their duller-plumaged hens floating on wooded streams, flowing rivers and marshy ponds lifts our spirits. While most people know at least the ...