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Outdoors

Reflections in Nature: Wildlife as pets? It’s illegal, and a really bad idea

Young wildlife are beginning to make their appearance. Without a doubt, these young birds and animals are cute and so much fun to watch. It is a great temptation for people to pick up a young bird, bunny, or even a fawn to take home and have as a pet. Not only is taking wildlife home illegal, it is also dangerous and these animals and birds from the wild can carry diseases. Through the years as a wildlife officer, I encountered many incidents, in which people picked up young wildlife that turned into disasters. I received a call from a schoolteacher, saying she had a student bring in ...

Shapiro admin. celebrates 2024 ranger trainee grads at Little Buffalo

HARRISBURG — Department of Conservation and Natural Resources secretary Cindy Adams Dunn recently visited Little Buffalo State Park for ceremony honoring the 2024 graduates of the department’s ranger trainee academy. “We are proud of our 2024 class of graduates and look forward to seeing their impact at our parks this summer and beyond,” Dunn said. “Our rangers and park managers are key in providing positive visitor experiences, in addition to their duties as sworn law enforcement officers. I am confident that their hard work during training has prepared these graduates for ...

HERYN kayaking and fishing program offering sessions July 24-25 at Hills Creek by Wellsboro

The popularity of the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association’s HERYN program — Helping Engage our River’s Youth with Nature — kayaking and fishing program days and recent development of a Northern Tier regional director position has led to a new Northern Tier HERYN program opportunity to be held July 24 and 25 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Each day will offer the same program to 20 different participants divided into two 10-person groups each day. The program will take place at the Sugarbush Pavilion of the Hills Creek State Park near Wellsboro. The program will contain intro ...

Outdoor community calendar for week of June 11

EVENING BIRDING WHERE: Hyner Run State Park and Lake Shore Trail at Little Pine State Park WHEN: Friday, June 14 at 8 p.m. (Hyner Run) and Saturday, June 15 at 8 p.m. (Little Pine) NOTES: Join the naturalist for evening birding on one or two days. The program is held at Hyner Run State Park on Friday, June 14 at 8 p.m. and Little Pine State Park on Saturday, June 15 at 8 p.m. Topics will include the different birds that live at Little Pine State Park and how to identify them. Please brign your own binoculars and other birding gear. All children must be accompanied by an adult in ...

Fun aboard the Hiawatha: Floating Classrooms set for summer

The Commonwealth Cyber Academy held a special floating classroom aboard the Hiawatha Paddleboat near Williamsport in late May, conducted by the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association. The program acted as the kickoff for the group’s summer floating classroom season, where people ...

PGC updates public on both CWD surveillance and research

HARRISBURG -- The 2023-24 deer seasons ended months ago as did the busiest time for chronic wasting disease surveillance. CWD, a fatal neurological disease, is a threat to both white-tailed deer and elk and has been detected within the wild deer population in several areas of Pennsylvania. While the most intense efforts revolve around Pennsylvania’s deer hunting seasons, monitoring for CWD is a year-round endeavor. The public can view the results of these efforts on the CWD Surveillance Dashboard available online at https://pgcdatacollection.pa.gov/CWDResultsLookup. The CWD ...