Outdoors category, Page 7
Why more Pa. hunters are using crossbows since they became legal statewide in 2009
There’s no doubt that crossbows have grown in popularity when it comes to archery deer hunting in Pennsylvania, but by just how much may be a bit surprising. First allowed in the state’s special regulations areas, and also for use by individuals who had a disabled hunters permit, crossbows became...
Small predator, missing from Pa. for more than a century, might be brought back
The return of the American marten, a larger relative of the weasel and mink, will be up for consideration by the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners when it meets this weekend at the agency’s Harrisburg headquarters. The marten, a tree-climbing predator about 24 to 30 inches long, including the tail,...
Study: Pittsburgh among nation’s top fishing cities
Pittsburgh is one of the top cities for fishing in the U.S., according to a ranking prepared by ApartmentGuide.com, an online rental resource. The Three Rivers City came in at No. 9 in the top 10 ranking among all U.S. cities with populations of more than 50,000. For each city,...
Game warden, U.S. Steel employees rescue bald eagle; bird’s sibling helped rescuers find it
Employees of U.S. Steel Irvin Works and the Pennsylvania Game Commission rescued a juvenile bald eagle in the vicinity of its nest on the steel plant’s grounds in West Mifflin. One of two young bald eagles raised at the aerie below the U.S. Steel plant along the Monongahela River took...
Wolf sightings are Penn Township man’s reward in latest Yellowstone visit
(Editor’s note: Penn Township resident Robert Szypulski — a computer programmer with Windstream Communications — is a regular visitor to Yellowstone National Park and documented his most recent visit to the park’s northern range in April. In the wake of the historic flooding this month of the Yellowstone River and...
Researchers: Fireflies are being threatened by artificial light, habitat loss
Growing up around Seattle, Ainsley Seago said she never saw a firefly until she visited Hershey as a teenager. These days, she watches in amusement as her 10-year-old son, Maxwell, enjoys catching lightning bugs and releasing them. “How can you not catch them?” asked Seago, associate curator of invertebrate zoology...
Fishing license fee hike on agenda for Pa. Fish and Boat Commission
Fishing license and boat fee increases are up for consideration by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission in a special meeting Friday. The resident fishing license fee — the basic fee paid by most anglers — will climb from $21 per year to $23.50 if commissioners approve the new fees...
Youth groups now permitted to camp in Pittsburgh parks
Youth groups will now be permitted to camp in Pittsburgh’s parks. Pittsburgh City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to allow youth organizations to obtain permits to camp in city parks. “I am going to continue to say that I hope we become independent of using organizations to use our parks,” Council...
Formerly endangered falcons calling Tarentum Bridge, U.S. Steel Clairton Works home
Youngsters of the formerly endangered peregrine falcon are popping up at usual places like the Tarentum Bridge and an unexpected location — the U.S. Steel Clairton Coke Works. The peregrine falcon was removed from Pennsylvania’s endangered and threatened species list last year. In the 1970s, exposure to pesticides, especially DDT,...
Here are 10 sites to make the July 4 holiday weekend a memorable one
Grab the fishing pole, pump up the bicycle tires, and knock the mud off your hiking boots. Hearty cyclists and hikers easily mix with novice trail walkers on hundreds of miles of trails and shorelines to be found across the region. Here are 10 of our favorites, worthy of a...
Mt. Pleasant angler catches record carp in West Virginia lake
SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A Mt. Pleasant resident caught a record carp while fishing from the bank of Summersville Lake in West Virginia, regulators said. Ayden Minick caught and released the carp on May 7, the Division of Natural Resources said in a news release. It measured by a DNR...
Biden forest plan stirs dispute over what counts as ‘old’
BILLINGS, Mont. — President Joe Biden’s order to protect the nation’s oldest forests against climate change, wildfires and other problems devastating vast woodlands is raising a simple yet vexing question: When does a forest grow old? Millions of acres are potentially on the line — federal land that could eventually...
Landslide dumps dirt, trees on 40-foot stretch of Butler-Freeport trail
Heavy rains last weekend triggered a large landslide covering a 40-foot section of the Butler-Freeport Community Trail near the border of Buffalo and South Buffalo townships. The slide occurred about a mile from the trail’s Laneville entrance. The 21-mile recreational trail stretches from Freeport to Butler. “It’s a very big...
Kayak rentals return to Allegheny RiverTrail Park in Aspinwall
Kayak rentals returned to Allegheny RiverTrail Park this month after a year without the service. 3 Rivers Outdoor Company (3ROC) launched an outpost on May 1 at the 16-acre site tucked off Freeport Road in Aspinwall. “Bringing people to the water and showcasing the rivers of Pittsburgh, the beauty right...
Work on West End Trolley Trail in Pittsburgh pushed back a year
Work on the West End Trolley Trail has been delayed, with construction now scheduled to begin next summer. The trail follows the former path of a public transit trolley and includes on-street shared lanes, as well as a path reserved only for pedestrians and bicyclists. Plans for the trail include...
Hampton embarks on Phase 2 of community trail
Hampton Community Trail’s Phase 2 has begun, with unanimous approval of the engineering proposal during municipal council’s April 27 meeting. The first phase of the project has been completed, connecting the Rachel Carson Trail at Community Park’s northernmost end with the center of the park, next to its playground. Phase...
Lower Burrell considers recreation area for 90 acres it owns along Dutchman Run
Lower Burrell is exploring outdoor recreational facilities for a proposed park on undeveloped property along Dutchman Run. The city bought the 90 acres for $24,500 in 1967 from an area couple. The property has sat undeveloped for decades. “When we first walked it, it was clear that the potential there...
One-fifth of reptiles worldwide face risk of extinction
Even the king cobra is “vulnerable.” More than 1 in 5 species of reptiles worldwide are threatened with extinction, according to a comprehensive new assessment of thousands of species published Wednesday in the journal Nature. Of 10,196 reptile species analyzed, 21% percent were classified as endangered, critically endangered or vulnerable...
Vintage fishing lure show set for this weekend
A vintage fishing lure show will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Holiday Inn in Weirton, W.Va. Early Americana vintage fishing tackle and lures from the 1890’s to the 1980’s will be on display. The event is open to the public, and patrons can bring...
Successful growth of baby mussels in Kiski River indicates continued health of waterways
Several years ago, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy biologists documented the first freshwater mussels — eight species in all — found in the Kiski River in over a century. Then, last summer, the biologists implanted some baby mussels in concrete silos in the Kiski, as well as a dozen other waterways, to...
Pa. Game Commission creates award for John Oliver who preserved more than 200,000 acres in the state
If you’ve been to state parks or public lands in Southwestern Pennsylvania, chances are John C. Oliver III had a hand in acquiring some of that acreage. Regional parks that Oliver helped secure additional property for include Ohiopyle, Moraine, McConnell’s Mills and Raccoon state parks. That’s just a small part...
Hunters could see boom in turkeys in Pa. forests this year: Game Commission
Hunters should find the largest wild turkey population they’ve seen at any point in the past few years when they head out into the Pennsylvania forests for the upcoming spring gobbler hunting seasons, according to Pennsylvania Game Commission turkey biologist Mary Jo Casalena. Recruitment of new, young turkeys into the...
Don’t mess with momma: Hays bald eagle defends nest against intruder
Dining on a meal of Monongahela fish just after 6 p.m., the Pittsburgh Hays bald eagle mom fed her three eaglets. Then — bam! A large predatory bird swooped the nest and the Hays’ mom sprang into action. She outstretched her wings, which can span six feet or more, over...
More deer in Pa. with deadly chronic wasting disease lead to expanded state reaction
The Pennsylvania Game Commission has created a seventh Chronic Wasting Disease Management Area expanded two existing DMAs in response to recent discoveries of CWD-positive deer in new parts of the state. The new DMA 7 is a response to a CWD-positive deer in a captive facility in Lycoming County. At...
Trout fishing season opens Saturday with single statewide opening day
Trout fishing season opens at 8 a.m. Saturday. It’s the first single statewide opening day since the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission last October approved an end to dual opening days. From 2007-20, there was a statewide opening Saturday preceded by an earlier regional opening in 18 southeastern counties. When...
