Outdoors category, Page 10
Proposal would add 6 parks, more than 300 acres to Pittsburgh park system
A proposal before Pittsburgh City Council would designate six greenways as city parks, adding more than 300 acres to the city’s park system. The measure would move the city closer to its goal of increasing the number of residents who live within a half-mile – or roughly a 10-minute walk...
260-pound black bear trapped near Downtown PittsburghVideo
The Pennsylvania Game Commission trapped a 260-pound black bear Wednesday morning next to a Lower Hill District dumpster near Downtown Pittsburgh. A sighting of the bear was first reported Dec. 6 in the 5700 block of Penn Avenue, but it disappeared, said Douglas Bergman, a game commission warden covering Allegheny...
Black bears may be major factor in spread of ticks in Pennsylvania: Penn State research
Black bears may play an important role in spreading deer ticks, more widely known as blacklegged ticks, in Pennsylvania, according to researchers at Penn State. Blacklegged ticks are the primary spreader of the pathogen that causes Lyme disease, and more than 70 percent of black bears were found to have...
Seven Springs sale to Vail Resorts seen as possible boost to tourism
The planned sale of Seven Springs Mountain Resort in Champion to a Colorado company with 37 ski resorts across 15 states and three countries has the potential to bring more tourists to the Laurel Highlands from many other locations through the buyer’s seasonal pass, a regional tourism official said. “We’ve...
The Pennsylvania Wilds is known for quiet, but some worry fighter jet training will disturb that
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — A proposal that would allow military planes to fly training missions less than a quarter-mile above a section of...
Seven Springs kicks off season this Saturday, other ski resorts gearing up
With more than a week of snowmaking already underway, Seven Springs Mountain Resort in Champion will open its slopes Saturday. This year’s major upgrade is a new Doppelmayr Alpen Star chairlift that replaces the resort’s former Avalanche lift. The new lift will be able to carry an additional 600 people...
Most hunters welcome Saturday start of Pennsylvania’s firearms deer season
Business was brisk at Westmoreland County deer processing facilities Saturday as hunters rolled up with the fruits of their labor during the first day of Pennsylvania’s firearms deer season. Most of those who spoke with the Tribune-Review were glad this year’s season started on a Saturday and Sunday, instead of...
Wildlife advocacy groups in Middlesex, Youngwood to benefit from calendar sales
The Pennsylvania Wildlife Samaritans calendar featuring photos of wildlife throughout the state will benefit a Butler County wildlife rehabber and other nonprofits. The Wildlife Samaritans calendar is on sale for $26.99 ; 100% of the profits go to the featured wildlife rehabilitation nonprofits. One of the beneficiaries is Wildbird Recovery,...
Not your father’s opening of deer season: Full weekend of buck and doe statewide starts Saturday
For the first time, the Pennsylvania Game Commission will offer buck and doe hunting concurrently statewide for two weeks starting Saturday. It’s not even called the opening of buck season anymore, but the opening of firearms deer season. The regular firearms deer season begins Saturday and includes Sunday , one...
Grouse on the rise: State bird’s population showing improvement after devastation of West Nile virus
Pennsylvania’s state bird population is on an upward trend despite years of decline from West Nile virus. According to Lisa Williams, the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s division chief of wildlife diversity and former state ruffed grouse biologist, the combination of shortened hunting seasons and aggressive habitat work have helped boost grouse...
State parks, including Keystone, switching to paper products over plastic at concession stands
Food providers at state parks across Pennsylvania are switching to compostable, paper, wooden or plant fiber alternatives for packaging and consumption, according to Department of Conservation and Natural Resources officials. It’s part of an effort to reduce the amount of waste and plastics that are associated with concessions. New contracts...
Infamous anniversary: 100 years of sea lamprey in the Great Lakes
November marks the 100th anniversary of an infamous event in the history of Great Lakes fishing: the date when sea lamprey, native to the Atlantic ocean, first moved into Lake Erie from the Welland Canal in Ontario. The parasitic invaders decimated Great Lakes fish populations, which reached rock-bottom in the...
Connellsville man almost ate 18-pound walleye he pulled from Yough before state record verification
After pulling a mammoth 34-inch walleye out of the Youghiogheny River in Connellsville on Oct. 28, Richard Nicholson had to be persuaded by his son not to fillet the fish but have it weighed to see if it was a state record. So the next morning, Nicholson, 62, put the...
Sept. 11 Memorial Trail to Shanksville gets boost from land purchase in New Jersey
The 9/11 National Memorial Trail, which will link to the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, has advanced with action in New Jersey. N.J. Gov. Phil Murphy announced plans to spend $65 million to buy a 9-mile greenway, which will be a segment of the 9/11 Trail. The trail is...
It’s high season for deer-car collisions on Pennsylvania roads
Pennsylvania drivers beware: This is the season when the chances of hitting a deer increase, experts say, especially with the end of daylight saving time this weekend. The state ranks first in the nation for the highest number of animal-vehicle collisions that mostly involve deer, according to insurance company State...
Fall turkey season begins Saturday in Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Game Commission reports that turkey reproduction was well above average this past summer, translating to above average fall flock sizes that are worth pursuing. Pennsylvania’s fall turkey season kicks off Saturday in 19 of Pennsylvania’s 23 Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) — and there’s reason for hunters to be...
Experts pick the best places to see fall foliage in Southwestern Pa.
Local foresters, outdoors enthusiasts, biologists and motorcycle riders all have their favorite places to see the fall panorama of leaves. Mountains, hillsides and river valleys are among the best places to view the fall leaf spectacle not just because of the volume of trees, but the variety. “The diversity of...
Any day now, really: Fall leaf colors to pop soon in Western Pa.
There wasn’t much peeping going on for the long-planned and sold-out Gateway Clipper fall leaf-peeping tour last weekend on the Allegheny River in Armstrong County. Although the boat ride was spectacular in its own right, “it was disappointing we could not control Mother Nature,” said Chris Ziegler, president of the...
Increased mosquito activity in Western Pa. spurred by recent rain, high humidity
Recent rain showers and high humidity have set the scene perfectly for a jump in mosquito activity in Western Pennsylvania. That’s why Karen Poh, a postdoctoral researcher at Penn State University’s Department of Entomology, said she isn’t surprised there has been an uptick in mosquito activity in the region. Mosquitoes...
Algae bloom dissipates in Twin Lakes Park
Signs warning visitors about a harmful algae bloom at the lower lake in Twin Lakes Park are expected to be taken down this week as the conditions dissipate, according to Westmoreland County Bureau of Parks and Recreation director Brandon Simpson. He said the signs were put up a couple weeks...
Digital hunting licenses become reality for Pennsylvania hunters
Digital hunting licenses now are available to Pennsylvania hunters, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission. The commission authorized hunters and trappers to carry digital licenses and permits, and the change to a new online license-issuing system, HuntFishPA, has brought the capability for digital licenses with it. But paper harvest tags...
‘Yough n’ Roll’ trail ride, community day planned along Great Allegheny Passage
The all-volunteer Mon/Yough Trail Council plans to celebrate its 30th anniversary with events Saturday along the Great Allegheny Passage. Volunteer event coordinator Ken Medved said a family-friendly bicycle ride “Yough n’ Roll” and Community Appreciation Day will kick off at the Boston access of the trail. The ride, a fundraiser...
Bike ride to mark 10 years of closing gap in Great Allegheny Passage trail in Homestead area
There was a serious five-mile gap in the McKeesport to Munhall section of the Great Allegheny Passage a decade ago that was solved by an additional off-road trail and two “flyover” bridges over live railroad lines. To celebrate closing the gap in the GAP trail, the Steel Valley Trail Council...
Agriculture officials urge businesses, residents to be aware of spotted lanternflies
As he was walking in a park near his home on Pittsburgh’s North Side late last month, Joe Dep saw a bug fly past him that immediately caught his attention. “I was in Allegheny Commons Park, and as soon as I saw it, I knew it was something I didn’t...
‘Think safety and come prepared’: Officials urging caution on waterways
As boaters and rafters gear up for a three-day weekend that some consider the unofficial end of summer, officials are urging caution for possible dangerous conditions on the region’s waterways. The conditions were created when remnants of Hurricane Ida pounded Western Pennsylvania this week, bringing several inches of rain and...
