Outdoors category, Page 8
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 RunVideo
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 intruderVideo
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...
Deer are leaping to their deaths in northwest Pennsylvania
It’s raining deer in a small northwestern Pennsylvania town, and residents say that’s disgusting and dangerous. Approximately 25 whitetail deer have leaped to their deaths from the U.S. 219 bypass that runs through the town of Johnsonburg, Elk County, in recent years, according to a recent report by WJAC-TV of...
Pittsburgh Hays bald eagles welcome 2nd chick with viewers from 50 countries
In their 10th year of nesting, the Pittsburgh bald eagles in Hays welcomed their second chick of the season on Tuesday morning. A third egg is expected to hatch between Friday and Sunday, according to the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania and PixCams, which sponsors the live webcam where viewers...
Study identifies potential east suburb path to connect Westmoreland, Allegheny trails
Allegheny County officials on Friday released a feasibility study for a project connecting the Westmoreland Heritage Trail to the Great Allegheny Passage by way of the Turtle Creek Valley, which runs through Pittsburgh’s east suburbs. Several proposed routes could serve to link the Westmoreland Heritage Trail from its western terminus...
Endangered Indiana bat mostly gone from southwestern Pa. but longer migration holds hope
The tiny wings of the endangered Indiana bat seem to be taking the creature on longer journeys. The Pennsylvania Game Commission recently documented the longest known, single-season migration of the federally and state-endangered bat from Pennsylvania to Kentucky. As the migration, at least 418 miles, broke the record for longest...
Murrysville PixCams brings live footage of wildlife and more into homes
While PixCams of Murrysville is best known for its live Pittsburgh Hays bald eagle webcam, the small company has been expanding and now has 30 live webcams. They rolled out a new product for the public, businesses and nonprofits to set up their own live webcam system and broadcast it...
O’Hara officials hope to expand Community Park trail repairs through grants
O’Hara Township is seeking a second round of grants in as many months to finance a trail stabilization project in O’Hara Community Park. Township officials on March 8 approved applications for a $125,000 grant through the Commonwealth Finance Authority’s Statewide Local Share Assessment Program, and a $62,500 grant through the...
More stocking planned after opening day of Pa. trout season
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, with some help from the Tri-County Trout Club, has stocked Deer Creek in Emmerling Park, Indiana Township. It was the first time since the beginning of the covid pandemic that volunteers from the trout club could assist in transferring thousands of trout from commission...
Steelworkers in West Mifflin celebrate 1st eagle egg of season
Workers at the U.S. Steel Works Irvin plant in West Mifflin last month successfully diverted a great horned owl that was pestering nesting bald eagles at their home on mill property. Now they are celebrating the first eagle egg of the season. The female eagle delivered early Sunday evening. “We...
Trout stocking is underway. Here’s how the Westmoreland fishing community is preparing for the upcoming season
There’s something fishy in Westmoreland County’s waters. During the next three months, hatchery-raised rainbow, brown and brook trout will be released into the county’s waters for anglers to catch during trout season, which opens statewide April 2. Locally, the first trout of 2022 were released Tuesday in Loyalhanna Creek. Throughout...
Report: Pa. hunters, sport shooters spend more than $1.8B on their sports
Hunters and target shooters in Pennsylvania spent more than $1.8 billion on their sports in 2020, according to a new report from the Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation. The report looked at the economic impact of hunting and target shooting at the national, state and legislative district levels. The researchers found that...
