Blog

Filter

March 28, 2024

The joys of volunteering (and how you can volunteer in the PA Wilds!)

The benefits of volunteering are incredible, and it’s well worth it to make some time in your life to give back as a volunteer. You can help worthwhile causes, be a good steward of local lands, change things to be more equitable and accessible, build a sense of community, and help others discover why you’re so passionate about the things that are important to you. Learn the many benefits of volunteering, as well as specific ways you can give back in the PA Wilds! Check at the bottom of this blog to hear directly from volunteers in the PA Wilds region.

March 26, 2024

BIRD LORE: Baby bird season – Please don’t kidnap the babies!

Spring has arrived, with its joyous symphony of birdsong, spectacular migrations, and feverish nest building. Soon a new generation of baby birds will hatch. If all goes well, by summer’s end these new birds will be ready to join their parents on the next cycle of migration or preparations to survive the winter locally. But sometimes young birds end up on the ground or caught by domestic pets. What should humans do (or not do!) when this happens?

March 21, 2024

The Once-and-Future “Johnsonburg Press”

For sale—130-year-old, independent newspaper, in a historic, PA Wilds, Boomtown Borough. Everything is on the table—the name and mailing list; the spacious, 1901 office building and upstairs apartment with nice woodwork; antique-and-recent office machinery and furniture; archived local, regional, national, and world news stories (microfilmed and digitized from 1897 to present day); and, on-site printing contracts for booklets, tickets, membership cards, and the like.

March 19, 2024

YouTube in the Pennsylvania Wilds – “Forest County Outback” 

While hiking through the PA Wilds’ Allegheny National Forest & Surrounds over the years I cannot remember how many times I have come upon a stack of ancient foundation stones or old lumber in the middle of nowhere and wondered, “What’s the story with this, what was this, why is it here?” Somehow, somewhere, there must be somebody who knows something about these little mysteries. Meet Forest County’s Terry Janosik who has investigated at least 40 of them.

March 14, 2024

Discover public art and murals along Scenic Route 6

Tucked away among the beautiful scenery of the PA Route 6 corridor is a vast collection of creativity and imagination. Sometimes “hidden” in plain sight, other times camouflaged as parts of larger works, dozens of murals and public art pieces are waiting to be discovered. Now the PA Route 6 Alliance has made it even easier for you to locate and appreciate these many exquisite works of art with the PA Route 6 Public Art & Mural Trail.

March 13, 2024

Want to test out living in the PA Wilds? Applications open for Wilds Are Working in Saint Marys and Williamsport

For two years now, remote workers from all over the world have applied for the chance to temporarily live in the beautiful Pennsylvania Wilds, in a program called “The Wilds Are Working: A Remote Lifestyle Experience.” Now in its third year of the three-year grant-funded program, the Wilds Are Working is offering yet another two host communities where remote workers can apply for an opportunity to test-drive living in the PA Wilds: Saint Marys and Williamsport.

March 11, 2024

Apply for the Artist-in-Residence Program at the Allegheny National Forest

The USDA Forest Service is once again accepting applications for the Artist-in-Residence Program at the Allegheny National Forest. Applications for the 2024 summer and fall residencies will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, March 17, 2024. The Artist-in-Residence Program provides artists of all mediums the opportunity to pursue their craft outside of their normal environments, with free housing in the ANF and a stipend for those three weeks.

March 8, 2024

Forest Fridays: Squirrel dogging

Growing up at the base of a mountain in Northwestern Clinton County, one of Eric Probert's passions as a youth was loading his single shot 20 gauge and pursuing squirrels. Still hunting across a grape vine choked red oak sidehill or sitting quietly in a hickory flat waiting for squirrels to appear was probably how most young hunters cut their teeth on the sport in Penns Woods. As Eric grew older, the thought of hunting those bushy tails faded as he grew more interested in chasing deer and bear through the same hills.

March 7, 2024

Learning how maple syrup is made in the PA Wilds (and how you can see a live demonstration!)

Maple syrup and other maple products are a big part of Pennsylvania’s agricultural economy… and it sure is sweet to get an inside look at how those products are made, both by big companies and by small producers at their own homes! Learn about maple syrup with an educational program at Parker Dam State Park, or celebrate maple goodness with the Potter-Tioga Maple Weekend on March 16 and 17, 2024!

March 4, 2024

Flagstone from the PA Wilds graces the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

“Here Rests in Honored Glory an American Soldier Known but to God.” These hallowed words are emblazoned on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery, the final resting place for America’s unidentified service members, providing a place for reflection on those who have served our military and made the “ultimate sacrifice.” The Tomb is one of the most recognized in the United States, up on a hillside overlooking Washington D.C. But 250 miles away on a hillside in Cameron County in the PA Wilds is a quarry where flagstone for the paved walkway of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was mined.