Our mission: To inspire stewardship of Pennsylvania’s state parks and forests.


If it was a surprise how quickly fall arrived, it's even more a surprise to see how quickly September has come to an end. I was just reading a blurb the other day that fall is the favorite season of more Americans than any other. Based on an entirely unscientific survey of my friends, that seems to hold true. Do you agree? I enjoy it well enough, but for the whole "end of daylight savings time" thing. That gets harder each year and I'm grateful that it's been postponed to Later Than It Used to Be.

Scenes like the masthead shot of Spruce Flats Bog in the Forbes State Forest this week give a definite hint to why fall is so popular. I've now spent an inordinate and thoroughly enjoyable amount of time sifting through Bob Stough Photography and just wait until you see his other shot from the Bog. Click on his Galleries and visit "traveling among streams and mountains" for Song of the Glades. Let's go!



Pam Metzger
Membership Coordinator


News of note

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Things are strangely silent in that big green-domed building on Third Street in Harrisburg but that doesn't mean that plans are not afoot to begin once again to make budget noises. Stay tuned to our News page on the website and to your inbox for ways to make your voices heard when the time comes.

We're excited about the fall Happy Hour event coming up on October 12 at the Tattered Flag Brewery & Still Works in Middletown. The good people at Tattered Flag are distilling a special gin from native juniper berries and the first pour will be auctioned at the event, with all proceeds of the sale of the gin from whatever outlet coming to PPFF. The evening promises to be lots of fun (and present your coupon to your server for a 20% donation to be directed to the Foundation as well). Check out the gin's label!

I was overjoyed to see our "mini-tagline" The Outdoors Are For Everyone a central theme of the audio companion to this piece from Experience Life magazine online. Latino educator Jose Gonzalez shares his thoughts on the meaning of the outdoors across stereotypical boundaries. Best quote (from his friend Juan Martinez)? "Trees don't care what's in your bank account, and mosquitoes don't care what skin color you are. They will go after you just the same."

Word comes from Caleb Heisey of the Pennsylvania Patch Coalition that he is just about set to run the next four or five designs in his quest to do a patch for all 121 state parks. Have you seen them, and the website? I've bought Ohiopyle and Laurel Mountain and they truly are beautifully done.


At work and play in the parks and forests

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Festivals in the Spotlight

Quite simply, the best thing to do tomorrow is find a National Public Lands Day event and volunteer, followed by a Walk in Penn's Woods event on Sunday. That's a festival! And so is Cider Fest at Prince Gallitzin - you'll find the Friends there parking cars and taking donations to fund park improvement projects large and small.

North

Cook Forest is a great place for A Walk in Penn's Woods.

South

Sunday is Garden Harvest Day at Kings Gap from noon until five. Say yum. And a Walk in Penn's Woods that didn't make the PSU calendar in time takes place at Pine Furnace with Friends board member Rob Shaw leading the way.

East

It will be a lovely day on Sunday at Nolde Forest, with an open house at the mansion. That always means a program, too, and this month it's a look at the inhabitants of Punches Run Stream. A hike, too!

West

Not on the Penn State website for A Walk in Penn's Woods, but the Friends of Keystone invite you to their event at 9:00 on Sunday morning.

No matter what region of the commonwealth you want to visit, our website Events and the DCNR Calendar of Events are great sources for things to see and do. Bookmark them!

Picture of the week

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This two-fer comes to us from Pymatuning State Park. Is there anything cuter than a bucket of baby snapping turtles? Well, probably there is. But these are pretty darned cute. Check out the pictures and the Facebook post.

Picture of the week, volunteer edition

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Stopping the presses for this great tableau from the Friends of Weiser. The group won second place at the Gratz Fair with this display called "What If No One Volunteered?" Featuring a littered trail with a broken sign and photos of all their projects, the Friends took home $95 and make a powerful message on this NPLD Eve. Good going, folks!

Take five for trivia

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Calendar watchers knew that the autumnal equinox occurred last Friday at 4:02 pm. And summer weather promptly returned! The best answer came from Bob R., who said it was his birthday at 7:00.

Since we have two more days in September to go, you have one more shot at the monthly prize. To conclude the month then, what (aside from putting your finger anywhere near its mouth) should you NEVER do to a snapping turtle?

Send in your answer and we'll enter your correct response into our monthly prize drawing. All correct answers each week will go into the hat and at the end of the month we'll draw one lucky winner. The more correct answers you submit in a month (up to four or the occasional five depending on the month), the more chances you'll have to win.

In closing

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Always worth repeating.



Pennsylvania Parks & Forests Foundation (PPFF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization - contributions to which are tax deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law. The official registration and financial information of PPFF may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling, toll-free within Pennsylvania, to 800.732.0999. Registration does not imply endorsement.


Pennsylvania Parks & Forests Foundation is a proud member of EarthShare and is a Gold GuideStar Participant.

  

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