Conversations About Nature

The Pennsylvania Game Commission to hold one-day Junior Game Warden Camps across Pennsylvania; registration can be completed online; registration is limited to those who have not attended a Junior Game Warden Camp held previously

By Steven Brodsky

This news release was issued today, May 17, 2024, by the Pennsylvania Game Commission:

Whether collecting forensic evidence that will bring poachers to justice, tracking down lost hikers or live-trapping black bears for research, Pennsylvania State Game Wardens have among the most unique, diverse and exciting careers in wildlife conservation.

This summer, youths ages 12 to 15 can experience some of it for themselves.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission is holding one-day Junior Game Warden Camps across the Commonwealth, providing those who attend a structured, fun-filled day learning about the career of a Pennsylvania State Game Warden.

Campers will spend the day with game wardens, gaining insight into the job and the Game Commission’s mission of managing and protecting the state’s wildlife and habitats while promoting hunting and trapping. Campers will join wardens in light physical fitness activities, confidence-building exercises and hands-on learning stations. Campers will learn about wildlife forensics and methods used by wardens to catch poachers and solve wildlife-related crimes. Other activities will involve wildlife-capture techniques, woodland tracking and outdoor survival.

Unless noted, the camps begin at 8 a.m. and end at 3 p.m. Registration can be completed online. Registration is limited to those who have not attended a camp held previously.

The dates and locations for the camps are as follows:

• Northcentral Region – Thursday, July 11, at Scotia Building, State Game Lands 176, Scotia Range Road, Warriors Mark, PA 16877. Registration is limited to 30 participants.

• Southcentral Region – Saturday, June 1, at Greencastle Sportsman’s Association, 3260 Sportsmans Road, Greencastle, PA 17225. Registration is limited to 40 participants, ages 12 to 15.

• Northeast Region – Wednesday, July 17, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Rockport Hunting Club, 215 Hazleton Road, Newfoundland, PA 18445. Registration is limited to 36 participants.

• Northwest Region – Wednesday, July 10, 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at the Game Commission Northwest Training Center, 647 Polk Cutoff Road, Franklin, PA 16323. Registration is limited to 60 participants.

• Southwest Region – Date and location to be determined and announced at a later date.

• Southeast Region – Friday, July 26, at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area Visitor Center, 100 Museum Road, Stevens, PA 17578. Registration is limited to 60 participants, ages 12 to 15.

Posted 5-17-24

The Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC), the Maryland Zoo, and the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine’s Wildlife Futures Program start an Allegheny woodrat captive breeding program ‘to rebuild struggling populations of Allegheny woodrats (Neotoma magister)’

By Steven Brodsky

From a news release that was issued by the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) on May 13, 2024:

The Pennsylvania Game Commission, the Maryland Zoo and the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine’s Wildlife Futures Program are members of the Allegheny Woodrat Working Group that have teamed up to start a Woodrat Captive Breeding Program (WCBP) to rebuild struggling populations of Allegheny woodrats (Neotoma magister).

Through the program, a small number of wild animals will form a founding colony at Maryland Zoo. The first such woodrat, a female from Mifflin County, Pa. turned out to be pregnant and subsequently gave birth to three pups at the Zoo. Ultimately, she will be joined by woodrats from Virginia and Indiana to breed subsequent generations.

The current pups will stay at Maryland Zoo for a few weeks before being transferred to a soft release pen where they’ll grow and become acclimated to the wild before being released on their own. Because the pups will be released, the WCBP team is taking a hands-off approach so the animals don’t form human attachments that would limit their chances for success after release. Keepers are primarily monitoring the pups via a nest box camera.

“We previously had Allegheny woodrats and were quite successful at breeding them so I’m optimistic about having lots of pups to release into the wild,” said Erin Cantwell Grimm, Mammal Curator at the Maryland Zoo.

Work is also ongoing to improve habitat at woodrat sites throughout their range in the Appalachian Mountains. At one time, the Allegheny woodrat’s range extended from southwestern Connecticut west to Indiana and south to northern Alabama. These animals are now listed as Endangered in Indiana, Ohio, Maryland, New Jersey, and New York and are considered a species of conservation concern in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, and West Virginia. As a result, these states and their university and zoo partners have come together to form the Allegheny Woodrat Working Group to coordinate a range-wide recovery effort and prevent federal listing of the species.

Fragmentation of their forest habitat, the loss of food sources due to invasive species, a highly fatal parasite spread by raccoons, and increased populations of native food competitors like deer, bear, and squirrels are among the factors that have caused range-wide declines of woodrat populations, including a 70% decline in Pennsylvania over the past forty years.

“Woodrat populations have declined so much that they have become isolated from one another. That leads to low genetic diversity and eventually to inbreeding, which is yet another factor in population decline,” said Kate Amspacher Otterbein, Mammal Recovery Specialist at the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

The goal of the WCBP is to produce genetically diverse woodrats that can be reintroduced back to the wild to improve genetic diversity of remaining woodrat populations. This is just one piece of the multi-faceted recovery approach that the Allegheny Woodrat Working Group is developing.

ABOUT ALLEGHENY WOODRATS

Allegheny woodrats are a species of woodrat, often called packrats, that live only in the Appalachian Mountains. As noted by the Pennsylvania Game Commission, they are habitat specialists that require rocky outcrops and talus slopes embedded within healthy forests with plentiful food.

Allegheny woodrats do not hibernate; instead, they build a cache of food to survive the winter. They also often collect non-food items such as bottle caps, snake skins, and shotgun shells, lending to the packrat nickname.

Although this animal is referred to as a “rat” it is more mouse-like in appearance and has a bicolor, furred tail – unlike the naked tail of the non-native Norway rat. It also is distinguished by noticeably larger ears and eyes, a larger, heavier head, and much longer whiskers. It is gray above with white underparts and paws. The average adult weighs less than a pound and is about 17 inches in total length, including an eight-inch tail.

Want to know more about the Allegheny woodrat?

Start here: https://www.pgc.pa.gov/Education/WildlifeNotesIndex/Documents/woodrat.pdf.

Posted 5-15-24

A creature comfort

By Steven Brodsky

… The top of a shrub served as a sort of hammock for this garter snake:

The snake paid rent (so to speak) via its consumption of slugs.

A gardener who was alarmed by the snake didn’t consider that to be sufficient compensation.

The snake was not harmed. 

Posted 5-1-24

The Pennsylvania Game Commission plans to spray 123,276 acres of Pennsylvania state game lands during spring 2024 to control the spongy moth

By Steven Brodsky

The Pennsylvania Game Commission issued this news release today, April 22, 2024:

GAME COMMISSION ANNOUNCES SPRAYING PLANS 

In an effort to protect wildlife habitat, the Pennsylvania Game Commission plans to spray over 123,000 acres of state game lands this spring to control a non-native invasive insect, the spongy moth.

Spraying is planned on 46 different state game lands – 123,276 acres in all – and will begin as soon as leaf-out occurs and spongy moth egg masses hatch, likely in late April and May.

“Those participating in spring gobbler seasons or otherwise enjoying state game lands may encounter aircraft spraying forested areas for spongy moths,” said Paul Weiss, Game Commission Chief Forester. “We recognize some hunters might be temporarily affected by these activities, but disturbances are brief and only temporary, and by protecting these valuable habitats against a destructive, invasive pest, the forests will provide hunters the opportunity to chase gobblers there for generations to come.”

No spraying will be scheduled the mornings of youth turkey season – Saturday, April 27 – or the opening day of spring gobbler season – Saturday, May 4.

Spongy moths previously were known by the common name gypsy moth, but the Entomological Society of America changed the name. More information on spongy moths and the Game Commission’s spraying program, including a map updating the status of spraying is available on an interactive web page at www.pgc.pa.gov.

Most of the blocks of forest to be sprayed can be treated within one day, often within only a few hours.

The insecticide to be used is Mimic 2LV. Its active ingredient is tebufenozide.

This agent generally is considered safe to humans. Most negative side effects happen with repeated, long-term exposure to high concentrations of the product. As with any chemical, it may cause eye or skin irritation if exposed, and it is recommended to wash any affected area if irritation occurs.

The forests to be treated in the coming weeks have building populations of spongy moths that, if left untreated, could cause severe defoliation this summer.

“Many of these areas were hit with a late frost last spring, Weiss said. “This additional stress on the trees makes it especially important to protect them this year.”

This year’s spraying will occur in the following regions: Southcentral, Northcentral, Southeast, Southwest, and Northeast. The Northwest Region has no spraying scheduled this year.

Weiss noted that previous spongy-moth impacts unfortunately led forests on state game lands to transition from mast-producing mixed-oak stands to stands dominated by birch and maple, which are not nearly as beneficial to wildlife.

“Oaks are the main target of spongy moths, and they also provide the best and most reliable wildlife foods,” Weiss said. “Unfortunately, in some areas, we have seen birch and maple replace the oak stands lost to past spongy-moth defoliation. This loss of acorn availability across such a potentially large area can have extremely detrimental impacts on wildlife populations ranging from chipmunks and squirrels all the way up to deer and bears. Even if the oak trees manage to survive damage caused by this defoliation, the reduction of acorn production can linger for years after.”

The Game Commission is aggressively treating this problem to protect the wildlife resources, in the immediate future and long term.

David Gustafson, director of the Game Commission’s Bureau of Wildlife Habitat Management, noted that, based on the value of state game lands’ oaks for wildlife, the agency simply can’t afford to forgo spraying this year.

“We know that oak forest habitats are tremendously valuable to all wildlife,” Gustafson said. “Everything from squirrels to bears to turkeys will have populations fluctuate based on acorn crops. If acorn production is low, bears will den earlier, weigh less, produce fewer and smaller cubs and get into more nuisance situations. Over-winter survival and reproduction for deer suffers when acorns are sparse. Neo-tropical birds, such as cerulean warblers, occupy habitats dominated by oaks. Wild turkey and ruffed grouse populations also depend on acorns. So the actions we take now help to keep all of that in balance.”

Posted 4-22-24

The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners ‘in a split vote postponed indefinitely final acceptance of the 2024-2033 American Marten Reintroduction and Management Plan, which calls for returning the native furbearer to the state’; the vote took place during the April 13, 2024 Commissioners’ meeting

By Steven Brodsky

From a Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) news release that was issued on April 13, 2024:

MARTEN PLAN POSTPONED INDEFINITELY

The Board of Game Commissioners today in a split vote postponed indefinitely final acceptance of the 2024-2033 American Marten Reintroduction and Management Plan, which calls for returning the native furbearer to the state.

But that might not be as long a delay as it might seem.

The plan outlines a long-term, 10-year strategy to translocate the species back to the state then conduct long-term monitoring to evaluate the reintroduction. It includes strategies on communications, partner engagement, costs and timelines.

The board released the marten plan for public comment in September 2023 then tabled adoption of the plan in January 2024 to collect additional information on habitat and human dimensions related to potential reintroduction.

Today, commissioners universally praised staff in the agency’s Bureau of Wildlife Management, and furbearer biologist Tom Keller in particular, for working to get those answers. Several board members said the resulting outreach efforts have helped erase opposition to marten reintroduction.

But a majority of the board stated such work should continue, to further educate hunters and nonhunters alike and build additional support.

Voting to postpone adoption of the plan were Commissioners Robert Schwalm, Scott Foradora, Allen Di Marco, Stanley Knick, Todd Pride and Dennis Fredericks, who first suggested the idea. Opposing postponement were Commissioners Michael Mitrick, Haley Sankey and Kristen Koppenhafer.

Commissioners said they’ve heard from lots of people about the issue and want to address their concerns before moving forward.

In the meantime, no one should get too hung up on the word “indefinitely,” Fredericks added. The board could revisit marten reintroduction soon, perhaps even before the end of the year.

President Commissioner Scott Foradora agreed this postponement is more a matter of timing than anything.

“I believe in a short amount of time we will have an affirmative decision,” he said.

Concerns over reintroducing martens have mostly been related to the potential impacts of martens on prey species, potential impacts of other predators on martens and the suitability of habitat in areas martens would be released.

Posted 4-15-25

‘Nature rarer uses yellow’

By Steven Brodsky

… wrote Emily Dickinson: https://www.online-literature.com/dickinson/poems-series-2/106/.

Thought of the poem today when this early spring spattering of translucent yellow came into view trailside in a National Park:

Some of this column’s readers will recall the Emily Dickinson poem the next time that they take notice of nature’s yellow in the great outdoors.

Posted 3-24-24

‘Inch by inch’

By Steven Brodsky

… and “row by row,” gardeners this spring will be making their gardens grow.

A perennially appealing gardening song:

Posted 3-5-24

A tarantula species was named after Johnny Cash 8 years ago, on February 5, 2016 

By Steven Brodsky

… The species is found near Folsom State Prison, the venue where Johnny Cash’s first live album, Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison, was recorded on January 13, 1968. The album was released on May 6, 1968.

Folsom State Prison is located in Folsom, California.

The tarantula species is named Aphonopelma johnnycashi: http://www.sci-news.com/biology/aphonopelma-johnnycashi-new-tarantula-species-johnny-cash-03615.html.

Posted 2-5-24

Most people can relate

By Steven Brodsky

… to the kind of death that was experienced by the character in Seamus Heaney’s poem “Death of a Naturalist.”

Posted 7-12-22

A Conversation With Katie Fallon, Author of ‘Vulture: The Private Life of an Unloved Bird’

By Steven Brodsky

Katie Fallon is a co-founder of the Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia. She’s worked with many species of raptors and other kinds of birds. Katie’s books include Cerulean Blues (2011) and the recently released Vulture: The Private Life of an Unloved Bird. Her essays have appeared in a number of literary journals. She has a lifelong love of nature. I’ve heard that the first word she ever spoke was “bird.”

Your new book gives vultures, particularly turkey vultures, the positive attention these non-predator raptors deserve. What brought about your interest in these maligned birds?

I’ve been fascinated by vultures for at least fifteen years. There was a roost near where I lived in West Virginia; every day I’d drive by this big, old dead tree with ten or so turkey vultures hunched in it. They became a familiar sight, and I looked forward to seeing them. Vultures are big and kind of dramatic, and in flight, there’s nothing more beautiful. In addition, they’re the ultimate recyclers—they turn death into life.

Many people in the U.S. have an aversion to vultures. Speak about this.

I think vultures remind people of their own mortality. It can be a little creepy to think about a large, dark bird waiting to consume your body when you die. In general, I don’t think people in the US are comfortable with thinking of our bodies as food. Vultures remind us that life will continue after we die, and that some life will continue because we die. They remind us of our animal bodies. Which can be unnerving!

In the absence of vultures, we’d have major health issues to contend with. Tell us why.

Vultures clean up our ecosystems by removing animal carcasses that could potentially contaminate soil and water. They can eat animals that have died of anthrax and botulism. In the absence of vultures, mammalian scavengers could increase in number, and many mammalian scavengers such as raccoons, skunks, feral dogs and cats can spread rabies; vultures do not. Several vulture species in India have suffered catastrophic population crashes in the last twenty years, and public health has suffered. India leads the world in human rabies cases, and the number of cases has increased as the number of feral dogs increased in the absence of vultures.

People get close to vultures by attending your presentations that feature non-releasable birds. How are these birds acquired? How are they trained?

The nonprofit I co-founded, the Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia, keeps eight non-releasable raptors for educational purposes (you need permits from the US Fish & Wildlife Service to do this, of course – the birds aren’t pets or personal property). All of our birds were injured wild birds that cannot return to the wild. We have three vultures. Lew the turkey vulture was hit by a car and suffered an injury to his shoulder that prevents flight. His “girlfriend,” Boris, was shot in the wing, and by the time she reached us the bone had already healed incorrectly. Our black vulture is Maverick, and he was hit by a car, which resulted in a shoulder injury that prevents adequate flight.

Our birds are all trained using positive reinforcement. We avoid negative reinforcement and punishment, and we try to empower the birds to have some control over their environments. We condition behaviors by offering food rewards when the birds perform the behaviors. Vultures (especially our black vulture!) learn quickly, and they are a lot of fun to work with.

What myths and misunderstandings about vultures do these presentations help to dispel?

People are surprised at how clean and charismatic the vultures are – and how beautiful they are up close, despite their featherless heads.

What vulture behaviors do people find to be most interesting?

People often ask if vultures throw up on us; our education vultures usually don’t (unless they get scared). Vultures also expel liquid waste on their legs and feet, probably to clean them as well as to keep cool. This often fascinates people as well.

Which species of vulture are found in Pennsylvania and neighboring states?

We have turkey vultures and black vultures. During the last Ice Age we may have had California condors, too, and possibly some other now-extinct vultures.

What has been learned about migration of these species?

Hawk Mountain has taken the lead on turkey vulture migration research. Dr. Keith Bildstein and his team have placed transmitters and wing tags on turkey vultures all over the Americas. They’ve learned that our eastern turkey vultures are partial migrants—some spend the winters in Florida, some on the New Jersey shore, some in Virginia, and in many places in between. Many western turkey vultures are complete migrants, leaving their breeding ranges in Canada and heading all the way to South America. And still others in the American southwest migrate into Central America and return. It’s fascinating how the different subspecies have different migratory strategies. Dr. Bildstein and his colleagues have ongoing research projects about turkey vulture migration, and are discovering more all the time.

Vultures have spectacular flying ability. What makes this possible?

Turkey vultures are very light – they have almost the same wingspan as a bald eagle but weigh less than half what an eagle weighs. Their wings are long and broad, and are made for soaring.

How high can they fly?

The Ruppell’s vulture holds the record for the highest-flying bird. Unfortunately for that individual, it was hit and killed by a jet flying over Africa at 37,000 feet.

Vulture: The Private Life of an Unloved Bird informs readers about lead toxicity in vultures. What is the extent of the problem? How do vultures ingest lead?

Vultures (and eagles, hawks, crows, ravens, and owls) can ingest small pieces of spent lead ammunition in animal carcasses or “gut piles” left by hunters. When someone shoots a white-tailed deer, for example, the deer is usually field-dressed, and many of the organs are left. This can be a delight for vultures and other scavengers! In ecosystems, scavengers often follow the big predators to clean up the leftovers; here, the same thing is happening—a human is the big predator, a gut pile is the leftover, and a vulture or eagle is the scavenger. However, if small lead fragments are still in the gut piles, avian scavengers can inadvertently ingest the lead and become sick. Lead toxicity from spent ammunition is the biggest obstacle in the way of California condor recovery.

The Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia provides rehabilitation for injured birds. What kind of care do vultures receive?

We’ve treated vultures with a wide variety of injuries and ailments—broken bones, head trauma, lead toxicity, soft tissue injuries. Every bird we admit receives an immediate comprehensive examination by an avian veterinarian, and is then treated as necessary with antibiotics, antifungals, anti-inflammatories, fluid therapy, or chelation therapy. They also receive orthopedic surgery if necessary. We do our best to get the birds back out in the wild if possible.

It must be very joyful to enable an injured bird to regain flight ability. Please tell us about a memorable release.

Two and a half years ago we released a female turkey vulture that had been shot with a shotgun—she had three pellets embedded in soft tissue. We had to leave the pellets in her body because removing them would cause damage. Once she was nursed back to health, we released her wearing a transmitter to track her movements. We learned that she travels to northern Georgia in the winters and comes back to West Virginia in the breeding season. We are thrilled that this vulture was able to return to the wild—and thrive!

Vulture watching is growing in popularity. Turkey vultures are very widespread. Where are some of the best places and times to observe them?

In many parts of the southeastern United States, you can see turkey vultures any day of the year in a variety of habitats. In the winter, vultures can be observed roosting together in and near many cities: in Virginia, check out Leesburg, Staunton, Radford, Pulaski, and Charlottesville; in West Virginia, many vultures can be observed migrating in the fall over Hanging Rock Tower in Monroe County and over Harper’s Ferry in the eastern panhandle. During the summer and fall, the overlook at Cooper’s Rock State Forest near Morgantown, WV, is a sure place to see turkey vultures. Hawk Mountain in Pennsylvania, of course, is an excellent place to watch turkey vultures and birds of prey during migration, especially in September and October.

What stimulated your interest in nature?

I’ve always been an outdoors person. I grew up in northeastern Pennsylvania, and I had horses as a kid. I spent a great deal of time with my horses, trail riding and competing, and when I got a bit older I often went hiking and camping with friends and family. One of my favorite childhood hiking spots was Ricketts Glen State Park—it’s filled with hemlock trees and many gorgeous waterfalls. It’s definitely worth checking out if you visit northeastern PA.

Was “bird” your first word?

Yes! My parents had bird feeders in their yard when I was a baby (well, they still do) and my mother says she used to hold me in front of the window to show me the birds at the feeder. One day, she said, “Look at the birds! Look at the birds outside.” And I nodded and said, “Bird.” I haven’t stopped talking about them since.

Katie Fallon’s website address is: www.katiefallon.com.

Posted 4-6-17, Reposted 10-29-19