"Schuylkill on the Move" posts 2013 Hike and Walk Schedule

Schuylkillon the Move has posted its 2013 guided hike and walk schedule with activities taking place across the public lands and trails of Schuylkill County.  Events such as the Swatara Soiree (Sept. 14th) and Pinnacle Trek (Oct. 19th) feature popular recreation and scenic viewing areas along the Kittatinny Ridge and Appalachian Trail.  Mark your calendars to explore the Kittatinny with knowledgable hike guides in 2013!  Or use this list to inspire and plan your next foray into the outdoors.  The Kittatinny Coalition web site also features a variety of outdoor recreation opportunities across the Ridge on the Recreation page.

Schuylkill on the Move encourages people to take positive steps toward good health and advocates for more walkable communities. SOM is a project of Schuylkill County’s VISION in partnership with the Schuylkill County Visitors Bureau. The SchuylkillConservation District partners with SOM as it promotes connections with our environment. Info: “Porcupine Pat”: porcupinepat@yahoo.com or 570.622.4124 x 113

2013 Duncannon A.T. Community Calendars Available

Did you attend Duncannon's June 2, 2012 Appalachian Trail Community designation festival? If so, or if you have an affinity for this historic trail town where the Appalachian Trail meets the Juniata and Susquehanna Rivers, check out the 2013 Calendar made available by Duncannon's A.T. Community Committee (DATC).   The day's events featured a variety of local hikes, educational programming, non-profit and artisan vendors, musical performances, the unveiling of the post-card art contest winners and the official designation ceremony.

Mail checks to 2 Ann St., Duncannon, PA 17020.  Make payable to DATC Advisory Committee.  For pick up in Duncannon, contact Mary "Trailangelmary" Parry at trailangelmary@gmail.com or call 717-834-4706.

Let's Talk about Recreation and Conservation in Northern Lebanon County! Public Meeting Jan 31st.

Calling all trail and outdoor recreation enthusiasts in Northern Lebanon County!   The area boasts many natural, historic and recreational resources including the Kittatinny Ridge, 18 miles of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Swatara State Park,Swatara Creek Water Trail, and many more.  Join the Northern Lebanon Recreation and Parks Commission in a conversation on Jan. 31st.  Your input is needed!

Upcoming Events along the Kittatinny

Much to do along the Ridge and Corridor during the winter!  There are many hikes, festivals and educational opportunities coming up:

Jan. 19 ~ Woodpeckers of Jacobsburg
Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center, Wind Gap, PA
Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center has some of the best woodpecker habitat in the Lehigh Valley area. Join us as we search the park for local species of woodpeckers like the elusive Pileated Woodpecker and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. For more information, visit the DCNR event listing.

Jan. 19 ~ Wild About Winter at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary
Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, Kempton, PA
Full day event includes free information about winter wildlife, a live raptor program, children's activity and winter walk. For more information, visit Hawk Mountain Sanctuary's event schedule.

Jan. 19 ~ Darlington Trail Hike with SATC: Tower Road to Lamb's Gap
Tower Road, State Game Lands parking area, Hamden, PA
Hike the eastern half of the Darlington Trail (east to west) starting at Tower Road through Bryson Hollow followed by an easy climb to the ridge of Blue Mountain and ending at Lamb's Gap PA Game Lands parking lot. Optional post-hike dinner at the Waterfront Bar & Grill in nearby Marysville. For more information or to register with hike leader, visit Susquehanna Appalachian Trail Club's Hiking and Activity Schedule.

Jan. 25 ~ Night Hike to Auburn Overlook with BMECC
Mountain Road, Tilden Township, PA
Meet at 7:00PM at the parking lot on Mountain Road in Tilden Township for SGL110. GPS coordinates for start are N 40.55202, W 076.054291. Bring flashlights, preferably with red or green bulbs. This is up the mountain from the base, about a 3 mile hike which is not family friendly. For more information or to contact hike leader, visit Blue Mountain Eagle Climbing Club's Hike & Activity Schedule.

Jan. 29 ~ Lecture Series - The Coal Mining Patch Towns of Stony Valley
Wildwood Lake Park, Harrisburg, PA
Explore the former coal mining towns of Stony Valley with Brandy M. Watts Martin in a program sponsored by the Friends of Wildwood. During the mid-1800s, the communities of Rattling Run in Dauphin County and Yellow Springs, Rausch Gap and Gold Mine in Lebanon County were thriving industrial towns. Explore their ruins with Brandy, who has been studying the area since, as a third grader, she learned that a hotel once existed in the briar-covered ruins of Cold Springs. For more information, visit the Wildwood Lake Park events schedule.

Feb 10. ~ A Decade of Research at the Lehigh Gap Wildlife Refuge
Lehigh Gap Nature Center, Slatington, PA
Dr. Diane Husic, Chair of Biological Sciences at Moravian College, is a member of the Lehigh Gap Nature Center Board of Directors and serves as our volunteer Director of Research. Here she will talk about the research that has been conducted at the center in the past ten years and give us some hints about what research may be undertaken in the future. For more information, visit the Lehigh Gap Nature Center events schedule.

A Longer View: The Kittatinny-Shawangunk Raptor Migration Corridor

Kittatinny-Shawangunk Ridge and Corridor, RaptorCorridor.org

Birds and Appalachian Trail hikers don't stop at state borders!  Zooming out from the Kittatinny Coalition's focus on this treasured landscape in Pennsylvania, the Kittatinny-Shawangunk Ridge and Corridor is a geologic feature and famous raptor fly-way that extends 250 miles across Pennsylvania, New Jersey and parts of New York State.

There are five National Natural Landmarks within the Kittatinny-Shawangunk Ridge and Corridor, as well as numerous historic sites and structures listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. The new Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge is located near Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area in Pennsylvania, and the Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge is located in close proximity to the northern Shawangunk Mountains of New York State. The Nature Conservancy designated the Shawangunk Ridge of New York State as one of the “Last Great Places” on the earth. New York State’s Open Space Conservation Plan has listed the Shawangunk Ridge as a top “Priority Conservation Project Area” statewide.

Delaware Water Gap and Farmland, RaptorCorridor.org

A few years ago, a group of conservationists, including many Kittatinny Coalition partners, coordinated a petition the Secretary of the Interior officially to designate it as the Kittatinny-Shawangunk National Raptor Migration Corridor, a designation that would support continued conservation advocacy programs in the corridor, and foster increased coordination, cooperation, and efficiency in enhancing land-use practices that maintain the special character of the area.

To learn more about the Kittatinny-Shawangunk Ridge and Corridor's values and the designation effort, visit:
www.raptorcorridor.org

Blue Mountain High: Winter Hike on the Kittatinny near Lehigh Gap

Winter can afford some beautiful views from the Ridge-top.  A recent 5.3 mile hike along a section of the Appalachian Trail from Little Gap (Blue Mountain Rd.) to Lehigh Gap brought breathtaking vistas north into Carbon County and south into Northampton County, interesting information about the Palmerton Zinc Pile Restoration efforts and of course.. a work-out.  Have you been up on the Ridge in this section?  Parking is available at Little Gap just south of the Blue Mountain Ski Area entrance and at Lehigh Gap on both sides of the river.  Philadelphia Trail Club volunteers maintain this section of the Appalachian Trail.  Check out some of the scenes below!

Trailhead at Little Gap, near Danielsville, PA

Marker for Boundary of State Game Lands along Appalachian Trail

"Resource Island" area along Appalachian Trail, part of Palmerton Zinc Pile Restoration efforts

Looking north over Palmerton Borough from the Kittatinny Ridge

A bird traveling the famous migratory fly-way

Approaching the descent into Lehigh Gap, looking west to Lehigh Gap Wildlife Refuge

Clark's Ferry Tavern excavation stirs up interest in Duncannon

Clark's Ferry Tavern. (Photo: SEDA-COG)

The Perry County Times recently reported excitement at the on-going excavation of the Clark’s Ferry Tavern in Duncannon.  Recently acquired by Duncannon Borough for eventual restoration, Clark’s Ferry Tavern is the oldest standing structure in town and served an important role in the area’s transportation history as the western landing of Clark’s Ferry.   Historical Society of Perry County members and volunteers began an educational excavation in September 2012 and have found artifacts ranging from arrowheads to a small gold pin.

Read the full report: Workers unearth history at historic Duncannon tavern

Duncannon, a designated Appalachian Trail Community and welcoming stop for A.T. thru-hikers, boast a number of heritage and scenic attractions that tell of its history as a river, canal, railroad and trail town at the base of the Kittatinny Ridge.  Learn more about some of these special places on Susquehanna Greenway Partnership’s River Towns description: Duncannon.