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Outdoors category, Page 3

Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
Pa. bear harvest lowest in 16 years for hunters, but wildlife experts know the likely causes
After white-tailed deer hunting, no big-game species draws the interest of Pennsylvania sportsmen like black bears. The Keystone State is renowned for its bruin-hunting opportunities, as well as the extremely large bears it gives up annually. Over the years, the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) has expanded its bear hunting opportunities...
A Kentucky family gets an early gift: a baby owl in their Christmas tree 
LEXINGTON, Ky. — One Kentucky family got a little something extra when they picked out their Christmas tree this year: a baby owl. Lexington resident Michele White told WDKY-TV that it’s a tradition for the family to pick out a Christmas tree every year and this year seemed no different....
‘A beautiful gem for North Huntingdon’: Friends of Norwin Trails hosts 1st trail maintenance day
When Shannon Reiter learned that a group of volunteers was clearing the trails at Braddock’s Trail Park in North Huntingdon, she could not pass up the opportunity to pitch in. Reiter, of North Huntingdon, runs at the park and, in the spring, she used to bring her children along for...
Roadkill deer collection not a job for the faint of heart — or stomach
Thanksgiving week is a good time of year to be doing Steve Boeser’s morning job. Boeser will admit it’s not glorious work. The 56-year-old Washington Township resident is contracted by Murrysville to pick up roadkill deer. But the colder the weather, the easier his job is. On a late-November morning,...
Maine and Massachusetts are the last states to keep bans on Sunday hunting. That might soon change
PORTLAND, Maine — Some states are steadily chipping away at longstanding bans on Sunday hunting, and there’s a push to overturn the laws in Maine and Massachusetts, the final two states with full bans. Maine’s highest court is considering a lawsuit asking whether the state’s 19th century law, which prevents...
Pa. leads nation in Lyme disease cases and development in forests is boosting the risk
This story was produced by the State College regional bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to investigative and public-service journalism for Pennsylvania. HOUSERVILLE — Pennsylvania leads the nation in Lyme disease cases, and the continued development of forested areas increases people’s risk of being bitten by the...
Western Pa. Conservancy opens grants for waterway access projects
The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy is accepting applications for projects to improve access for anglers, canoeists and kayakers to streams, lakes and rivers in Western Pennsylvania. The grants from the conservancy’s Canoe Access Development Fund provide technical assistance and grants of up to $5,000 to build and enhance canoe and kayak...
Youghtoberfest aims to raise money for Ohiopyle Borough
Officials in Ohiopyle, the small Fayette County borough surrounded by Ohiopyle State Park, estimate they need $650,000 to fix the local sewage treatment plant and make related repairs. State officials say Ohiopyle’s sewage system takes in more wastewater than it can handle. But the town has fewer than 30 permanent...
Input sought on how American marten will return to Pennsylvania woods
The American marten is a step closer to being reintroduced to the state’s woodlands after the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners on Saturday approved the release of a draft 10-year strategic plan. The commissioners will accept comments on the 125-page plan until Nov. 15. The plan outlines how to relocate...
Opinions mixed on allowing limited hunting in some Pittsburgh parks to control deer population
Christine Graziano said deer run freely through the Squirrel Hill North neighborhood where she lives near Pittsburgh’s Schenley Park. She told City Council members Wednesday that she loves the animals, but supports a proposal to allow limited deer hunting in Pittsburgh parks to get the city’s growing deer population under...
How to manage spotted lanternflies in your yard
Spotted lanternflies have invaded Pittsburgh. After a few years of sparse sightings, the local lanternfly population apparently has exploded and the invasive species is being spotted across Southwestern Pennsylvania. While not immediately dangerous to humans, the insects love to gorge on vegetation and swarm on trees, the sides of homes...
Sportsmen’s groups push for use of semi-automatic rifles for big game hunting
Some sportsmen’s league leaders are pushing for the Pennsylvania Game Commission to allow the use of semi-automatic rifles for big game hunting. Members of the Allegheny County Sportsmen’s League, Beaver County Sportsmen’s Conservation League, Unified Sportsmen of Pennsylvania and the Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action collaborated to write...
Annual Pa. Game Commission elk cam starts streaming
With the September peak of Pennsylvania’s elk mating season fast approaching, the Pennsylvania Game Commission once again has installed a camera on State Game Lands 311 in Elk County, a field that typically serves as a hub of elk activity during mating season. Video and sound from the camera are...
75th anniversary celebration to commemorate construction of Youghiogheny River Dam
After 75 years the Youghiogheny River Dam in Confluence is still standing — and attracting thousands of visitors each week. Shaylin Dresher, natural resources specialist at the Youghiogheny River Lake, led the planning for Saturday’s 75th anniversary celebration, which will be hosted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh...
Federal grants will replace tunnels beneath roads that let water pass but not fish
The Biden administration on Wednesday announced nearly $200 million in federal infrastructure grants to upgrade tunnels that carry streams beneath roads but can be deadly to fish that get stuck trying to pass through. Many of these narrow passages known as culverts, often made from metal or concrete, were built...
Norwegian climber says it would have been impossible to carry injured Pakistani porter down snowy K2
BERLIN — A record-setting Norwegian mountaineer pushed back Sunday against claims that she could have done more to save the life of a Pakistani porter who slipped off a narrow trail near the peak of the world’s most treacherous mountain and died there after several hours. The circumstances of Mohammad...
Judge blocks Colorado law raising age to buy a gun to 21
DENVER — A federal judge has blocked Colorado from enforcing a new law raising the age to purchase a gun from 18 to 21. U.S. District Judge Philip Brimmer issued a preliminary injunction Monday following a legal challenge by a gun rights group. In a ruling that frequently referenced a...
Pennsylvania anglers advised to catch, kill invasive Northern Snakehead fish
An invasive fish found in Pennsylvania fresh waters has made the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission advisory list. In a release Wednesday, the agency said anyone reeling in a Northern Snakehead in Pennsylvania should report their catch and dispose of the fish. The advisory applies to the lower Susquehanna River...
Frog Week created to bring attention to often overlooked species
Frogs are finally getting their due — and their own week of celebration — thanks to the efforts of an Indiana University of Pennsylvania graduate student. “Most tend to fear frogs and other creatures around them; frog week helps break this and bring attention to what is in our backyard,”...
Pa. antlerless deer license sales double last year’s pace as 2nd round nears
The second round of 2023-24 antlerless deer license sales begins at 8 a.m. Monday as the Pennsylvania Game Commission tries to catch up with a huge increase in the number of permits sold during the first round. The agency is allowing antlerless deer licenses to be purchased anywhere hunting licenses...
Hungry ticks can use this static trick to land on you and your pets
NEW YORK — Hungry ticks have some slick tricks. They can zoom through the air using static electricity to latch onto people, pets and other animals, new research shows. Humans and animals naturally pick up static charges as they go about their days. And those charges are enough to give...
Pa. hunters experience long lines virtually, in person on 1st day of Game Commission license sales
Dorothy Mutter, a cashier at Hep­ler’s Hardware in Youngwood, was met with a line of hunters waiting for the shop to open when she came to work Monday morning. It was the opening day of hunting license and doe tag sales, and hunters across Pennsylvania eagerly waited, either in line...
Pa. antlerless deer licenses soon available in stores, online
Change is in the air this Pennsylvania hunting season. Hunters in the state soon will be able to buy their 2023-24 antlerless deer licenses wherever hunting licenses are sold. The new process will go into effect at 8 a.m. Monday when sales begin for general hunting and furtaker licenses. Hunters...
‘So satisfying’: Grueling Rachel Carson Trail Challenge entices hikers
There’s nothing about the Rachel Carson Trail Challenge that makes it a walk in the park. But once its hikers complete the hilly, scenic and physically demanding trail, the feeling is one of satisfaction and relief. “I think it’s so satisfying,” said Amy Nelson, a board member of the Rachel...
Blood-red crickets invade Nevada town, residents fight back 
ELKO, Nev. — Dana Dolan was driving through her small Nevada hometown when she thought she had come upon a gory crash. The ground surrounding Elko’s stretch of Interstate 80 looked as if it had been covered in blood. As the red color shifted and moved, she realized instead it...


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