PA’s oldest Hemlock: Reading the Pennsylvania magazine for November/December 2019, an interesting fact for McKean County popped up in the Mailbox section:
The magazine’s September/October edition had discussed Pa.’s oldest Hemlock tree, which was determined to be 557 years old when it was cored in 1980 by Ed Cook.
The tree is located in the Tionesta Scenic Area, an old growth area of the state.
However, contrary to reports in the previous edition, this tree actually has a McKean County connection.
After some investigation, USDA research ecologist/director’s representative Todd Ristau, PhD, who works at the Northern Research Station of the USDA Forest Service, explained that “the best access is through Ludlow (McKean County). Signs point the way there. A loop trail runs through the old growth tract.”
Ristau explained the area was the victim of beech bark disease, which killed the second most abundant old growth tree, the American beech.
The old hemlock is located near an area where visitors can park and easily access the old growth. For directions, visit www.pa-mag.com/oldhemlock.
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Falcons in Harrisburg: 38S” has returned! The adult male falcon, as in previous years, is making his presence known on the 15th floor ledge of the Rachel Carson State office building in Harrisburg.
The nesting adult female, “48/AE”, seemed to have shooed him off the platform on Wednesday. But in years past, “38S” has competed to become the breeding male. W/V has remained the top male, but as he gets older “38S’s” chances to breed get higher.
The breeding season is still a few weeks away, so there may be conflict in the intervening weeks. HDonTap offers a livestream camera, available for viewing at https://hdontap.com/index.php/video/stream/harrisburg-pennsylvania-falcon-live-cam
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Dinosaurs in DuBois: Doolittle Station, which was built based on blueprints from an 1880 B&O railway station, offers a display of 20 animatronic dinosaurs, complete with opportunities to take a photo in a gigantic dino egg or while riding a T-rex.
There are also eating establishments ready to cater to all ages, set up inside rail cars and serving anything from hot dogs and burgers to diner food in a 1950s diner.
