Pennsylvania Recreation and Parks: Special Issue

S p e c i a l Iss u e – E n v i r o n m e n t a l S t e w a r d s h i p

cover story:

Parks to the Rescue

S p e c i a l Iss u e

In This Issue… cover story:

6 Parks to the Rescue – by Ann Yost, RLA, President YSM Landscape Architects and Kelly Gutshall, RLA, President LandStudies, Inc.

Parks are an integral part of municipal government – where citizens gather to cheer their favorite teams, exercise with friends, and attend community special events. You know – fun and games.

6 Parks to the Rescue Parks are an integral part of municipal government...

10 Bradys Run Park Four Seasons Pavilion A fitting venue for the many events and gatherings that occur within the park during the course of the year.

12 Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Conservation Success Story.

20 Urban Outfitters Headquarters at the Philadelphia Navy Yard Respect for rich histories of the Navy Yard guides the design of a refashioned campus of creativity for retailer Urban Outfitters.

24 Pennsylvania Bucktails Field School – A Perspective Engaging and empowering high school age youth to become Conservation Ambassadors.

28 The Nature Inn at Bald Eagle Mixes Enjoyment with Conservation of Outdoors It’s only natural that the facility is a model of environmental stewardship and social responsibility.

30 Local Officials’ Park and Recreation Investment Priorities: Do Benefits Really Matter?

34 Professional Development 7 Deep Truths to Help You Cope with the Mid-Winter Blues

44 Magnificent for the Ages: The Story of Schenley Park 2015 sees park and recreation agencies performing more roles in serving their communities than ever before.

Photo by Landis Homes

50 Get Outdoors PA: Partnership to Connect Citizens with Outdoor Activities Growing Strong A Winning Component at Centre Region Parks and Recreation Authority

4 A Message from the President 36 Member Profile: Christine Hartle

Check out the Professional Development Opportunities on page 5

37 Student Profile: Morgan Costello 38 Vendor Profile: Ann E. Yost, YSM Landscape Architects 40 The Emerald Jewels of Penn's Woods: Hillman State Park 51 Crossword Puzzle 52 Take Ten: How much do you know about PRPS? 54 Index to Advertisers

Tim Herd, Executive Director, Managing Editor Emily Schnellbaugh, Editor and Production Manager

Pennsylvania Recreation & Parks (ISSN 0742-793X) is published quarterly by the Pennsylvania Recreation & Park Society, Inc., 2131 Sandy Drive, State College, PA 16803-2283 (814-234-4272). The subscription rate is $10.00 per year and is included in the membership dues. Periodical postage paid at State College, PA and at additional mailing office. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Pennsylvania Recreation & Park Society, Inc., 2131 Sandy Drive, State College, PA 16803-2283.

PRPS is a professional, non-profit organization established in 1935 and is an Affiliate of the National Recreation and Park Association. Opinions expressed in signed articles are those of the writers and not necessarily those of PRPS. Reproduction in whole or part without permission is prohibited. Special Issue 2015.

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Greetings!

Today at one of my community’s parks, I noticed that a group of cherry trees was blossoming! No big deal, right? However, it’s December 16th in Pennsylvania and normally this time of year the temperature is typically in the high 30s, low 40s and all our foliage has become dormant for the winter. When our temps this past week soared past 50, 60 and topping out at 72 degrees, nature’s balance has been challenged.

Cold weather is soon to arrive and I wonder what affect this unusual warm spell will have on these trees and the environment in general.

We too can have an effect on the environment, both positive and negative, in the way we plan, construct and maintain our facilities, parks, trails and open spaces. Good environmental stewardship is a responsibility that we all must take ownership of now and in the future.

Several articles in this edition are related to sustainable design practices, environmental projects and education programs, bird conservation, green facilities, and wildlife youth conservation with green practices in design!

My sincere thanks to all who have contributed to this edition of our Society’s magazine!

I challenge all to follow these great examples of leadership in environmental sustainability and encourage you to “Go Green” whenever and wherever you can.

Thank you.

Kurt W. Baker, President, Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society

eTOOLKIT UPDATES January 2016 There are a few new materials available on the eToolkit, including an email signature graphic and updated print materials.

To download these materials, go to GoodForPA.com/providers.

For instructions and materials for the customized local parks finder, please go to GoodForPA.com/localparksfinder

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P r o f e s s i o n a l D e v e l o p m e n t O p p o r t u n i t i e s

MONTH EVENT

LOCATION

January 13

PRPS District 3 Ski Social and Meeting

Stroudsburg

January 14

Webinar (Operational Standards)

Online

January 27

PRPS District 3 Ski Social and Meeting

Palmerton

January 27

PRPS District 2 Workshop

York

February 9

PRPS District 3 Ski Social and Meeting

Blakeslee

March 13-16

PRPS Conference

Seven Springs

April 6

Webinar (Clearances Update)

Online

April 26

Swimming Pool Recertification

Mechanicsburg

April 27-28

Swimming Pool 101 & Exam

Mechanicsburg

April

Swimming Pool Recertification

Cranberry Township

April

Swimming Pool 101 & Exam

Cranberry Township

April 20

Swimming Pool Recertification

Plymouth Township

April 21-22

Swimming Pool 101 & Exam

Plymouth Township

May 3-5

Certified Playground Safety Inspector

Cranberry Township

April 26

Playground Maintenance Workshop

District 1 TBA

April 12

Playground Maintenance Workshop

South Middleton Township

April 5

Playground Maintenance Workshop

Plymouth Township

May 31-June 3

PA Therapeutic Recreation Institute

Lancaster

September 14

Swimming Pool Recertification

Plymouth Township

September 15-16

Swimming Pool 101 & Exam

Plymouth Township

September 13

Swimming Pool Recertification

Mechanicsburg

September 14-15

Swimming Pool 101 & Exam

Mechanicsburg

September

Swimming Pool Recertification

Cranberry Township

September

Swimming Pool 101 & Exam

Cranberry Township

October

Park Resource Operations Workshop

Hamburg

November

PRPS Fall Membership Meeting

Location TBA

November

DCNR Grant Workshops

Locations TBA

December 13-15

Certified Playground Safety Inspector

Horsham

Schedule is subject to change. December 2015 Draft

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cover story

Parks to the Parks are an integral part of municipal government – where citizens gather to cheer their favorite teams, exercise with friends, and attend community special events.

You know – fun and games.

Municipal administrators and elected officials know that residents value parkland and appreciate the programs and services provided by Recreation Departments – but may not see all the opportunities associated with parkland. When parks are fully integrated into local governments they can be key assets in municipal initiatives and provide solutions to municipal challenges.

Municipalities face unique environmental challenges on an on-going basis, from evolving regulatory mandates, to flooding and the effects of severe storms, stream erosion, and increasing maintenance demands.

These and other environmental impacts present challenges to municipalities charged with working within typically modest budgets and limited resources.

by Ann Yost, RLA, President YSM Landscape Architects and Kelly Gutshall, RLA, President LandStudies, Inc.

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S p e c i a l Iss u e

Consider these challenges: Stormwater Regulations – State and Federal regulators have placed increasing mandates on Pennsylvania’s municipalities to address stormwater discharges and improve water quality. Requirements such as MS4 (Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems) and TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load) are municipal requirements that many local governments are just beginning to understand and address.

Parkland and Park & Recreation Departments can be part of the solutions to these environmental challenges. Parkland is often leftover land, land with environmental constraints such as wetlands, floodplains, and steep slopes, or land a developer did not want or could not develop. Parks and underutilized open space offer settings that help to address these challenges.

Flooding and Streambank Erosion – As development occurs and storms become more severe, municipalities are impacted by increased stormwater runoff and flooding on a more frequent basis. Increased impervious surfaces, coupled with severe storm events are impacting streams, causing streambank erosion and in some instances, threatening municipal infrastructure like roads and utilities.

Instead of single-purpose solutions that may address one aspect of environmental challenges, solutions that consider all of a municipality’s assets, including parks and underutilized lands, may yield multiple benefits. This approach advocates bringing Parks & Recreation Departments to the table with municipal administration, engineering, public works, and planning, to work together to craft solutions that maximize both municipal and community benefits.

On-going Maintenance – Maintenance associated with municipal stormwater facilities, rights-of-ways, and open space are stretching public works budgets and manpower, with limited benefits to the public.

Parks and underutilized open space along streams naturally receive stormwater runoff from upland areas. Typically these parks may contain athletic fields, picnic areas, and trails, but are relatively open due to environmental considerations and

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limitations associated with flooding. It is often possible to carve out fringe areas between these recreation amenities to incorporate stormwater Best Management Practices (BMP’s), such as bioretention swales that filter runoff before it enters the floodplain. These BMPs could address MS4 requirements if they provide water quality benefits and discharge to a stream or watercourse. Native plantings that stabilize BMPs can enhance a park’s aesthetics and expand wildlife habitat areas. Trails can be extended to traverse these BMPs with boardwalk crossings, to add diversity to the walking experience. Interpretative signs, which describe the function of the BMPs and their importance in the landscape provide the dual benefits of MS4 credits for public education and outreach and recreation benefits of adding interest to the park site and raising environmental awareness.

These same park and open space parcels along streams typically encompass significant floodplain areas that carry floodwaters during severe storm events.

Streambank erosion is common and in many areas has altered stream alignments from their natural course and may be threatening to undermine infrastructure. Severe storm events may cause flooding that impact areas beyond

Before

the natural floodplain. Park professions are well aware of the impacts of flooding on parkland. Often park amenities such as picnic tables and benches must be moved to higher ground before a severe storm or floodwaters are expected.

Floodwaters may reach a playground area, washing away the safety surface mulch or undermining resilient safety surfacing. Restoring a streams natural alignment and capacity to re-connect it to its historic floodplain can mitigate these negative impacts and improve floodplain function. Accommodating floodwaters within a restored floodplain that mimics its natural alignment and cross-section, carries the majority of storms with lower velocities, which minimizes the need for flood preparedness activities and reduces the potential for damage. Recreation benefits of floodplain restoration includes removal of steep and eroded streambanks and the creation of a natural wetland plant community improves bio-diversity and wildlife habitat while providing opportunities for nature study and interpretive trails. Typically the floodplain reconnection allows easier access to the stream for fishing and paddle craft launch. The expanded floodplain is a stable condition for planting riparian trees and shrubs while lowering routine maintenance requirements.

Stream realignment and floodplain restoration can have a dramatic impact on recreation. Logan Park in Manheim Borough, Lancaster County is traversed

by Rife Run, a deeply incised stream channel with severely eroded banks.

The Rife Run floodplain was burdened by years of sediment build up known as “Legacy Sediment” that had accumulated from historic land uses, resulting in less flood storage capacity. The park’s athletic fields were frequently out of use because of seasonal flooding and wet conditions. A floodplain restoration project completed in 2015 allowed the athletic fields to be re-established on the uplands created from excavated floodplain material. The result is athletic fields that are higher, dryer, and more usable and a naturalized floodplain that adds beauty to the park and improves the function of the floodplain to mitigate stormwater run-off. Wetlands were created and stormwater BMPs were introduced to improve water quality and meet regulatory mandates while providing an enhanced setting for trails and wildlife habitat.

Now is the time to inventory your municipally owned parkland, open space, rights-of-ways, and stormwater infrastructure areas and evaluate the potential to use these lands to mitigate flood-

After

New Street Park, Borough of Lititz, before and after Santo Domingo Creek floodplain restoration.

Photo by LandStudies, Inc.

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S p e c i a l Iss u e ing and meet environmental regulations and MS4 permit requirements. Involving park professionals, with an eye on these issues, opens the door to integration of public access and recreation amenities as part of environmentally friendly solutions. Simple steps, such as planting riparian buffers and floodplain meadows along streams, coupled with development of walking trails and stream access areas, can lower maintenance associated with mowing and provide community health and wellness benefits. Providing public access to developed wetlands and BMPs expands the diversity of the park setting. Developing traditional recreation amenities such as athletic fields or a playground on open space parcels where environmental issues are addressed invites the eyes and ears of the public to monitor the site, and in turn reduce inappropriate behavior.

Parkland and municipal open space offer settings that can be enhanced to address municipal environmental challenges. In many instances, recreation objectives and public use can be woven into environmental solutions, resulting in multiple “wins” for the municipality. Incorporating environmental solutions into parkland and open space is

Wildlife at restored floodplain in Lititz. Photo by Landis Homes

efficient, using land already owned by the municipality. When recreation and environmental goals are integrated into a multi-purpose initiative, the potential for funding and partnerships expand.

When municipal park and recreation professionals have a voice at the table, environmental challenges can become solutions with great public benefits.

Ann E. Yost, RLA is a founding principal and president of YSM Landscape Architects, a landscape architecture firm dedicated to the design and planning of community spaces for public recreation. Since 1990 Yost’s career has focused on park and recreation area planning, design, and development to maximize public and environmental benefits for communities and counties throughout Pennsylvania.

Kelly Gutshall, RLA is the owner and president of LandStudies, Inc., a recognized leader in environmental restoration and sustainable design and a pioneer in Economic Ecology, an innovative approach that engages communities to work together to solve water issues and maximize both economic and environmental returns on investment. Gutshall’s award-winning projects incorporate cost-effective environmental solutions to meet water resource goals and regulations while improving biodiversity and landscape aesthetics.

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Bradys Run Park Four Seasons Pavilion

by John O. Buerkle, Jr., RLA, AICP, President, PASHEK Associates

Over the past decade, Beaver County has been committed to improving the recreation offerings throughout the County’s three parks, Bradys Run Park, Brush Creek Park, and Old Economy Park. The latest improvement, the Bradys Run Park Four Seasons Pavilion provides a fitting venue for the many events and gatherings that occur within the park during the course of the year.

O

riginally the concept for this pavilion was to replace the existing Shelter No. 14 with a traditional, open air picnic shelter. However, Beaver County Commissioners Tony Amadio, Chairman, Joe Spanik, and Dennis Nichols requested that the pavilion be designed to be used throughout all seasons.

Former Shelter 14

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The challenge presented to the team was design a pavilion that takes advantage of the view of Bradys Run Lake and the desire for an open-air venue during warm weather months, providing the opportunity to enclose the pavilion and heat it during cold months and incorporating sustainable design practices throughout. The result is a solution that meets the needs all visitors throughout all seasons.

S p e c i a l Iss u e

Accessible walkway from lake to pavilion.

To allow visitors to take advantage of the setting and the environment, the building has six insulated large panel doors.

Visitors can activate the doors to open or close as necessary to adapt the building to the climate and weather. The building is also insulated and heated with radiant floor heating. Therefore, during cold weather, events can take place in a comfortable climate-controlled venue. There are also six ceiling fans to circulate air within the pavilion.

The Four Seasons Pavilion is 40 ft x 80 ft in size and can accommodate as many as 170 people. It offers: ▲ Main event space (60 ft x 30 ft)

Spacious interior suitable for use year-round.

Sustainable design practices and elements of this project include: ▲ Reuse of an existing developed site within the park ▲ Retention of all healthy trees located in the area ▲ Porous pavers providing accessible parking, accessible routes, and connections to park trails

▲ Sterling Contracting, LLC – General Contractor ▲ Reno Bros., Inc. – Plumbing Contractor ▲ McCurley Houston Electric, Inc. – Electrical Contractor

▲ Reuse of an existing gray water leach bed

The total project cost was $925,167.75, 14% less than the estimated by the consulting team.

▲ LED lighting within the building

▲ Accessible restrooms with composting toilets

The project was funded in part with a grant provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Community Conservation Partnership initiative Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation

▲ Direct parking and access to the food service area for caterers

The project was constructed by the following contractors:

▲ Porous pavers managing rainwater run-off also functioning as an infiltration reservoir for roof water run-off

▲ Food service/catering kitchen (28 ft x 9 ft) serving window and counter, double-door refrigerator/freezer, sinks, numerous electrical outlets, stainless steel tables

▲ Accessible parking spaces

Fund. Pashek Associates prepared the design for the Four Seasons Pavilion in collaboration with Moshier Studio.

▲ Radiant floor heating within the building ▲ Composting toilets

▲ McRandal Company, Inc. – Mechanical Contractor

John Buerkle, president of Pashek Associates, states that over the years Beaver County has been committed to improving recreation opportunities in County Parks. He predicts the Four Seasons Pavilion will be a very popular facility for many years to come.

“Over the years, Bradys Run Park has become a very attractive location for citizens to relax, enjoy the outdoors and share good times with family and friends. This project will enhance the Park's services and opportunities for all.”

– Tony Amadio, County Commission Chairman

Accessible parking spaces.

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Accipiter passes north lookout.

Photo by Bill Moses

Hawk Mountain Sanctuary:

Success tory S C o n s e rvat i o n

by Mary Linkevich, Director of Communication & Grants, Hawk Mountain

Adult broadwinged hawk about to be tagged.

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S p e c i a l Iss u e

leaned as far back as I could and almost lost my balance when I swatted yet another mosquito from my neck, but quickly raised the camera and got in my shot of two tree climbers. Together they slowly descended a large oak in the Hawk Mountain ➢

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forest toting with them precious cargo: two broad-winged hawk nestlings, the first to ever wear a satellite telemetry unit to track and learn more about their amazing, long-distance migration through Mexico and into South America and back.

It’s one of the reasons people say they envy my job—the unique chance to observe, document, and share with the public the many environmental projects and programs at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary and share them with the public.

In a given year, I meet young conservationists from countries around the

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world who train at Hawk Mountain for up to four months. I learn about the latest findings in raptor conservation science, land management, and environmental education techniques, and have the chance to meet some of the annual 65,000 visitors who walk the trails and support the Hawk Mountain mission. I admit, it’s a great job, one where every day is a learning experience.

Mitchel, Berks Mont News

For those who never visited, I tell them the Sanctuary is a special place that attracts many types of people, the majority of whom flock here each fall to witness the annual migration of hawks, eagles,

Below: Machawe at the Lookout where he helped conduct the count and interpret the flight for visitors.

Opposite page: Olivet Boys and Girls Club participates in Raptor Day Camp. Photo by Lisa

S p e c i a l Iss u e

and falcons. Others prefer spring and summer to hike the eight-mile ridgeand-valley trail system, enjoy the vistas from half a dozen scenic overlooks, or to just spend time outdoors in an unspoiled area. Rugged outdoorsmen and women love the winter months, when the Sanctuary is quiet and snow-covered and a northern goshawk or golden eagle just may sail in close, hugging the ridge as it passes and offering an amazing view of their flight. No matter the reason for a visit, every trail admission or membership purchase supports local to global raptor conservation science, training, and education programs, as well as help to care for and share the 2,500-acre Hawk Mountain Sanctuary.

Unique History The Sanctuary has always had a history peppered with strong females, starting with our founder, New York conservationist Rosalie Edge. Once a popular gathering place to shoot migrating hawks, it was in 1934 that Mrs. Edge heard about the carnage and visited the site in east central Pennsylvania called “Hawk Mountain.”

Immediately, she leased the land, installed a warden and ornithologist, and created the first safe haven for

migratory raptors. Single-handedly, she raised funds to complete the purchase and established the Sanctuary as the world’s first refuge for birds of prey, operated by the not-for-profit Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Association.

The creation of Hawk Mountain was a major turning point in bird conservation. The first systematic count of migratory raptors was conducted at Hawk Mountain; which today, has led to more than 200 migration watchsites across the country and even more at migration ‘hotspots’ around the world.

While today we know many places may see more migrants, such as our partner million-raptor site in Veracruz, Mexico, the Sanctuary is still recognized as one of the United States’ best observation points for bird migration, and certainly the most famous. Its long history and successful nature-tourism approach led to ultimate protection in 1972 for all migratory raptors and sets Hawk Mountain apart as a conservation mentor.

Many, including myself, consider the Sanctuary one of the greatest conservation success stories of our time.

Hawk Mountain programs aim to engage, inspire, and inform visitors and wider publics in the inspirational nature

of birds of prey, their migrations, their value to ecological landscape, and as a result, to connect more people to nature and boost their interest in conservation. The Sanctuary carries out this goal through local-to-global conservation science and education programs, and by maintaining Hawk Mountain Sanctuary as an authentic Appalachian Mountain environment from which one can observe birds of prey during spring and autumn, and discover the outdoors in every season.

Training the Next Generation Perhaps the most far-reaching program at Hawk Mountain is its Conservation Science Training Program, which brings to Hawk Mountain the best and brightest up-and-coming raptor biologists from Pennsylvania and beyond. Here the trainees work sideby-side with our own conservation science professionals and live and train on the Sanctuary for up to four months.

The schedule is rigorous but effective, providing broad experience in data collection, wildlife monitoring, public education, and Sanctuary management.

Just this autumn I’ve had the chance to get to know young people from Spain, Switzerland, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe.

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Bald Eagle at North Lookout.

Photo by Bill Moses

Like other spring and autumn classes, the five trainees this fall completed an individual research project, interacted with visitors, presented public programs, participated in weekly seminars and readings, learned about and practiced new research techniques, and collected and analyzed migration data.

They now join the ranks of their alumni, representing more than 400 young conservationists from 72 countries on six continents who trained at Hawk Mountain. The best part is that the vast majority of the trainees keep in touch with the Sanctuary and many continue to work with us as partners. The program is effective and efficient conservation at its best and is completely funded by a trainee endowment.

Scientific Research

by our Director of Long-term Monitoring, Dr. Laurie Goodrich. At the same time Laurie was tagging broadwings, Research Biologist David Barber was trapping and tagging black vultures.

Meanwhile, our Director of Conservation Science, Dr. Keith Bildstein, was in the Falklands to oversee the field work of a Sanctuary graduate student studying the striated caracara. He also conducted surveys of turkey vultures and California condors in California with former trainee Katie Harrington. In November, Katie presented her findings at the annual meeting of the Raptor Research Foundation. In fact, we had six former trainees at the conference, two graduate students, and Dr. JeanFrancois Therrien, our senior research biologist, who presented a talk on his own research.

Since its early days, Hawk Mountain has been a gathering place for ornithologists and those interested in the study of raptors and their migration. Today, work has expanded so dramatically, it can be a challenge to keep up with the research of the four Hawk Mountain scientists.

For example, the broad-winged hawk study mentioned earlier is an effort led

This wasn’t the only place where a Hawk Mountain contingent made a strong presence. Six former Hawk Mountain trainees gathered at the 9th Asian Raptor Research & Conservation Network Symposium in Chumphon, Thailand, in October, along with Dr. Bildstein, who was invited to present a keynote address. Keith was also invited

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to present a keynote at a raptor festival in Colombia. He then spent time in the field working with graduate student Camille Concepcion to conduct field work on grey-faced buzzards in her native Philippines. Meanwhile, Dr. Jean-Francois Therrien conducted field work and supervised the work of two graduate students studying roughlegged hawks and snowy owls in the high Arctic, where he managed the Sanctuary’s long-term American kestrel nestbox study. The most amazing part is that all scientific studies at Hawk Mountain are funded exclusively by grants and independent gifts.

Expanding Education It has also been exciting to see similar growth in the Sanctuary’s education programs, a top goal of the organization in 2015. Last year Hawk Mountain took an important step forward with the hire of our first director of education in more than 15 years and already the results have been tremendous. Erin Brown assumed the role and helped the Sanctuary meet several key goals: incorporate the work of Hawk Mountain scientists into education programs, make use of

S p e c i a l Iss u e the infrastructure provided at the newly expanded Irma Broun-Kahn Education Building, launch an educational internship program, and build our global reach. The ultimate goal is to follow the successful model of growth in conservation science. This work is progressing beyond our expectations.

This summer, for example, a new summer education intern recorded footage of our scientists in action and the video is now being edited for publication on our website and in social media. One goal is to better share our mission and programs, but it is also a chance to show young people careers in conservation and what it looks like to be a raptor biologist. The summer intern also produced and presented a series of new informal summer programming and, thanks to the added support, allowed the education team the opportunity to serve more than one group visit on the same day.

The education team also hosted five teacher workshops in 2014-2015 that were filled to capacity. The team worked closely with peer organizations to crosspromote and share tools. One highlight

was an invitation to visit our partner watchsite in Veracruz, Mexico, where our professional staff modeled Hawk Mountain education programs and strengthened relationships for future long-range education programming.

This was accomplished by seeking and receiving funds to present a Raptor Day Camp and other programs in Mexico as well as at Hawk Mountain with an inner-city Boys and Girls Club.

Such innovative partnerships allow the Sanctuary to cross international boundaries, thus linking cultures and continents.

Most importantly, the education team made impressive gains in the creation of new curricula, learning activities, and other exportable products that incorporate the real-life and real-time raptor conservation that happens at the Sanctuary. Already the professional educators have developed and launched an American kestrel webcam with an accompanying curricula for teachers and held an at-capacity teacher workshop to demonstrate how best to use it in the classroom. Recorded footage from 2014 is now available online which makes

Trainees, back row: Machawe Maphalala, Swaziland, and Pablo Santonja Serrano, Spain.

the curricula useful during any year, whether the box is occupied or not, and for use outside of the nesting season.

Meanwhile, the team is working on two new curriculums on the broad-winged hawk and the black vulture, two iconic nesting raptors, and thanks to a grant, includes publication of a classroom poster outlining the natural history of each species.

Serving Visitors While all my experiences at Hawk Mountain are amazing, by far my stand-out moment of the year was the chance to participate in the opening of Hawk Mountain’s first Accessible Trail.

Stretching 900 feet, the new trail is ADA compliant with a slope that averages 8 percent, below the federal recommendations for national parks. That means Hawk Mountain has set a new standard for outdoor spaces at the state and local level where accessibility guidelines do not yet exist. It’s always been a pleasure to watch people take in the view, but the chance to provide access to people who once were unable to experience Hawk Mountain is gratifying beyond words.

Young people at North Lookout. Photo by Dr. Laurie Goodrich

Front row: Jenni Probst from Switzerland, Irene Mestre Cuesta from Spain and Nobuhle Thelma Mabhikwa from Zimbabwe. Photo by Mary Linkevich

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With the Accessible Trail complete, people of all abilities can experience Hawk Mountain and that means we’re opening up the Sanctuary to even more people who might support our raptor conservation mission. So whether you want to descend 800 feet on a rugged trail and explore the boulder field in the valleys below, or simply follow us on Facebook, you too, can support the many sides of Hawk Mountain. I think you’ll be amazed and agree that it’s a conservation success story worth sharing.

Learn More The Hawk Mountain Visitor Center and trails are open year round by trail admission or access is free daily with a membership purchase. Visitors are encouraged to wear rugged shoes, dress in layers, carry snacks, water, binoculars, and other items in a daypack. Hawk Mountain is a carryin, carry-out facility. Sorry, no dogs are allowed per our Land Management Plan and cell phone use is discouraged except as a camera.

David Barber and Bracken Brown with a black vulture.

To learn more call 610-756-6961, visit us on Facebook under “Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Association,” or visit www. hawkmountain.org.

A group spots a hawk at North Lookout.

Photo by Tom Raub

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Man using new accessible trail. Photo by Jacqueline Dormer, Republican Herald

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Urban outfitters Headquart at the Philadelph Navy Yard

"They’ve captured pushed the practi really works to t of materials and

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S p e c i a l Iss u e

by Jared Green, Editor, The Dirt Reprinted with permission

project statement Respect for rich histories of the Navy Yard guides the design of a refashioned campus of creativity for retailer Urban Outfitters (URBN).

Obsessively reworking traces of past productivity rebrands

rs rters

salvaged materials with an artistic vengeance, generating a revitalized community and ecological performance. On the civic axis to the Delaware River, URBN’s private venture becomes an extension of the public realm of Philadelphia and a well-dressed poster child for industrial redevelopment.

the spirit of the place with the detailing and ce of what it means to recycle materials...This ice t urn students thinking around in a way. The reuse the industrial feel is beautiful" - 2014 Awards Jury

lphia HONOR AWARD: Philadelphia, PA | D.I.R.T. Studio Client: URBN, Inc. 21

H i s t o ry

L o c at i o n

Another Generation The Urban Outfitters Headquarters reclaims nine acres of the Historic Core at the decommissioned U.S. Naval Shipyard on what was, in the 19th century, League Island in Philadelphia. Adventuring out of their disparate locations downtown, the four corporate brands that make up URBN seized the opportunity to establish a new corporate campus through the adaptive reuse of huge masonry buildings centered around a 500 footlong dry dock where the civic axis of Broad Street meets the Delaware River. The working traces of thousands of Navy men and women laid the groundwork to construct a new, dynamic landscape for the next generation of ingenuity.

Site

Scale

Industrial Strength Though the Navy sailed away from the island in 1996, they left the industrial bones of the site intact. Partially buried in a sea of asphalt, over a mile of old rail lines and craneways provide an arabesque counter to the massive north-south grain of monolithic structures. The utilitarian pattern of historic industrial processes generated the design for sweeping paths, textured ground and dense plantings.

New and revived landscape inscriptions amplify the sublime scale of the massive buildings, giant battleships anchored nearby, and jumbo jets zooming overhead. The strong landscape framework rendered with rich patinas, inspired by URBN design sensibility, orchestrates new productive flows and unifies the campus, rooting it in the site-specificity and history of the Yard.

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Opening day at Dry Dock No. 1 launches the Navy Yard’s public core where the 1800 strong URBN crew welcomes Philly residents. The site design simply unearths evidence of former production, made legible to form a new gathering place. Photo by: JJ Tiziou Program

C o ll a b o r at i o n

URBN Habitat The company’s workforce has tripled over the past decade, making an incremental and facile site plan for the campus crucial. Because of his interest in the landscape, working directly with the Founder and Chairman of URBN was inventive and intense. The client inspired experimentation and even improvisation on a site where interesting stuff was continuously unearthed. Of course, the fashion designers had something to say about it too, which greatly enriched the design process. Iterative interaction with the architects and engineers fueled the designers to find beauty in the existing structures above and below ground, recombine found forms and recycled materials, respect history by reframing it anew. Now there are enormous spaces for events and more intimate places of the everyday.

Studios teem with creativity; gardens bring on brainstorms and terraces invite staring out across the river. Big ole Building No. 543 welcomes the public for lunch around Dry Dock No.1, where one can imagine how big the USS New Jersey was.

M at e r i a l s

I n s ta ll at i o n

Experimental Reuse When it came to selecting materials for the URBN headquarters, site forensics unearthed the ‘life cycle’ palette: appliquéd asphalt, age-old concrete, tired brick, rusted metal, peeling surfaces of text and enough residue to reconstruct this industrial-strength landscape. Rather than the usual ‘hog and haul’ of a typical demolition plan, a salvaging strategy was deployed, harvesting what most would consider undesirable detritus. No imported materials were necessary, nor desired.

Numerous full-scale mock-ups challenged construction-as-usual habits and became critical in developing tactics for reuse that proved to be cost effective. The make-over of on-site materials has URBN-ites feeling as if their new campus has actually always been there.

E c o l o gy

Performance

Embodied Energy The URBN campus expands the client’s aesthetic pursuit of material reinvention to establish a broader capacity for ecological performance.

With the Yard’s expanses of concrete and asphalt reused on-site, nearly a

S p e c i a l Iss u e thousand cubic yards of waste didn’t make it to a landfill and site perviousness was increased by about eight hundred percent. This new URBN sponge structures a network of bioswales that diminish runoff to the river, filtering water to support hedgerows that shade west facing window walls. In re-working the ground as biologically and culturally fertile, embodied energy goes beyond sustainability metrics to value human agency left by generations of workers at the Navy Yard.

P r i vat e V e n t u r e

Public Good

Legacy Landscape As a catalytic model for the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation’s redevelopment of the 1200acre former League Island, URBN set a high benchmark for not only the

adaptive reuse of historic buildings, but also for the reinterpretation of a cultural landscape, one that distinguishes itself from the conventional Master Plan’s suburban streetscape and corporate front lawns. The innovative client was willing to challenge the norms and listen to his headstrong landscape designer, who insisted that Dry Dock No.1 be designated and designed as a public park, not merely an extension of the his company’s campus. Now a common sight at the Historic Core is Mayor Nutter ushering reportedly awestruck visitors as well as school bus loads of ecstatic kids from the Boys and Girls Club running around with designers’ dogs at the pet-friendly URBN headquarters. Satisfied customers: a private client who continues to share with the broader community, a momentous landmark of America’s ambitious legacy.

PROJECT RESOURCES DESIGN

CONSTRUCTION TEAM

Lead Designers: • Julie Bargmann, principal • David Hill, ASLA, project landscape architect • Jen Trompetter, project manager

Collaborators: • Turning Leaf, landscape contractors • Blue Rock Construction, general contractors

Additional project credits: • Advanced GeoServices • Michael Gladnick, ASLA, engineer + landscape architect Turning Leaf • Dan Burt, landscape contractor

Featured Products: • Floating islands by Bluewing Environmental • Concrete by Brightline • Steel walls by Creative Architectural Metals

Top left: Cherry blossoms add a feminine touch to the tough textures of the Navy Yard. One designer exclaimed that she’s at least 25% happier when the grove is flowering at full steam.

Photo by: D.I.R.T. Studio

Bottom: T-shirts and bikes turn out to coast through the crisscross of sprouting native grasses at Flagship Field. Inspired by ship hulls, reclaimed steel walls project arabesques of rail lines up into a three-dimensional cruising ground. Photo by: D.I.R.T. Studio Top right: …The campus has improved creative collaboration, which ultimately impacts our bottom line. It’s obviously successful – people want to come to work. What better thing could you have?” – Richard Hayne, Founder, Chairman + CEO HQ Magazine, September 2012 Photo by: JJ Tiziou

23

The following is an article written by Julia Bebout, who attended the Pennsylvania Bucktails field school, offered by the Wildlife Leadership Academy, this past summer.

The mission of the Wildlife Leadership Academy is to engage and empower high school age youth to become Conservation Ambassadors to ensure a sustained wildlife, fisheries and natural resource legacy for future generations. The Academy offers highachieving youth, ages 14-17, a comprehensive study of specific wildlife species, including classroom and field-based, hands-on education. Led by experts, including biologists and educators from across the state and beyond, the program also engages participants in team work, friendly competition, and an awareness of their natural world.

Pennsylvania Bucktails A Perspective

by Julia Bebout

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S p e c i a l Iss u e

W

ildlife conservation grows more important every year. With deforestation, pollution, destruction of habitats, and climate change, the world needs new advocates for nature. By creating conservation ambassadors, the Wildlife Leadership Academy plays a vital role in protecting the environment. Conservation is a cause I care deeply about. As a girl scout and daughter of two geologists, I grew up learning about nature, hiking, kayaking, and exploring the great outdoors. My love and respect for nature and my understanding of its value caused me to seek out people who felt the same and could teach me more about the issues that conservationists face. I wondered if I could do anything that would help.

Only six months ago I attended the Wildlife Leadership Academy Bucktails Field School and my experience has already changed my life. For five days I met with 20 teens who felt the same as I did about nature. We learned enough about white tailed

Field School –

Ruffed grouse

deer, environmental monitoring technology, ecology, native plants, and conservation to feel comfortable leaving the field school to share what we learned and bring others to join us in conserving the environment. For around ten months after the field school, students like me complete outreach in the form of media, arts, education, and service to become conservation ambassadors.

So far I have already completed multiple outreach projects by volunteering as an assistant naturalist at a nature camp for children, by leading nature hikes with girl scout troops, by teaching my high school Earth Watch Club about native plants, by entering nature photographs into photography contests, and by displaying a poster about white tailed deer in my local public Regeneration Browse Study 25

library. And I am far from done! These leadership projects have given me confidence arranging and planning events, speaking to an audience, and taking charge with ideas that matter a lot to me. I feel like a different person than I did before the field school. The leadership training made me much more comfortable and confident when pursuing outreach projects and definitely made me step out of my shell for good. I no longer have any doubt about the impact that I can have in conserving the environment and leading others to do the same.

But the field school itself had even more of an impact on me than the outreach. I have always been interested in pursuing a career in nature or science, but the field school opened my eyes to more fascinating careers than I can count. The field school set us up with valuable contacts for our outreach and beyond. During our five days, we met inspiring professionals in environmental fields that ranged from white tailed deer veterinarians to consulting botanists to university professors. We had the opportunity to ask questions about their jobs, make lifelong connections, get advice, and learn from their incredible stories.

I thoroughly enjoyed the week at the field school and made a lot of fun and interesting friends. Four teams competed every day for the most points earned through quizzes, tests, competitions, and activities, creating a competitive atmosphere that pushed us to work hard and do our best. We also played team building games and got to spend time enjoying the beautiful camp in central Pennsylvania, where the stars at night were brighter and more numerous than I had ever seen. We got to try our hands at taking nature photographs, writing journal entries, and sketching the flora and fauna we found outside. I left the field school with new friends, new talents, and new interests that I am having a lot of fun pursuing.

Conservation ambassadors are needed in our changing world, and the Wildlife Leadership Academy is training teens like me to take up the job.

The field school instructed me on a variety of important subjects and gave me so much new information that I loved learning and am currently loving to share with my friends and the people in my community. The field school also taught me leadership skills that have entirely changed my level of confidence and brought me out of my shell while also introducing me to careers in conservation. I feel like a different person from six months ago because of the field school and the outreach I have done so far, and I cannot wait to help the environment for the rest of my life.

Brook trout

The Wildlife Leadership Academy has opened its exclusive Youth Conservation Ambassador nomination process to the public and is currently seeking referrals of motivated students ages 14 to 17 to become Certified Conservation Ambassadors. Nominations are now being accepted online at piceweb.org/nominate.

Nominated students should have demonstrated interest in wildlife and/or fisheries conservation.

Accepted nominees will become certified Conservation Ambassadors through attending one of five 5-day residential summer field schools which will focus on white-tailed deer, brook trout, ruffed grouse, black bear, and one species to be determined. Students in each field school will gain extensive knowledge about wildlife/fisheries and conservation, leadership experience, and communication skills.

Applicants may be nominated by an adult who knows them well but is not a relative (teacher, school counselor, Envirothon advisor, employer, youth group leader, etc.).

Julia nature journaling.

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Tubular

S p e c i a l Iss u e

Fun!

y l i m a f y l PA’s on . s e b u t d e z si 610.826.7700 I skibluemt.com 27

The Nature Inn at Bald Eagle Mixes Enjoyment with Conservation of Outdoors The Nature Inn at Bald Eagle is no ordinary overnight stay.

It’s only natural that the facility located in Bald Eagle State Park in Centre County is a model of environmental stewardship and social responsibility. Its sleek, energyefficient design and materials serve as a showcase of the latest and greatest green technologies – up close and personal – and earned the inn a gold ranking from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Unlike anything else in the Pennsylvania state park system, the Nature Inn at Bald Eagle is a 16-room building with full-service accommodations. The facility offers visitors many chances to be active and connect with nature in the surrounding park, including bird watching, hiking, kayaking and fishing, with no need for tents and camping equipment.

The Nature Inn also serves as a gateway to the Pennsylvania Wilds, a virtual natural paradise for the outdoor enthusiast in the northcentral part of the state.

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S p e c i a l Iss u e Everything in and around the inn, open year round, was designed with the environment in mind. From the bird tracks leading you to the front lobby, to the Audubon and Ned Smith prints in each room, to the bird scope on the deck, the Nature Inn is a premier destination for birding.

From the patio of this Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) facility, guests are able to gaze across the park’s lake and perhaps spot the pair of nesting eagles across the water.

Work like a stained glass window of a life-sized bald eagle as well as other contributions from Pennsylvania Wilds artisans is showcased in the inn.

Geothermal heating, rain barrels and plenty of natural light are standard, but so is WiFi and a complimentary breakfast.

Green features include: A high efficiency geothermal heating and cooling system; Low-water-use plumbing fixtures and high efficiency lighting; Highly reflective, recycled steel roof that significantly reduces heat-island effect in the summer months; Pennsylvania hardwoods from certified sustainable forests that was used in the structure, finishes and furnishings; Guest room countertops made out of recycled windshield glass; and

Direct access to hiking and biking trails to enable and encourage healthy interaction with park resources.

“Along with offering a good night’s rest, we also are demonstrating stewardship and conservation by connecting guests to outdoor activities in the park and showing them ‘green,’ energy efficient building features and how to collect and use rainwater,” DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn added. “We will have accomplished our goals if visitors develop a love of bird-watching and therefore work to protect habitat, or try out one of the ‘green’ features in their own homes.”

The Nature Inn is one of 10 DCNR facilities that have achieved LEED certification for sustainable design and construction practices, with seven more going through the certification process and four in the planning stages.

Meetings, retreats, workshops and social events including weddings are a part of the visitation mix, including dozens of conservation, sustainability and resource-management meetings and conferences that have occurred at the inn since it opened in 2010. In 2015, guests visited from 33 states and a handful of other countries including Canada.

DCNR oversees management of the 5,900-acre state park situated in the Bald Eagle Valley at the base of Bald Eagle Mountain. The inn is managed,

as a public/private partnership, by Innkeeper Charlie Brooks.

“While the inn satisfies all of a visitor’s comfort needs — from our hearty breakfasts to tastefully appointed rooms — it’s the unique natural setting, varied recreational opportunities and informative green messages that help set us far apart from the ordinary,” Brooks said.

Brooks noted the staff adheres to a low-impact, environmentally friendly housekeeping and cleaning program; “spent” guestroom soaps are recycled through a non-profit program; and implements a food scraps compost program.

For hikers, the park maintains a network of eleven miles of hiking trails coursing through a variety of habitats with scenic views and plentiful wildlife watching opportunities. The most prominent feature of the park is the 1,730-acre Foster Joseph Sayers Reservoir which harbors a variety of fish species.

Four weekend-long interpretive programs are offered at the Nature Inn each year on topics such as golden eagle migration, how to kayak, and fly fishing basics.

More information about the inn and a link to make reservations can be found on the Nature Inn website or by calling toll-free 888-PA-PARKS.

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Local Officials’ Park and Recreation Investment Priorities Do Benefits Really Matter?

Local officials are elected or appointed to solve or improve key problems facing their constituents.

They shape policies and distribute funds across a range of services, including parks and recreation. For park and recreation services to acquire their share of finite public dollars, they must be perceived as an essential service to address critical issues within their communities.1

by Andrew J. Mowen, Ph.D., Austin G. Barrett, Alan R. Graefe, Ph.D., William F. Elmendorf, Ph.D., The Pennsylvania State University

While evidence suggests that parks and recreation can address important community concerns (e.g., health, quality of life, economic vitality, youth crime prevention, environmental quality), to what extent are these contributions understood by local decision-makers? Further, do local officials’ perceptions of these park benefits actually correspond with subsequent support for park, recreation, and conservation funding and facility investment priorities? A recent study of local officials in Pennsylvania sheds some light on these questions. Over 1,000 local appointed and elected officials and park and recreation directors participated in an online survey and were asked about these issues.2 This survey was commissioned by Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Resources as part of the 2014-2019 Outdoor Recreation Plan. It was conducted by Penn State working in cooperation with state associations representing various forms of local government. Here are a few key takeaways based upon that survey.

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S p e c i a l Iss u e

Appointed officials were less likely than elected officials to recognize the benefit of park and recreation services and less likely to prioritize funding/ investment in these services.

Takeaway 1

Making the distinction between elected and appointed officials is important when it comes to local policy/budget decisions.

Appointed officials serve as budgetary “gatekeepers” and can influence funding decisions over a longer time-frame than their elected counterparts. While elected officials can expound on the virtues of parks, appointed officials are the ones forced to make tough budgetary trade-offs across a range of services (e.g., roads, education, police, etc.). Data from the Pennsylvania study indicated that appointed officials were less likely than elected officials to perceive that local park and recreation services served a range of benefits for their community (Table 1). Moreover, appointed officials were less likely than elected officials to prioritize investment in local park and recreation facilities (Table 2). This discrepancy was particularly pronounced in regard to economic and crime

reduction benefits as well as team sport facility investment priorities. These findings suggest local park and recreation advocates focus their efforts on changing the hearts, minds, and decisions of appointed officials.

Local officials and residents both agreed that park and recreation services provided community and youth benefits, but officials were less likely to recognize the health contribution of these services.

Takeaway 2

Local officials’ views of park and recreation benefits were compared against those of residents and park and recreation directors. While youth development and community benefits matched the views of residents, health benefits did not.

Appointed and elected officials were less likely than residents and directors to recognize personal health as an important benefit provided by local park and recreation services (Table 1). Given health’s broader economic and social ramifications for local communities, we may need to better communicate the community benefit of personal health to local officials.

Mean Scores*

Table 1. Level of Benefit Delivered by Park and Recreation Services Benefit

Appointed Officials

Elected Officials

Park/Rec. Directors

Pennsylvania Residents

3.4 3.2

3.7 3.6

4.2 4.0

4.2 4.1

3.8 3.6

4.1 3.8

4.6 4.3

4.2 3.8

4.0

4.2

4.7

4.1

3.3 2.9

3.6 3.3

4.2 3.9

3.8 3.6

2.5

3.0

3.4

3.1

Health Improves physical health and fitness Reduces stress/improves mental health

Community Makes the community a more desirable place to live Enhances a sense of community

Youth Development Provides children with a safe place to play

Economic Increases property values in the community Helps attract new residents and businesses

Crime Reduction Helps reduce crime *Measured on a scale from: (1 – Not at all, to 5 – A great deal).

Table 2. Park and Recreation Facility Investment Priorities (next 5 years) Facility Investment Priorities

Mean Scores*

Appointed Officials

Elected Officials

Playgrounds

3.5

3.7

Neighborhood parks

3.1

3.3

Community or regional trail systems

2.8

3.0

Team sports facilities

2.7

3.2

Total facility investment index (combined)

3.0

3.3

*Measured on a scale from: (1 = Lowest priority for investment, to 5 = Highest priority for investment).

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Local officials who recognized the value of park and recreation services in providing a range of benefits were also more likely to prioritize funding/ investment in these services.

Takeaway 3

Recognition of park and recreation benefits is one thing; whether those beliefs translate into officials’ subsequent funding priorities is another. One might assume a connection between perceived benefits and investment, but this has not been empirically tested among local officials. The Pennsylvania study compared local officials’ benefit perceptions with the importance they placed on park, recreation, and conservation funding and facility investment. Benefit perceptions were significantly related to the priority placed on funding outdoor recreation and conservation initiatives (e.g., programs, land acquisition, maintenance, building trail networks) as well

as future park facility investment (Figure 1). The more these officials felt local park and recreation services provided benefits or addressed important community concerns, the more likely they were willing to invest in funding these services.

Regarding specific benefits, youth development, community building, property values, and conservation were directly linked to local officials’ funding/investment priorities, while health benefits and crime prevention were unassociated with these priorities.

Takeaway 4

What specific benefits attract that most favorable park and recreation funding support among local officials?” While that depends on the particular needs/problems faced by a community, the study found that certain park and recreation benefit perceptions were more consistently related to local

Figure 1. Correlation of Benefit Perceptions with Investment Priorities

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Perceived Benefit

Outdoor Recreation/Conservation Funding Priority

Community Cohesion Youth Development Resource Protection Economic Development (neg.)

Maintain Park and Recreation Areas

Community Cohesion Youth Development Resource Protection Property Values Economic Development (neg.)

Provide Programs at Park and Recreation Areas

Resource Protection Property Values

Build Connective Paths/Trails

Resource Protection Property Values

Acquire/Protect Open Space

Resource Protection Property Values

Acquire Land/Water for Developed Recreation

Community Cohesion Youth Development Resource Protection Property Values Economic Development (neg.)

Priority of Investing in Park and Recreation Areas

Photo by Gary Lester

S p e c i a l Iss u e

officials’ funding priorities and intentions. For example, benefits related to youth development, enhancing community livability, protecting the natural environment, and increasing property values were consistently related to higher priorities given to park and recreation investment. The more that local officials recognized these benefits were provided by local recreation services, the more likely they supported a range of park and recreation funding/investments. Interestingly, perceptions of health and crime reduction benefits didn’t play a role in local officials’ funding priorities. Not only were officials less likely to believe their local park and recreation services provided health benefits, but those who did were no more likely to support park funding/investment than those who didn’t. This lack of association held up across a range of funding and facility investment categories (Figure 1), which is somewhat alarming given that Americans perceive health as a core mission of local park and recreation services.

Collectively, results from the Pennsylvania study suggest that local officials’ benefit perceptions matter when it comes to their funding/investment priorities. Parks and recreation should not shy away from explaining how their facilities/ services address important problems facing local communities. This can be accomplished through a range of repositioning strategies which involve partnerships, drawing distinctions from “competing” services, changing officials’ benefit perceptions, and changing the nature of services provided3.

Future research should examine how officials’ perceptions match with their actual budget decisions and whether relationships found in this study apply to other contexts nationwide. Having such information might strengthen our ability to stimulate robust investments in parks, recreation, and conservation for the benefit of local communities.

References 1.

Crompton, J. L. (2008). Evolution and the implications of a paradigm shift in the marketing of leisure Services in the USA. Leisure Studies, 27(2), 181-205.

2.

Mowen, A. J., Graefe, A. R., and Elmendorf, W. F., and Barrett, A. G. (2015). Pennsylvania Local Park and Recreation Provider Survey. Report to Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. 2014-2019 Pennsylvania Outdoor Recreation Plan. Available: http:// paoutdoorrecplan.com/cs/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_20030879.pdf

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Through our graphic design, we help people look up, figure out, watch their step, become aware, get involved, follow rules, save the trees, feel the moss, listen closely, find their way, and just enjoy.

Crompton, J. L. (2009). Strategies for implementing repositioning of leisure services.

Managing Leisure, 14(2), 87-111.

3.

814-238-3136 • GraphicsAndDesign.net • WoodsyDesign.com

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Professional Development

7 Deep Truths to Help You Cope with the

Mid-Winter Blues The long-range forecasters tell us that this

season’s El Niño current and effect may be

the most intense ever, which typically brings mild winters across the country. However, a recent review of El Niño winters shows that

by Tim Herd, CPRE

a strong El Niño does not guarantee a mild

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winter in Pennsylvania.

commerce and culture to stop and take notice,

Whatever.

it’s no wonder folks get fed up with Nature’s

But when winter is aggressively demonstrative,

insistent intrusions. (How dare it!)

what with 18-inch snowfalls, icy blizzards

However, to help us cope while we are still in

and polar vortices making roads impassable,

the literal thick of it all, here are seven deep

outdoor ventures dangerous, and forcing

truths freshly dug out from a winter going long…

S p e c i a l Iss u e

1

Fresh snowfall is refreshing.

Not only is it beautiful, but it is invigorating for the land and wildlife. Many smaller animals are actually more safely ensconced under a protective blanket of snow than they are exposed to the elements. Snowmelt recharges the underground water table enabling vibrantly healthy forests, crops and drinking water reservoirs. And beauty is sufficiently refreshing in its own accord.

2

A forced retreat is better than no retreat.

3

It is easier to advance through the difficulties if we rise to their challenges.

4

Seek refuge in the blasts.

Cycles of resourcefulness and rest are both inherent in creation and vital to our wellbeing and future viability.

Quiet does not mean disengaged. Stillness isn’t immobility. And peaceful isn’t necessarily passivity. Internal strength derives as much from our restorative rest as it does from our reserved resources. Release the death-grip on your to-do list: snow days have purpose.

This insight came to me as I tried to slog through two feet of snow to my slumbering garden. At some places, the ice in a lower layer held me for a second or two before I crunched through to an even lower layer. It was exhausting. Had I recognized that I could have used snowshoes atop the thick quilt of snow, I’d have not only saved a lot of energy, but also managed my outdoor affairs much better. Overcome your hardships with clear-eyed, adaptive strategies.

This insight came to me as I tried to slog through two feet of snow to my slumbering garden. At some places, the ice in a lower layer held me for a second or two before I crunched through to an even lower layer. It was exhausting. Had I recognized that I could have used snowshoes atop the thick quilt of snow, I’d have not only saved a lot of energy, but also managed my outdoor affairs much better. Overcome your hardships with clear-eyed, adaptive strategies.

5

Shovel while the pile is small.

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When you’re stuck, get help.

7

Keep a larger perspective.

Let me tell you from painful experience, shoveling 18 inches of dense, heavy snow is a literal pain in the backside! However, brushing an inch away not only thwarts future build-up but is a much easier task. Don’t let your problems snowball before you deal with them.

One Sunday morning on our way to church, we got our car stuck in the snowbank along our own driveway. The powerful internal combustion engine could deliver no traction against the ice and snow beneath the wheels.

It required not more revving horsepower or better fuel injection, but an outside assist to relieve our trouble and resume our way. Stop spinning your wheels when freestanding support is what you really need.

We can’t avoid storms, problems and struggles. They’re a part of life. But whenever they occur, we cannot allow them to overwhelm. It’s then that it’s helpful to take a step back, and look at things from a broader perspective.

It may not help us understand things any better, but it can ease our mental stress, and perhaps even suggest a solution. Keep your humor, and a long-range outlook: storms track across our paths then vanish; seasons come, and seasons go… eventually!

When this photo ran in the Jamestown, ND, newspaper, the caption jokingly read, “I think there’s a train under here somewhere!”

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Christine Hartle Years in PRPS (Member Since): 2000 PRPS Offices/Accomplishments: District 2 President Awards: Robert W. Crawford Memorial Scholarship Family: Three kids, Clint is 7, Angelina is 9 and my fantastic rescue dog, Bruno is 2.

Christine Hartle Recreation Director

Hometown: York, PA but grew up in Westminster, Maryland Education: York College of PA First Job: Program Coordinator at Hempfield Area Recreation Commission in Lancaster When I Was Growing Up, I Wanted to: Play sports for a living Best Things About Your Job: Each day is different and you always have a story to tell about something that happened that day.

Toughest Part of Job: Is getting people to understand why Parks and Recreation is important and should not be cut from the budget.

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Accomplishments/Proud Of: My children and the career I have had since graduating college. It has been such a learning experience and I love that my kids can join me at our events.

Hobbies: running, reading, hiking, anything outside.

Favorite Vacation Spot: If I am on a beach, I am good!

Being Part of PRPS: Attending the PRPS conference and networking helped me with getting an interview and being hired for a position right out of college. You meet so many professionals by attending the PRPS conference and getting involved.

What you gain from being around other professionals that have the same issues and can understand what you may be going through or have gone through is invaluable.

Words of Wisdom for New Professionals: Stay in the loop, but avoid the gossip

s t u d e n t

P r o f i l e

Morgan Costello

Morgan Costello Lock Haven University, Recreation Management New Student Director

Hometown: State College, PA Education: State College Area High School, and Lock Haven University Family: Mom, Dad, Emily (older sister), Anna (younger sister), Benji (dog) What School do you attend? Lock Haven University Why did you choose this school? I chose Lock Haven for its Recreation Management program and the beautiful campus.

What is your major? My major is Recreation Management, in the Outdoor track.

Why did you choose this major? I chose Outdoor Recreation Management because I love to be outside and I want to share my love of the outdoors with others.

Which courses have you enjoyed the most and why? My favorite course so far has been Outdoor Activities. I loved this class because we were outside every day. Throughout the semester, we went cross-country skiing, canoeing, hiking, backpacking, and rock climbing. I also love my Outdoor Education class, because I get to learn to identify trees!

What types of activities are you involved with at school? I am secretary of the rock climbing club, as well as involved with the Outing Club, Gender Equality Club, and the campus ministry group.

What tips or advice would you offer to future students who are interested in a career in parks and recreation? Follow your passion!

Parks and recreation is a great field to go into because there are tons of opportunities and paths to follow. It is whatever you make it- so make it your own!

Best things about being a student? I think it is awesome that as a student I get to immerse myself in my education so fully. My whole life right now is solely dedicated to learning and I love it.

Toughest part of being a student: The toughest part of being a student would be balancing everything. There are always so many things going on and tons of opportunities and it’s difficult to maintain equilibrium between school, work, friends, and adventures.

When I was growing up, I wanted to be…. An astronaut!

First Job: I was a lifeguard and taught swimming lessons.

Proud of: I’m proud to be a part of the PRPS community!

Hobbies: I love to be outside, rock climb, adventure, travel, read, and spend time with my family and friends Favorite vacation spot: Granada, Nicaragua What are your future aspirations? I want to work with the National Park Service at Yosemite National Park.

What two or three things are most important to you in looking for a job? I want a job where I can be outside, where everyday offers something new, and where I can share my love of nature with others.

Words of wisdom to professionals in the field/ future employers? The sacred lands that we protect and recreate upon are the last of their breed and it is our responsibility to give them our best, for ourselves and generations to come!

Favorite Quote: “I want a blaze of light to flame in me forever in a timeless, dear love of everything.

And why should I pretend to want anything less?” –Jack Kerouac, Windblown World

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Ann E. Yost

Ann E. Yost Landscape Architect/President YSM Landscape Architects

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Occupation/Title: Landscape Architect/ President, YSM Landscape Architects Family: Husband, Gerry; Daughters, Emma and Nora Hometown: Stewartstown, PA Education: AS Landscape Design, Temple University; BLA Landscape Architecture, State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry First Job: Driver for the school district bookmobile When I was Growing Up, I Wanted to Be: A park ranger or forest ranger Best Things About Your Job: Every project is different with new challenges and the opportunity to continually learn.

Toughest Part of Your Job: Marketing and chasing the next project.

Why did this type of work interest you? I grew up in a rural area, loving the outdoors, and knew I wanted to be involved with land and land stewardship.

How did you get started? The dean of the LA curriculum hired me to work in his private firm after I graduated and I spent the first two days as a professional erasing mylar. Way back in the pre-CAD era designs were drawn on mylar with pencils. It was a park project.

What do you find unique about your career field? It’s a profession that you can practice broadly or narrowly like I do with a focus on parks and recreation.

Each project brings the opportunity to think creatively and solve problems.

Why do customers choose your company? We are a small firm with a specialized practice in parks and recreation. Our firm principals work directly with the clients and we live and breathe this stuff.

What trends in the field would be most likely to affect someone just entering this career now? Technology and social media.

Accomplishments/Proud Of: Starting YSM and seeing people enjoy spending time in parks YSM worked with communities to design.

Hobbies: Watching my kids play sports and home improvements Favorite Vacation Spot: Edgartown, MA Words Of Wisdom For New Professionals Interested in This Field: Find you niche, what you love about the profession, and pursue it with a passion.

Favorite Quote: “The land is the only thing in the world worth working for, worth fighting for, worth dying for, because it's the only thing that lasts".....Gerald O'Hara, Gone With The Wind.

M

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P ennsylvania ’ s

Food Plot at Hillman State Park

by: Frances Stein, CIP, CIT, CIG, Natural Resource Program Specialist and Sarah Dippold, Assistant Park Manager

Bureau of State Parks, PA Department of Conservation & Natural Resources

Editor’s Note—This is the ninetysecond of a series of articles to provide our readers with an in-depth historical perspective of the Commonwealth’s State Park System.

Pennsylvania’s state parks are an invaluable part of our natural and cultural history. The State manages these precious resources to meet our families’ recreational needs and to maintain a natural legacy we can pass on to future generations. Through these articles we hope to remind yet another generation of the heritage behind these emerald jewels.

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HILLMAN STATE PARK Hillman State Park is a 3,654-acre undeveloped park, locally known as Bavington or State Game Lands 432, and home to great hunting opportunities, many trails, and the K. Leroy Irvis Model Airport. The park’s history has greatly influenced how it looks today.

In the 1880s the abundant mineral resources were discovered and many farmers gave up agriculture for a more prosperous opportunity. The first gas wells in this area were drilled by the Citizens Fuel Company. In 1885, oil was discovered near the center of the park and the boomtown of Five Points was born. Over 170 oil wells were drilled in the park by the South Penn Oil Company, most of which are now abandoned.

In 1914 John A. Bell began strip mining for coal in a small area within the park. In 1932 the Harmon Creek Coal Corporation began purchasing the land that is now the state park. This

was the largest bituminous coal strip mine in Pennsylvania with more than 15 million tons of coal removed by 1968. The former village of Five Points was eliminated during these mining operations.

The Harmon Creek Coal Corporation considered reclamation as an integral part of coal mining and began conservation practices in 1937, well before the practice became law. Two years prior to an area being strip mined, restoration plans were made and included reusing stockpiled topsoil, contouring the land, adding fertilizer, and planting a cover crop. They operated a nursery that provided 30,000 pine, oak, ash, larch, chestnut, and multiflora rose seedlings each year. By the late 1960s over 2 million trees were planted in the southern end of the park and grasses, clover, and vetch were planted in the northern and western sections.

In addition the company’s wildlife program included developing food

One of the covered bridges in Washington County can be found at Hillman State Park. plots of corn, sorghum, and sunflowers, stocking of pheasants for hunting and stocking fish in the lakes and ponds.

In 1969 this property became a state park when James F. Hillman, president of Harmon Creek Coal Corporation, donated 3,654 acres of land to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for outdoor recreational purposes. At that time the donation was reported to be the largest single land gift for a state park in the country and was valued at over one million dollars.

As part of the planning process for Hillman State Park, an Operation Scarlift Report was completed due to known abandoned mine drainage problems that existed on the site. Operation Scar-

lift was part of the Land and Water Conservation and Reclamation Fund authorized in 1967 for the elimination of land and water scars created by past coal mining practices. From 1970 through 1977, the Department of Environmental Resources, now the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), spent $1.7 million to complete reclamation projects including filling, grading, erosion control, soil treatment with fly ash, and additional plantings at Hillman State Park.

One of the major draws to Hillman State Park is the model airfield. In 1949 an engineering student from the University of Pittsburgh asked James F. Hillman for a place to fly model airplanes. Mr. Hillman contributed a

20-acre fenced area at the southern end of the park with a two section field, a 200-foot asphalt runway, operations building, and a public address system.

The field was called Hillman’s Model Wing Airport.

This airfield was closed in 1977 and a new airfield was built in the northern end of the park. This new airfield was named after K. Leroy Irvis, aviation and model airplane enthusiast, and a former state representative and Speaker of the House who helped obtain funding for the project. The model airport includes a covered shelter, asphalt runways and taxiways, asphalt and grass pit areas, wind sock poles, frequency board, parking area, and spectator area. The K. Leroy Irvis Radio Control Model 41

Airport is operated and maintained by the Greater Pittsburgh Aero Radio Control Society, a chartered club of the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA).

Under a 1981 interdepartmental land transfer agreement with the DCNR, the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) is responsible for the administration and operation of the park. Together the DCNR and the PGC work in partnership to manage this state park for public access and outdoor recreation.

Several miles of roads run throughout the park for scenic drives.

The varied habitats created as part of the reclamation efforts provide opportunity to enjoy a variety of plant life and wildlife. Wildflowers bloom in many locations and draw many visitors including college classes to the park.

Common wildlife species include deer, red fox, rabbits, muskrat, and beaver.

Bird watchers love the varied habitat and the unique species that are drawn to the park.

The K. Leroy Irvis Radio Control Model Airport is operated and maintained by the Greater Pittsburgh Aero Radio Control Society.

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One of several ponds found in Hillman State Park.

Young forest habitat has been restored in partnership with the Ruffed Grouse Society to provide food, cover, and nesting sites for ruffed grouse, American woodcock, and a variety of songbirds.

Native warm season grass fields of big bluestem grass, Indian grass, and switch grass have been established to provide habitat for hawks, rabbits, voles, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

Food plots of buckwheat, sorghum, brassicas, and sunflower have been

planted as an additional food source for deer and other wildlife during the fall and winter and nest boxes for cavitynesting birds, such as bluebirds and wood ducks can be found throughout the park.

There are many miles of trails and roadways in Hillman State Park. These trails have been a work in progress for many years and are maintained by volunteers and Trail Pittsburgh. All the hard work at Hillman will soon come to

light and be available to the public. Stay tuned and please visit www.dcnr.state. pa.us/stateparks/findapark/hillman/ index.htm for more information and access to Hillman’s very first trail map, which should be available in spring/ summer 2016.

All photos were taken by Charlene Reinhart.

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Magnificent for the Ages: The Story of Schenley Park

by Susan Rademacher and Parks Curator, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy

Schenley Fountain on a peaceful winter's night.

Photo by Melissa McMasters

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The stone bridge is a scenic route for runners and strollers alike. Photo by Jeremy Marshall

In recent years, Pittsburgh’s comeback story has gained national and international acclaim for how this once-industrial city has navigated its way through unprecedented hardships and into a hopeful new age of technology epicenters, destination-worthy art and commerce, and a deep-seeded commitment to healthy, beautiful, and vibrant public greenspace.

The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy has been at the forefront of improving the region’s public space since it was founded nearly 20 years ago by a group of citizens concerned about the deteriorating condition of their city’s parks. Since that day in 1996, the Parks Conservancy has raised $90 million toward the betterment of Pittsburgh’s parks, and completed 14 major park improvement projects.

The scope of the Parks Conservancy initially included four major regional parks – Highland, Schenley, Frick, and Riverview – totaling nearly 1,700 acres of varied terrain. Situated in the heart of Oakland, Schenley Park’s 456 acres of trails, woods, and attractions is a daily destination for workers and students, families and outdoor enthusiasts. This is the story of Schenley Park.

This play area overlooks the Oakland area and downtown Pittsburgh. Photo by Melissa McMasters

Long before it became a park, this landscape was settled by Robert Neill.

He built his log house around 1770 by a spring along the Nemacolin Path that connected Cumberland, Maryland, and Brownsville, Pennsylvania.

Now standing on the edge of the golf

course, the Neill Log House is one of Pittsburgh’s oldest structures. In 1912, a sculpture was added to the nearby spring in honor of Catahecassa (Black Foot), the famous Shawnee war chief who eventually helped to preserve the 1795 peace treaty.

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The Café and Visitor Center is a convenient point of entry to the extensive trail system. Photo by Jeremy Marshall

The land was first sought after by the City of Pittsburgh in 1869, when civic leaders began to realize the importance of providing a healthy place of relaxation and recreation for its burgeoning masses of workers. At the same time, a magnificent park would represent the dirty industrial city’s early efforts to reposition itself as a beacon of culture and beauty.

her to sell the land to developers. Her donation imposed just two conditions: the park would be named after her and it could never be sold. Her generosity is memorialized in the Mary E. Schenley Memorial Fountain at Schenley Plaza, A Song to Nature, sculpted by Victor David Brenner, restored in 2008 by the City of Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy.

These efforts were frustrated for two decades by the absentee ownership of Mary E. Schenley. She had inherited the property from her grandfather General O’Hara, despite her scandalous elopement to England at the tender age of 15 with the 43-year-old Captain Edward Schenley. Forty-seven years later, Mrs. Schenley was persuaded to donate 300 acres thanks to a heroic effort by Edward Manning Bigelow, the “Father of Pittsburgh Parks.” In what was undoubtedly the most significant point in the history of Schenley Park, Bigelow sent an emissary across the Atlantic just two days ahead of Mrs. Schenley’s real estate agent who was eager for

Bigelow, an engineer, is largely credited with planning the park, but he needed an expert landscape architect and horticulturist to achieve the romantic effects he envisioned. William Falconer, an Englishman who had worked at the Royal Botanic Gardens and the Arnold Arboretum, was the parks first superintendent. Also responsible for Phipps Conservatory, Falconer developed the park’s contours, retaining walls, roads and bridges, and extensive landscape plantings.

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As the farsighted first director of the City’s new Department of Public Works, Bigelow himself is embodied in a monument facing the Schenley

Bridge. The sculptor was Giuseppe Moretti, who Bigelow had recruited to create a series of public art works for Schenley and Highland Parks. These include the Panthers at Panther Hollow Bridge, Hygeia, and Stephen Foster.

Several other significant artists are represented in the park’s remarkable collection of public art, including Frank Vittor (Christopher Columbus and the Dolphin drinking fountain), Allen Newman (The Hiker), Jong Massey Rhind (Robert Burns), William Couper (Alexander Leroy Hawkins), and Augustus Saint-Gaudens (Christopher Lyman Magee Memorial).

One of the park’s most stunning artistic features is the memorial created in 1930 to honor inventor and industrialist George Westinghouse. Architects Henry Hornbostel and Eric Fisherwood created the landscape setting and chose sculptor Daniel Chester French to design the sculptures, including the bronze American Youth, described by art critics as “the finest portrayal of American boyhood.” French depicts

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Westinghouse memorial statue. Photo by Scott Roller 47

Westinghouse in the middle portion of the monument between a mechanic and an engineer, while sculptor Paul Fjelde’s flanking panels illustrate Westinghouse’s achievements. The pond had stood empty in recent years due to the failure of underlying piping. A restoration project for this historic monument is now underway, including historic restoration of the statue and artwork, reconstruction of the pond (including stormwater management features), restoration and improvement of the surrounding landscape, and fund for ongoing maintenance.

Schenley Plaza is an oasis of relaxation, recreation, food, and entertainment. Photo by Scott Roller

About The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy

Schenley Park bike trail. Photo by Joe Serkoch 48

About The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy was founded in December 1996 by a group of citizens concerned with the deteriorating conditions of Pittsburgh's historic city parks. A nonprofit organization, the Parks Conservancy works closely with the City of Pittsburgh under an official public-private partnership agreement to restore and improve the city’s park system to its full potential. Originally including Highland, Schenley, Frick, and Riverview Parks, the scope of the Park Conservancy’s work now includes a focus on community parks including Allegheny Commons, Arsenal Park, Cliffside Park, McKinley Park, and Mellon Park. To date, the Parks Conservancy has raised $90 million toward park improvements. The Parks Conservancy works with thousands of volunteers annually, stewards over 1,700 acres, and has completed 14 major park improvement projects.

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A couple relaxes at the Mary Schenley Fountain on a summer day. Photo by Jeremy Marshall

The single greatest Schenley Park improvement in the past decade is, without a doubt, Schenley Plaza. The former grand entrance to the park became a parking lot over the years, and it took monumental public-private collaboration among citizens, private institutions, local and state government to bring it back to life in 2006. Now revitalized as the grand entrance to Schenley Park it was always intended to be, the Plaza is an oasis of relaxation, recreation, food, and entertainment for Pittsburghers of all ages. It offers a one-acre grand lawn, the PNC Carousel, garden rooms along Forbes Avenue, and several dining options including the newly opened Porch restaurant. Heading further into the park, attractions include the Phipps Conservatory with its new Center for Sustainable Landscapes, and the Schenley Park Café and Visitor Center, restored by the Parks Conservancy in 2001.

The Café and Visitor Center is a convenient point of entry to the extensive

trail system threaded throughout this wooded retreat just minutes from busy Oakland. But these woodlands and ravines are challenged by invasive plant species and erosion. Ten years ago, the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, along with the City of Pittsburgh and scores of volunteers, began efforts to restore Panther Hollow, planting hundreds of trees and stabilizing hillsides. A series of green infrastructure projects are now underway to improve water quality in Panther Hollow run – one of the city’s few remaining streams – and ultimately to renew the centerpiece of Panther Hollow Lake.

Among the most visible results of this work are the beautiful meadows near the Bartlett Playground, the swimming pool, and along the Panther Hollow Trail. Converted from maintenanceintensive lawns, these meadows burst with native wildflowers in the spring and summer, while protecting trails from wash-outs and enriching the habitat for birds, insects, and other wildlife.

In addition to exploring natural areas, visitors to Schenley Park enjoy so many choices. They can romp at a playground, play a round at the Bob O’Connor Golf Course, go swimming or ice skating depending on the season, watch the red tail hawks glide over Panther Hollow, be competitive with the 18-hole discgolf course, or tap their toes to music in the Plaza, just to name a few.

A day in the park is a day full of delight, just as it was intended by the visionaries who created Schenley, Highland, Frick and Riverview Parks more than a century ago. The Parks Conservancy is honored – in an official public/private partnership with the City of Pittsburgh – to steward 1,700 acres of majestic woodlands. The Parks Conservancy is committed to keeping our city’s parks beautiful, safe, lively, and ecologically balanced places that Pittsburghers can enjoy for generations to come. Find out more at pittsburghparks.org and be inspired by today’s park visionaries.

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Partnership to Connect Citizens with Outdoor Activities Growing Strong

More than 100 community partners and parks across Pennsylvania now participate in Get Outdoors PA – the program that offers organized, instructor-led activities to provide citizens with no-worry adventures like an after-work walk or hike; a Saturday morning bird watch; or an overnight family camping experience without the travel.

The program hit the milestone recently with the addition of the Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area in Northumberland County.

First established in state parks and now entering its second year since expanding into communities across Pennsylvania, Get Outdoors PA offers more than 1,200 events and program each year.

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of ClearWater Conservancy’s Adventures in Conservation and I often take my friends out to the new places I’ve discovered through these events.”

A new report on the highlights of the program notes the partnership has grown significantly, now providing outdoor recreation opportunities in all regions of the state.

The Get Outdoors PA program is built around a portal web site – getoutdoorspa.org – where users can search a variety of ways for what interests them: through a calendar; by geographic region; by activity interest; and by location.

Not only do Get Outdoors PA events get people active outside, helping to keep them healthy, they also get them interested in their natural surroundings.

Get Outdoors PA has successfully introduced tens of thousands of people to the joys of camping, paddling, hiking, mountain biking, fly fishing, snowshoeing, geocaching and more over the last decade. A goal is to add community partners in hopes of building one of the largest databases of outdoor recreation events in the country.

“As an avid hiker, I love the opportunity to find new trails, meet new people and learn more about our natural surroundings,” said Susan Braun, a Get Outdoors PA program participant. “I learn something new every time I attend one

A Partner Portal provides information and support on how to offer a variety of programs and includes sample lesson plans. To try your hand at a new skill or gather friends to explore places you’ve never been, visit getoutdoorspa.org.

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Crossword Puzzler

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Puzzle by Carolyn Hanel, Director of Parks and Recreation, Perkasie Borough

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A C R O S S 5 This county has 2 cities and one is called Corry 6 Home of Mansfield University 8 4th most populous county in PA 10 Factoryville and Laceyville Boroughs are in this county 12 Named for the son of Louis XVI 13 Named for Pennsylvania’s 3rd Governor 15 Chimney Stack Rock is here 19 Named for Robert, the inventor 21 Home of Blue Mountain Recreation Commission 23 Shares its name with a middle eastern country and a lunch meat.

25 Ridgway is the county seat 26 Former Buffalo Bill Quarterback Jim Kelly is from here 29 Named after 2nd Governor of PA; county seat is Smethport 31 Major employers include Pennzoil and Quaker State 33 G.T. Thompson is the Congressman 35 Named after the 1st President 39 Cowboy star Tom Mix was from here 40 The population booms the first week of December

41 Home of Messiah College 43 Where Maurice K. Goddard State Park is 44 Where Seven Springs is 46 The most populous county in the United States coterminous with a municipality.

48 Named after Zebulon who also has a peak named for him.

51 3rd most populous county 52 Its southern border is the Mason-Dixon line.

55 The state park where you feed the carp is located in this county 56 Home of Rolling Rock and Arnold Palmer 57 Named after 2nd U.S. President 59 Hazelton is the second largest city 60 Part of the ABE SMSA 61 Named after a Duke and a Fort 63 Kittanning is County seat 64 Named for the “chief natural feature.”

65 Largest county in PA by land area 66 Tuscarora Academy is a designated National Historic Place 67 Half of Shippensburg is in this county

D O W N

1 Home to a federal prison 2 Named after the Commodore 3 DeSales University, Muhlenberg College and Cedar Crest College are all located in this county 4 The Kinzua Dam is here 7 Namath, Ditka, and Dorsett from here 9 Named for a NY Governor 11 Named for the first governor 14 The jeep was developed here by American Bantam in 1941 16 Conrad Weiser petitioned to establish this county 17 2nd most populous county in PA 18 Second least populous county in PA 20 The 15th President called this county home.

22 Home of Marywood University 24 Where S.N. P. J. borough is 27 Named for an element 28 Foot of Ten is here, near Newry Borough 30 Featured in the 2010 documentary Gasland 32 Located in the area formerly known as the District of West Augusta

34 The county seat has a wall to prevent flooding 36 Named for 5th President of U.S. 37 Rob Lewis works here 38 Home of the 1793 Whiskey Rebellion 42 5th most populous county in PA 45 The traditional name for Wales 47 Statue of Justice on Courthouse is not blind 49 Named after 3rd President of the U.S. 50 Home of former Governor Brumbaugh 53 Largest city is DuBois 54 Named after a prominent Métis interpreter who served with George Washington during the French and Indian War 58 Self-proclaimed “Christmas Tree Capital of the World.”

62 Named after Mad Anthony Answers are on page 54.

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“Take Ten” tests your knowledge about Pennsylvania and the Park and Recreation field and provides members with information they may not have known before. Each issue will focus on a different subject matter. For suggestions about future “Take Ten” topics, contact Kenneth Lehr at klehr@westgoshen.org.

This Issue's Subject: As we celebrate Pennsylvania’s unique environmental beauty, how much do you know about environmental features of Pennsylvania?

1. Which maple tree commonly found in Pennsylvania is NOT native to the Commonwealth?

2. Which gorge is also referred to as The Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania?

A. Mountain Maple B. Norway Maple C. Red Maple D. Silver Maple E. Striped Maple F. Sugar Maple

A. Lehigh Gorge B. Nay Aug Gorge C. Oil Creek Gorge D. Pine Creek Gorge E. Slippery Rock Gorge F. Yougiogheny River Gorge

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3. Which turtle is NOT native to Pennsylvania?

A. Eastern Box Turtle B. Eastern Long Neck Turtle C. Eastern Muck Turtle D. Eastern Mud Turtle E. Eastern Painted Turtle F. Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtle

S p e c i a l Iss u e

5. D – Scots Pine 4. C – Mount Davis 3. B – Eastern Long Neck Turtle 2. D – Pine Creek Gorge 1. B – Norway Maple

A. Delaware River B. Lehigh River C. Monongahela River D. Schuylkill River E. Susquehanna River F. Youghiogheny River

6. D – Gifford Pinchot

8. Which river makes up Pennsylvania’s eastern border?

7. E – Wood Mouse

A. Deer Mouse B. House Mouse C. Meadow Jumping Mouse D. White-footed Mouse E. Wood Mouse F. Woodland Jumping Mouse

8. A – Delaware River

7. Which mouse is NOT native to Pennsylvania?

9. F – Shiitake

A. Thomas Mifflin B. Robert E. Pattison C. Samuel W. Pennypacker D. Gifford Pinchot E. Milton Shapp F. Edwin Sydney Stuart

No fair peeking at the answers!

10. F – Spotted Ground Squirrel

6. Which Pennsylvania governor also served as the first Chief of the U.S. Forestry Service?

A. Fox Squirrel B. Gray Squirrel C. Northern Flying Squirrel D. Red Squirrel E. Southern Flying Squirrel F. Spotted Ground Squirrel

How did you do?

A. Eastern White Pine B. Pitch Pine C. Red Pine D. Scots Pine E. Table Mountain Pine F. Virginia Pine

0-1 answers correct: Have you ever been outdoors in Pennsylvania?

10. Which squirrel is NOT native to Pennsylvania?

2-3 answers correct: Only goes outside when the TV isn’t working.

5. Which pine tree commonly found in Pennsylvania is NOT native to the Commonwealth?

4-5 answers correct: Enjoys the great Pennsylvania outdoors.

A. Chicken of the Woods B. Giant Puffball C. Horn of Plenty D. King Bolete E. Shaggy Mane F. Shiitake

6-7 answers correct: Pennsylvania ecology aficionado.

A. Blue Knob B. Camelback C. Mount Davis D. Herman Point E. Round Top F. Schaefer Head

Answers to “Take Ten”

8-9 answers correct: Expert in Pennsylvania’s plants, animals, and natural features.

9. What is NOT a native wild mushroom of Pennsylvania?

10 answers correct: Knows more about Pennsylvania’s environment than the ruffed grouse (state bird), eastern hemlock (state tree), brook trout (state fish), and mountain laurel (state flower) combined!

4. What is the highest peak in Pennsylvania?

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PENNSYLVANIA RECREATION & PARK SOCIETY, INC. 2016 Board of Directors & Staff Board of Directors Kurt Baker – President Tammy Echevarria – Secretary Rob Lewis – Treasurer Kirk Rakos – President-Elect Bill Rosevear – Past President Audrey Logar – Director-at-Large Carolyn Hanel – Director-at-Large

INDEX TO ADVERTISERS Graphic Design Graphics and Design.......................................................................................................................................... 33 Outdoor Adventures Blue Mountain Resort........................................................................................................................................ 27 Landscape Architecture Pashek Associates...................................................................................................................Inside Back Cover Park Amenities

Margie Earnest – Director-at-Large

General Recreation, Inc.....................................................................................................................Back Cover

Karen Hammond – Director-at-Large

George Ely Associates, Inc...................................................................................................Inside Front Cover

Jim Pashek – Citizen Director Lee Bryan – Citizen Director Kim Batty – Educators Director Helen Griffith – Retired Professional Morgan Costello – Student Director Christopher Biswick – Aquatics Branch President Becky Slick – Community Branch President Jeremy Rekich – PA State Parks Branch President

Playground Equipment General Recreation, Inc.....................................................................................................................Back Cover George Ely Associates, Inc...................................................................................................Inside Front Cover Picnic Tables/Park Benches/Grill/Litter Receptacles General Recreation, Inc.....................................................................................................................Back Cover

Anne Wieland – PTRS Branch President

George Ely Associates, Inc...................................................................................................Inside Front Cover

Kurt Uhler – Park Resources Branch President

Pilot Rock............................................................................................................................................................. 19

Ryan McCleaster – District I President Kate King – District II President Dan Russell – District III President

Staff Tim Herd – Executive Director Tracy Robert – Membership Services Coordinator Emily Schnellbaugh – Communications Coordinator Emily Gates – Grants & Training Coordinator Anne Thomas – Financial Coordinator Nicole Lynd – Grants & Training Assistant Jane LaMar - Administrative Assistant Kodie Vermillion - Intern

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Answers to the Crossword Puzzle on page 51

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