Sinnemahoning State Park

Camera 2 showed us that white-tailed deer are very curious animals. It looks like every deer in the neighborhood stopped to check out the scent in the area, even after a tree fell down in front of the camera. If you choose to put out trail cameras this season, please remember that scents are permitted but artificial feeding of wildlife on state lands is prohibited.

Although today's program, Part 2 of the Camera Trapping for Fishers, scheduled for Saturday, November 21, has been canceled due to a change in the COVID-19 mitigation regulations, our park staff still wanted to share our trail camera photos with you. Park staff set up two trail cams on park property hoping to lure an elusive fisher close enough to get a few photos. Here are the results after one week of camera trapping for Camera 1. What do you see?

As of November 20, the front desk & restrooms at the Sinnemahoning State Park Office will be open Monday through Saturday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Exhibits, display area, & classroom are CLOSED to the public. Face masks and social distancing are required.

Fall programming continues this weekend at Sinnemahoning State Park with programs on measuring antlers, migratory waterfowl, and a book activity for children. Group sizes are limited due to COVID-19 regulations, so pre-registration is recommended. Measuring and Scoring Antlers Saturday, October 17, 1:00 PM 2:15 PM Discover how deer and elk antlers grow, what conditions make the biggest antlers, and how to measure them. Program includes hands-on practice measuring elk antl...ers. All participants must wear facemasks. Group size limited to 24 people. Pre-registration is recommended. Meet at Pavilion # 1 in the 40 Maples Day Use Area. Fall Migration Waterfowl Watch Sunday, October 18, 9:00 AM 10:15 AM Join the park naturalist at the Eagle Watch Pavilion overlooking the George B. Stevenson Dam reservoir to learn about the migratory waterfowl species of north-central Pennsylvania. Program will include tips on how to identify the various species while hopefully observing some of those traveling through the area during this time. Bring your binoculars and/or spotting scope. Facemasks are required. All ages welcome. Group size limited to 24 people. Pre-registration is recommended. Meet at the Eagle Watch Pavilion at the Lake Day Use Area. Kids’ Storytime and Nature Walk Sunday, October 18, 2:00 PM 3:15 PM Join the park educator for a book reading, a simple craft, and an outdoor activity based on the book, We’re Going On a Leaf Hunt by Steve Metzger. Intended for families with children ages 3-7. Children must be accompanied by an adult. All participants must wear face masks. Limit of 24 people. Meet outdoors in front of the Wildlife Center. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, these programs at Sinnemahoning State Park will be held outdoors, will require social distancing, and will require the use of facemasks. Program group size is limited. Pre-registration for programs is required. To pre-register for a program, or for more information, please visit the DCNR Calendar of Events https://events.dcnr.pa.gov/sinnemahoning_state_park/calendar. If you need assistance with online registration, please call the park office 814-647-8401 and dial 0 for the front desk. If you need an accommodation to participate in PA State Park activities due to a disability, please contact the park you plan to visit. With at least seven days’ notice, interpreters for people who are deaf or hard of hearing are available for educational programs.

CANCELED. Part 2 of the Camera Trapping for Fishers, scheduled for Saturday, November 21, has been canceled due to a change in the COVID-19 mitigation regulations. On two Saturdays this November, Sinnemahoning State Park will be introducing a new two-part program series with a focus on using trail cameras to gain knowledge and insight of wildlife species found throughout northcentral Pennsylvania. The fisher is the focus of the first installment of this Wildlife Camera Trapp...ing Series. On Saturday, November 14th, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., guest presenter and experienced trapper, Paul Lilja will discuss the natural history of the rarely-seen fisher, its habits and habitats, and share stories of his experiences with this elusive fur-bearing mammal. He will then apply this knowledge to choose an ideal location for camera trapping them. Program will include a short hike to look at camera placement. Participants will be encouraged to place their own trail cameras out for a week and return the following week to discuss the results. On Saturday, November 21, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., during the second part of this series participants will view pictures collected by each other’s trail cameras and share their experiences, including what worked well and what didn’t work. Paul Lilja will also discuss the incidental species that were also caught on camera and how to place cameras for other target species. All participants must wear facemasks and practice social distancing. Group size limited to 10 participants. Pre-registration is strongly recommended. Meet in the classroom of the Wildlife Center. To pre-register for a program, or for more information, please visit the DCNR Calendar of Events http://events.dcnr.pa.gov/sinnemahoning_state_park. If you need assistance with online registration, please call the park office 814-647-8401 and dial 0 for the front desk. If you need an accommodation to participate in PA State Park activities due to a disability, please contact the park you plan to visit. With at least seven days’ notice, interpreters for people who are deaf or hard of hearing are available for educational programs.

Our next featured artisan of the "virtual festival" is Clover Moon Designs, whose artwork and art pieces are created by artist, Peggy Sowers Heckman. Peggy likes to experience different approaches to making art and jewelry. She describes her art as a bit whimsical and admits that her jewelry is a bit blingy. Peggy has always enjoyed painting, but in early 2000, Peggy started her business name under The Picket Fence, making slightly primitive wood crafts, selling in ...a little shop in town and attending craft shows and painting conventions. In 2012 she started dabbling in jewelry-making by purchasing lots and lots of books and teaching herself as much as she could and started making jewelry under the name of Clover Moon Designs. But she never lost her love for painting! To find out more about Peggy and her work visit her blog at clovermoondesigns.com. To see more of Peggy’s work, please visit her Etsy shop at https://www.etsy.com/shop/CloverMoonDesigns

UPDATED OFFICE HOURS: The Park Office and Wildlife Center at Sinnemahoning State Park is currently closed on Sundays. The office is open Mondays through Saturdays, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Our "virtual festival" next visits with author William P. Robertson, a versatile and prolific writer of novels, short stories, autobiographical sketches, and poetry. A recognized historian and speaker, William excels in well-researched novels with dynamic characters and is best known for his ten-book Civil War Bucktail series co-written with David Rimer. The authors' French and Indian War Alleghenies series set in the wilderness of colonial Pennsylvania has also been well rec...eived. Equally popular are Robertson's tales of Gothic horror. These stories abound with sensory details reminiscent of Edgar Allan Poe and Jim Morrison, both strong influences of his style. Based on local legends and traumatic personal experiences, William's horror conjures an eerie atmosphere that chills right to the bone. Lately, Robertson has added humor to his artistic palette by revisiting his childhood of the 1950s and '60s. He writes these sketches with generous portions of delight, insight, and youthful exuberance. Word economy and irony, like that practiced by Ernest Hemingway, are equally important to his approach. Truth be told, the author's first love is poetry. He is fascinated by the variety found in this genre and is equally proficient with free verse, shaped verse, and rhymed styles. Winning a poetry contest in ninth grade first ignited his passion for writing that has lasted for over fifty years. More information about Robertson’s writing may be found at his website, http://www.bucktailsandbroomsticks.com or you can contact the author directly at [email protected]

The next stop of the "virtual festival" is Brydonson Farm, located in the headwaters of the First Fork Valley where the Ianson family has been producing quality maple syrup for generations. For the last 25 years they have been producing maple products including maple barbeque, maple peanut butter, maple salad dressing, maple sugar based dry rubs etc. The list goes on for products. To see more products, please check out Brydonson Farm’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com//Ur/Brydonson-Farms-319595901244/

Meet blacksmith Robbie Ickes, another artisan participating in the online "virtual festval". Robbie has had a family camp in the First Fork Valley for approximately 60 years, and he and his family have always enjoyed the area and atmosphere.. Robbie started with flint knapping various Native American-style arrowheads, spear heads, and stone knives. He followed this with learning how to build his own bow and arrows in traditional form. He then advanced into building muzzl...e loaders in period correct designs, to expand his coverage of the French and Indian War period. Blacksmithing interested Robbie as a child because his Grandfather had an old forge, anvil and various smithing tools. He read various books but his skills came from tinkering around to learn the basics and working his way to using more advanced techniques. As time passed, Robbie gathered more tools and now is able to utilize different ways of working the metals. To order hand-made pieces from Robbie Ickes, please contact him directly at [email protected] or call Robbie at 814-977-3068.

Our first featured artisan of the "virtual" festival is Danette Wightman, the talent behind DRW Designs and 1 of a Kind Gourds. Danette has been creating artistic items for years, but recently she has found herself specializing in gourd art. The artist’s passion for life echoes in her productivity. In her intimate home studio, one is bound to find many projects underway at any given time. Given the organic nature and varying forms that gourds can come in, Danette is fle...xible in her process. If I am doing a custom design, I choose the gourd that best fits the design, she said. If I am doing a gourd to sell, I let the gourd choose what it wants to be. From hot air balloons and fairy garden huts to decorative bowls and vases, to characters and bird houses, Danette’s designs are original and imaginative. To see more photos of Danette’s work or to order a custom-made piece, please visit https://drwdesignsand1ofakindgourds.com/ or contact Danette Wightman directly at [email protected] or call 585-610-0191

Awesome photo by Lorraine McDaniels. If you are planning to visit Sinnemahoning State Park this weekend, don't forget to register now for one of Saturday's interpretive programs. Programs on Saturday October 10, 2020 at Sinnemahoning: Fall Bird Walk, 9:00 AM 11:00 AM Blacksmith Demonstration, 10:00 AM 3:00 PM... The Pennsylvania Bucktails, 10:30-11:15 AM The Pennsylvania Bucktails, 1:00-1:45 PM Fall Wildflower Walk, 2:00 PM 3:15 PM Due to COVID-19 restrictions, these programs at Sinnemahoning State Park will be held outdoors, will require social distancing, and will require the use of facemasks. Program group size is limited. Pre-registration for programs is required. To pre-register for a program, or for more information, please visit the DCNR Calendar of Events https://events.dcnr.pa.gov/sinnemahoning_state_park/calendar. If you need assistance with online registration, please call the park office 814-647-8401 and dial 0 for the front desk.

Facebook Friends: Show us your best Fall Flower Photos! Post your best September/October flower photos here, then vote for your favorites using the LIKE button. Winner will be announced on Friday, October 9th, at 9:00 AM. To learn about these autumn beauties, please join us for the Fall Wildflower Walk on Saturday, October 10th, at 2:00 PM. To register for the program, visit https://events.dcnr.pa.gov/sinnemahoning_state_park/calendar

Fall Wildflower Walk, Saturday, October 10, 2020, 2:00 PM 3:15 PM. Enjoy a leisurely walk in the cool fall air as we take a closer look at the wildflowers that add color to the landscape with DCNR Bureau of Forestry botanist, Chris Firestone. Walk will cover about 1 mile over fairly-level terrain. Group size limited; pre-registration is required. Meet outdoors in front of the Wildlife Center. All participants must wear facemasks while attending PA State Park programs. To pre-register, visit https://events.dcnr.pa.gov/sinnemahoning_state_park/calendar or call the park office at 814-647-8401.

Fall Bird Walk, Saturday, October 10, 2020, 9:00 AM 11:00 AM. Join local birding enthusiast, Mark Johnson, as he searches for the birds of autumn in the forest and fields of Sinnemahoning State Park. Beginner birders, as well as experts and those in-between are all welcome. Walk will cover 1-2 miles over uneven terrain. Group size limited; pre-registration is required. Meet outdoors in front of the Wildlife Center. All participants must wear facemasks while attending park programs. Pre-register at https://events.dcnr.pa.gov/sinnemahoning_state_park/calendar

The Pennsylvania Bucktails, Saturday, October 10, 2020, two sessions: 10:30-11:15 AM and 1:00-1:45 PM. Learn the fascinating history of the Pennsylvania Bucktails, the unit that was formed from the woodsmen, loggers, and rafters of Northern PA and became the most famous Pennsylvania regiment of the American Civil War. Group size limited; pre-registration is required. Meet at Pavilion 1 at the 40 Maples Day Use Area. All participants must wear facemasks while attending park programs. Pre-register at https://events.dcnr.pa.gov/sinnemahoning_state_park/calendar

Blacksmith Demonstration, Saturday, October 10, 2020, 10:00 AM 3:00 PM. These days we take for granted how difficult it once was to make metal products. Robbie Ickes will demonstrate iron forging techniques that blacksmiths used during the early days of the First Fork Valley settlement. The iron will glow and the water will sizzle as Robbie hand-fashions various items over the hot flames. Program will be held outdoors near Pavilion 2 at the 40 Maples Day Use Area.