Our first weekly feature will focus on amphibians and their migration to vernal pools, a type of seasonal pond, in and around the Scotia Barrens. Each spring these guys and gals saunter back to the exact same spot to find a mate often crossing hundreds of yards, a massive journey for a 2-inch creature! Vernal pools are formed naturally by impervious soils or rocks that retain water for only part of the year. In the Scotia Barrens many of these pools are inadvertently man-made through the iron mining process. Vast quantities of iron-rich clays were mined and the resulting spoils were spread across the landscape. The ore pits became lined with the slower-draining clays and now retain water for
ClearWater Conservancy, with approval by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, recently finalized a permanent conservation easement along the Frankstown Branch of the Juniata River. Located immediately across the river from Canoe Creek State Park, and along the Lower Trail, the 214.63 acre conservation project is one of the first of its kind on the east coast specifically focused on comprehensive, landscape-scale conservation of habitat for the federally endangered Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis) and the federally threatened northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service defines conservation banks as permanently protected lands that preserve and manage habit
Need an activity to connect your children to nature safely while social distancing? This project involves getting outdoors and collecting leaves and natural materials, learning to mix dough, and create artworks. Each leaf or natural material will make an imprint on the salt dough resembling clay. After drying, the children will get to color the prints into their own pieces of art. This project can be accomplished over the course of a few days. Downloadable PDF
Spring is a wonderful time to explore the world around us. The season is marked by rapid changes, from migrations big and small to the budding and sprouting of flowers, trees and everything in-between. Over the next few weeks, we’ll help you rediscover some of our local areas while highlighting the interesting things you can expect to see as you explore. This first introduction should give you an idea of what to expect of the coming weeks as we dive deeper into each topic. Feel free to jump ahead or behind and self-explore these areas at your own pace or interest. Many of these locations feature interesting things aside from the featured topic and we will highlight some alternatives for
Each week, ClearWater will deliver your personal guide to explore the outdoors, along with fun things you can do at home to bring the outdoors, inside! Use the link below to sign up and receive a weekly exploration guide to the outdoors! https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/TRxbf57 During this time of social distancing to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, please know that ClearWater is here to help our community find innovative ways to stay connected with each other and with the world around us. Safely spending time outside can alleviate some of the issues associated with social isolation — including staying active for physical benefit, along with helping alleviate depression and anxiet
