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Abandoned well plugged

WATERFORD — French Creek Valley Conservancy and the Well Done Foundation recently jointly announced they have successfully plugged the Martha Smith No. 1 orphaned oil well, situated in Northwestern Pennsylvania, and restored the surface area around it. Located near Waterford, the abandoned well was originally drilled in 1982 and prior to its plugging was threatening the waters of LeBoeuf Creek, a major tributary to French Creek. FCVC’s Smith Tract property, comprising 45 acres, was donated to FCVC in 2009 as a conserved natural area. “The impact of The Well Done Foundation ...

Seeing the Ruffed Grouse in action is a gift from nature

By Shirley Grenoble For the Mirror As I drove my old car down a well-used dirt road recently, I bumped into one of my favorite woodsy scenarios: one of Pennsylvania’s state birds, the Ruffed Grouse, was strutting on the edge of the dirt road. His ruff (the neck feathers) was all bunched up, with a seemingly non-caring hen grouse a bit ahead of him. I stopped the car and just watched because it is a rare sight to see. Eventually, they wandered out of sight but so thankful was I to have seen this wondrous scenario. Another seldom-seen sight in the woods is to actually see a male ...

You have to fish deeper for summertime bass

By Walt Young sports@altoonamirror.com Summertime bass fishing is popular with anglers throughout the country. Lake-dwelling largemouth bass are a great summer fish because they are usually receptive to a huge variety of baits, lures and angling techniques. But catching bass consistently during the summer presents its own special set of challenges during the frequent hot, bright days, because even largemouths can only take so much heat. Often, the bigger bass will move to deeper water during extended hot spells like we will continue to experience in the coming weeks. While ...

Cove duo bring home top-10 finish at tourney

By John Hartsock jhartsock@altoonamirror Last summer, the team of Jerry Brumbaugh, Jr. and Hunter Klotz, both of Central High School, won first place in the High School (Bass) Fishing National Championship event in South Carolina. So when Brumbaugh, Jr., a recent Central graduate, and ...

Climate change part of poor Yellowstone Park flood forecasts

The Associated Press BILLINGS, Mont. — The Yellowstone National Park area’s weather forecast the morning of June 12 seemed fairly tame: warmer temperatures and rain showers would accelerate mountain snow melt and could produce “minor flooding.” A National Weather Service bulletin recommended moving livestock from low-lying areas but made no mention of danger to people. By nightfall, after several inches of rain fell on a deep spring snowpack, there were record-shattering floods. Torrents of water poured off the mountains. Swollen rivers carrying boulders and trees smashed ...

Shuma family treats bass fishing with reverence

By John Hartsock jhartsock@altoonamirror.com The opening of trout season is a timeless fishing tradition that has been enjoyed by many families in this area across multiple generations. Although the opening day of bass season in Pennsylvania — which falls annually on the second Saturday each June — does not receive nearly as much fanfare as the trout season opener, the enjoyment of bass fishing is steeped in tradition for many families as well. Brothers Bob Shuma, 74, and John Shuma, 70, who both live in Altoona, have been fishing for smallmouth bass on the Juniata River in ...