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Outdoors

Even Smoky Mountains hit by tough economy

The Associated Press GATLINBURG, Tenn. — Great Smoky Mountains National Park announced a plan earlier this week to start charging parking fees along with higher rates for campsites, day-use cabin rentals and picnic pavilions starting next year. Visits to the park have increased 57% over the past decade to a record 14.1 million last year and have taken a toll on facilities, the park said in a news release. Additional revenue from the changes would allow the park to address renovations along with law enforcement staffing challenges and services including trail maintenance and trash ...

Tourists find wild horse on island, take it home

The Associated Press HARKERS ISLAND, N.C. — A newborn wild horse will be raised as a domesticated animal after well-meaning tourists took it with them as they left a North Carolina barrier island, officials at a national park said. The foal followed a group of visitors on Shackleford Banks for two hours on March 26 with no other horses around, according to a recent news release from the Cape Lookout National Seashore. When the visitors moved their boat to leave the island, the young horse tried to follow them. The park said the group was worried that the newborn would drown, so ...

Company fined over killing eagles

The Associated Press BILLINGS, Mont. — A wind energy company was sentenced to probation and ordered to pay more than $8 million in fines and restitution after at least 150 eagles were killed over the past decade at its wind farms in eight states, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. NextEra Energy subsidiary ESI Energy pleaded guilty to three counts of violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act during a Tuesday court appearance in Cheyenne, Wyoming. It was charged in the deaths of eagles at three of its wind farms in Wyoming and New Mexico. In addition to those deaths, golden and ...

Portage man has ‘Habitat’ information you’ll need

When I joined the National Wild Turkey Federation, a new group then, I hoped that through it I would learn more about how to hunt turkeys. Instead, I learned about something I knew nothing about at the time, the most important factor of the existence of any wild bird or animal’s life, and that was habitat. Watching paint dry and trees grow are in the same excitement category, but oh how much it matters to do so. Recently, I attended the annual Landowner/Sportsmen Banquet at the Blair County Fish and Forestry Association. It hadn’t had one for two years because of the pandemic, ...

‘Wild Moments’ host to speak at fundraiser in State College

STATE COLLEGE — Jack Hubley, veteran advocate for the natural world and well-known former host of the nationally syndicated “Wild Moments” wildlife show, will be the speaker at the fourth annual Soaring Eagle Celebration at the Wyndham Garden State College on Friday, April 8. The Soaring Eagle Celebration, formerly known as the Pennsylvania Wildlife Gala, is the Wildlife for Everyone Foundation’s largest fundraiser. Proceeds benefit “Wildlife for Everyone’s” accessible wetlands in Centre County. Hubley, with his famed golden eagle Bliss on his fist, will talk about ...

Anglers see pros, cons of when trout season opens

By John Hartsock jhartsock@altoonamirror.com After accepting comprehensive input from the state’s trout anglers, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission has decided to institute one opening day for the 2022 trout season and beyond statewide. Prior to 2007, trout season all across Pennsylvania started on the Saturday following the 11th day of the month of April. From 2007 to 2019, trout season began two weeks earlier in 18 southcentral and southeastern counties than it opened in the rest of the state, including Blair and surrounding counties. The onset of the COVID-19 ...