Pennsylvania Mixed Bag: Chesapeake Bay oyster restoration expected to meet goal

Harrisburg — Oysters are considered one of the unsung heroes of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, but efforts to restore healthy reefs of the bivalve now have billions of reasons to sing of success.

The Chesapeake Bay Program announced recently that the goal to restore healthy oyster reefs in 10 Chesapeake Bay tributaries should meet its 2025 deadline. Eight out of the 10 original tributaries selected for large-scale restoration are considered complete. This announcement comes after the April celebration of the completed oyster restoration site in the lower York River in Virginia.

The restoration work is part of a commitment laid out in the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, an accord between the Chesapeake Bay program and its partners to guide the restoration of the nation’s largest estuary and its watershed.

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Public Asked to Report Turkey Sightings

Harrisburg — The Pennsylvania Game Commission again is seeking input from the public in surveying wild turkeys this summer. The annual Pennsylvania Wild Turkey Sighting Survey runs July 1 through Aug. 31.

Public participation is important for turkey population management. Survey data allow the agency to determine total wild turkey productivity and compare long-term reproductive success within Pennsylvania and across states, as this is a standard methodology used across the country. Data also are used in the turkey population model to track population trends.

Turkey sightings can be reported through the Game Commission’s website.

Cherry Springs Park Construction Project

​Coudersport, Pa. — The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources recently announced the beginning of a construction project to reconfigure the entrances at Cherry Springs State Park in Potter County.

The work will create a new entrance to the public programming area of the park, eliminating issues caused by headlights at the current entry/exit point to the astronomy fields.

In addition to moving the park entrance, the project will construct a new contact station for information, lit visitor walkways, a programming pavilion, amphitheater, and new parking areas.​ The work is underway and will be completed in the fall.

The new, reconfigured entrance is expected to change visitor flow into the park and help manage larger crowds.

Visitors Asked About Forests Visits

Harrisburg — The Department ​of Conservation and Natural Resources recently announced the department is resuming a partnership with Penn State to survey visitors about their experiences in two state forests.

Visitors to Pinchot State Forest in Luzerne, Lackawanna, and Wyoming counties, and Weiser State Forest in Dauphin, Carbon, Columbia, and Schuylkill counties, may encounter pairs of Penn State students doing on-site surveys and are encouraged to participate if passing a survey point.

Survey questions will include where the visitors are from, activities pursued, length of stay in the area and spending patterns, and satisfaction with the experience. Counting the number of vehicles at certain locations also will be included.

State Gets Funds for Abandoned Mines

Harrisburg — The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has received $28.6 million in federal funding for the 2024 Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization Program, which will put abandoned mine lands across the commonwealth to good use by funding economic and community development projects on reclaimed sites.

Previous projects include public parks, public waterlines, recreational trails for fishing and biking, and more.

Pennsylvania has more abandoned coal mines than any other state in the country. With the support of federal and state funding, Pennsylvania has already rehabilitated 150,000 acres of abandoned mine lands.