Pennsylvania Mixed Bag: Wild Resource Conservation Program grant applications due soon

Harrisburg, — Applications are now open for the 2026 Wild Resource Conservation Program, which offers grants to support research and conservation projects that protect Pennsylvania’s native wildlife, plants, and ecosystems.

The program, which is overseen by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, will invest more than $500,000 in projects across the state.

The program provides critical support for conserving non-game animals, native plants and fungi, and invertebrates such as insects – species often left out of traditional conservation programs but vital to the state’s ecosystems.

Visit DCNR’s website for full grant criteria, priority species, and application instructions.

Blue Crab Numbers Way Up in the Chesapeake

Annapolis, Md. — The Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey, a cooperative effort between the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, estimates a total of 349 million blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay in 2026, a 46% increase over the estimate of 238 million crabs last year.

The survey also estimated 228 million juvenile blue crabs, an increase of 121% from last year. This above-average abundance is a promising result to fisheries biologists, after what had previously been six consecutive years of below-average juvenile recruitment. The total abundance and juvenile abundance were at the highest levels since 2019.

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USGS Grant to Fund PSU Study of PFAS

State College, Pa. — Researchers in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences have received a grant of nearly $309,000 from the U.S. Geological Survey, part of the U.S. Department of the Interior, to study the movement and impacts of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in small agricultural watersheds across the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

The goal of the project, the researchers said, is to help farmers, communities and watershed managers better understand and reduce contamination risks. Known as “forever chemicals,” PFAS can accumulate in soil and water and enter the food chain.

Rehab Work Begins on Glen Onoko Falls Trail in Lehigh Gorge State Park

Jim Thorpe, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Outdoor Corps crews have begun rehabilitation work on the long-closed Falls Trail at the Glen Onoko Falls Tract in Carbon County. The work marks a major step toward reopening and restoring public access to one of the region’s most iconic outdoor destinations.

DCNR is beginning improvements on the steep, 0.5-mile portion of the trail, which has been closed since May 1, 2019, due to safety concerns and deteriorating conditions along a section that climbs roughly 800 feet in elevation. DCNR and the Pennsylvania Game Commission also are coordinating a land transfer that will ultimately add the Glen Onoko Falls Tract to Lehigh Gorge State Park.

PGC Investigates 2 Gobbler Hunting Accidents

Harrisburg — The Pennsylvania Game Commission investigated two incidents of turkey hunters being shot by other hunters, both on the opening day of spring gobbler season, May 2.

In Schuylkill County, a 19-year-old placed his shotgun on the ground and it discharged, hitting his 21-year-old brother. The shot pellets struck his head and arms. The victim was examined by emergency medical personnel but declined transportation to a hospital.

In Lancaster County, a couple was hunting turkeys together.

As the female victim, 19, walked a trail behind her boyfriend, a hunter from an adjacent field fired his shotgun. The shot pellets from the male offender, 21, struck the victim in numerous areas across her body. Information about her medical treatment was unavailable.

DEP Issues Violations for Abandoning, Not Plugging Oil and Gas Wells in Warren County

Harrisburg — On May 11 and 12, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection issued 12 violations to Delta Inland Oil Resources LLC for abandoning and not plugging 12 conventional oil and gas wells in Warren County.

A total of 31 Delta Inland wells were inspected over these two days. Delta Inland Oil Resources LLC, based in Sugar Grove, Warren County, holds 363 permits for wells.

So far in 2026, DEP issued or continued 229 notices of violation for conventional oil and gas well abandonment.