Cook Forest Conservancy

04/23/2026

Earth Day continues - douse your lights and hopefully see some bats, hear some spring peepers, and enjoy the stars over northwestern PA

The Earth doesn’t stop needing protection when the sun goes down. Tonight, turn off unnecessary outdoor lights, step outside, and reconnect with the darkness that supports wildlife, sleep, migration, and wonder.

Protecting the planet includes protecting the night. Join the movement to protect the night: https://bit.ly/3R81g3N

📷 Photo by Holger Herbst.

04/18/2026

Celebrate Bat Appreciation Day *and* DarkSky International Dark Sky Week 🦇🙂🌙 Douse your lights, step outside, and enjoy our only flying mammal

Bats depend on darkness
There are 1,500+ species of bats worldwide, and many depend on natural darkness to hunt, navigate, and survive.

Light pollution is growing 10% every year
Artificial light at night can disrupt bat behavior and fragment habitats, making it harder for some species to hunt and move across the landscape.

Simple ways to help bats
By making smart lighting choices, such as choosing DarkSky Approved lighting fixtures for your home and following the principles of responsible outdoor lighting, you can help protect the night for bats and other creatures of the night.

Bats play an essential role in ecosystems around the world, from pollinating plants to controlling insect populations. But growing light pollution is changing the nighttime environment they depend on.

For Bat Appreciation Day (April 17) during International Dark Sky Week, DarkSky partnered with Bat Conservation International and bat scientist Dr. Kristen Lear to explore how protecting the night helps bats thrive.

Read the full article and learn how you can help: https://bit.ly/4sz9Zwt

📷 Photo by Yushi & Keiko Osawa.

04/17/2026

Hemlock health is crucial for the greater environment, including brook trout, ruffed grouse, and our drinking water. Article features our DCNR Forest Health Specialist, Jim Altemus!

Experts say climate change is fueling and favoring the growth of invasive species — in many cases, at the expense of Pennsylvania’s cherished symbols. But environmental workers are trying to help those Pa. icons by discovering ways to reverse invasive species’ effects.

04/14/2026

Another excellent HWA (hemlock woolly adelgid) treatment training! Thanks to Jim Altemus, Hannah at Clarion Conservation District, and everyone who attended - keep your hemlocks healthy so they can provide the irreplaceable ecosystem services we love them for!

04/10/2026

Tomorrow! Free training on protecting your hemlocks from HWA (hemlock woolly adelgid) - full info in events: https://www.facebook.com/events/1823438735032807

04/06/2026

Oh no - trail bridge crushed along Tom's Run between Shelter #1 and the Swinging Bridge/ State Park Office

04/03/2026

CFC is in Florida again - lovely live oak trees line parts of the daily walk with Shagbark. Mine has hosted pileated woodpeckers, raccoons, opossums, and - occasionally now, warblers migrating north

03/20/2026

To help save hemlocks, the iconic conifer of Cook Forest State Park and an irreplaceable keystone species, check our events for the 11 April HWA Treatment Seminar. Thanks for the mention, Discover Clarion County!

02/06/2026

Snow is deep and continues to fall in Cook Forest!
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02/03/2026

Another HWA winter project - find out if released lari beetles are protecting your trees from hemlock woolly adelgid:

This bi-monthly article is a collection of forest health observations, plant and animal phenology, important upcoming dates, and hunting season changes.

01/08/2026

Happy New Year! Wishing you and yours healthy trees - check them during this winter downtime, and if you see active HWA, plan ahead for wet-season spring treatments:

LANSING — Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources and Department of Agriculture & Rural Development encourage those who have eastern hemlock trees on their property to take time this winter to inspect the trees for signs of hemlock woolly adelgid — tiny, soft-bodied insects that consume the...

12/14/2025

Sunday snow day at the North Country Trail December hike in Cook Forest - the NCT handles all trail maintenance in the park! If you see Clarion chapter members, please thank them for their valuable work and dedication 🙂🌲