Schuylkill County Conservancy

06/01/2026

Spring Clean Up of the Schuylkill River Trail
Saturday, June 6⋅9:30 – 11:30am
Spring Clean Up of the Schuylkill River Trail is scheduled for this Saturday, June 6th 2026

We will meet at the trail parking lot on PA 895. The parking lot is located by the bridge crossing over the Schuylkill River just east of Auburn.
Schuylkill County Conservancy will be hosting its annual spring clean-up of a section of the Schuylkill River Trail on Saturday, June 6th. Starting time is 9:30AM. The event will last 2 to 2.5 hours. We will work from the new trail bridge across the Schuylkill River to Stony Creek. Total distance walked will be 2.5 miles. The grade is level, easy, rock free.

Please bring work gloves, pruners or loppers. Our main focus will be on removing invasive plants, picking up trash and trimming back the sides of the trail.

Bring water, snacks, wear good footwear and perhaps a long-sleeved shirt. There may or may not be poison ivy along the side of the trail where you put your hands and feet.
We will meet at the trail parking lot on PA 895. The parking lot is located by the bridge crossing over the Schuylkill River just east of Auburn. We will shuttle participants to the trail head from there. Last shuttle leaves the parking lot at 9:55AM. Contact Mike Sausser for more information at 570-739-4803

05/28/2026

Our bird survey donation drive is wrapping up soon, and we’re so close to hitting our $500 goal. That $500 unlocks more than $5,000 in educational programs that help protect our birds and the habitats they depend on.
A huge thank‑you to everyone who has already contributed—the Conservancy is truly grateful.
If you haven’t had a chance to donate yet, we’d love your support. Even a small gift helps push us over the top.
Thanks for being part of this effort!

05/27/2026

Eight sounds after dark and the animal behind each one.

The barred owl's "who cooks for you" call is eight syllables — and when it escalates to screaming, that's the pair calling together. They're fine.

The screech owl doesn't screech. The sound is a descending whinny — like a tiny horse — coming from inside a tree cavity.

🌿 The high-pitched wall of noise near standing water is spring peepers. The sustained thirty-second trill from the ditch is a toad. Both are frogs. Both sound nothing like what most people expect from a frog.

The whip-poor-will repeats its own name from ground level — sometimes hundreds of times without stopping. The katydid does the same from the treetops later in summer.

The short hoarse bark repeated at intervals that sounds like a woman screaming is the red fox. The chittering that sounds like small birds is raccoon kits.

Eight species. Most of them are within a hundred feet of the back door on any warm night this month 🐾

05/27/2026

If the critters could thank you with words, I think they would.

What you did right this month — and what the yard did with it.

You left the leaf litter under the shrubs.
→ Firefly larvae completed the pupal stage underneath it.

You left the dead branch on the oak.
→ A chickadee nested in the cavity and fed her chicks from it all month.

You didn't spray the caterpillar web.
→ Dozens of bird species fed from it. The tree releafed on its own.

You left a bare patch of soil near the fence.
→ Ground-nesting bees moved in.

You left a dish of wet mud near the wall.
→ The barn swallow rebuilt.

You didn't mow the back edge.
→ The tall grass gave fireflies a place to flash and fledglings a place to hide.

🌿 None of this cost anything. No purchase, no project, no permit.

The things you didn't do mattered more than the things you did. The leaf litter you didn't rake. The branch you didn't cut. The edge you didn't mow.

The yard noticed 🐾

05/27/2026

Recently from Locust Lake, this Bear Corn (Conopholis americana) plant that looks like a pine cone growing from the soil. It is a parasitic flowering plant with no chlorophyll, and it accesses nutrients from its roots attaching to a host tree's roots, usu an oak. The plants in photo have some tiny white/cream colored flowers. This parasitic plant does not harm its host tree.

05/22/2026

Would you believe that this is a regular nesting bird in Schuylkill County, and can be fairly common in healthy, lush forested areas ? Absolutely !.......... this stunner, the American Redstart, is here in county, and rather common at Locust Lake State Park. This & so many of our beautiful birds need a good supply of insects & caterpillars, etc for survival & esp to raise their nesting young. Some helping actions from us to them are: not using much bug spray, saving large forested areas, having yards full of native trees & plants - less lawn, less fertilizer, less w**d killer, dont kill caterpillars, and a healthy dose of curiosity about our native species are going to help these wonderful, beautiful critters be around here for a long, long time.

American Redstart in the Wild | Vibrant Forest Songbird 🐦🍃
A stunning close-up portrait of the American Redstart, one of North America’s most energetic and colorful songbirds. This striking male displays glossy black plumage highlighted by brilliant orange patches across its wings and tail. Perched gracefully on a woodland branch, the bird’s vivid colors glow beautifully against the soft green forest background.

Known for their active behavior and unique hunting style, American Redstarts constantly fan their tails and flash their bright feathers to flush insects from hiding before catching them midair. These agile warblers are a favorite among birdwatchers thanks to their lively movements, cheerful songs, and eye-catching appearance.

Found in deciduous forests across Canada and the northern United States during summer, American Redstarts migrate south each fall to warmer regions including the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America. Their presence helps maintain healthy ecosystems by controlling insect populations naturally.

This image captures the beauty, elegance, and wild spirit of one of nature’s most fascinating migratory birds.

05/22/2026

Some items you may run into on your current nature treks - Wild Azalea blooming, and Swamp Beacons fungus (Mitrula elegans) - the latter in small fairly wet spots. These, recently from Locust Lake SP.

05/21/2026

Most people hear a pileated woodpecker for years before they see one. The hammering sounds like someone beating a dead tree with a bat.

Then she lands on a trunk ten feet away — and the reaction is always the same.

She's the size of a crow. Every other woodpecker at the feeder fits in your hand. Your brain builds a template from downies and hairies: woodpecker equals small. The pileated breaks the template.

The rectangular holes in dead trees are hers. No other woodpecker cuts that shape. And the cavity she drills for nesting becomes the most competed-over address in the woods after she leaves — species that can't excavate their own depend on the ones she abandons.

The dead tree she's working on is the most productive thing in the yard 🌿

05/20/2026

Our conservancy volunteers are gearing up for this year’s Birds for Conservation Blitz, a county‑wide effort to survey and protect the bird populations that make Schuylkill County such a vibrant place to live.

Your contribution directly supports:
•Field surveys that help us monitor local bird health
•Youth education programs that inspire the next generation of conservationists
•Community outreach to ensure our bird populations remain strong and thriving

If you haven’t made a donation yet, now is the perfect time. Every gift—large or small—helps us protect the species that depend on our forests, fields, and waterways.

👉 Please consider sending in a donation today! More information on how to donate can be found in the flyer.
THANK YOU for supporting conservation, education, and the future of Schuylkill County’s birds.

05/18/2026

WOODLAND STEWARDSHIP CAN HELP!
Join us Saturday, May 30th for a unique on‑site visit offering participants the chance to see firsthand the questions and considerations a new woodland owner faces when deciding how to care for their property. You’ll be able to observe real‑time dialogue between forest resource professionals and the landowner as they walk the property together.

The tour will highlight:
•20 acres of woodlands including 4 acres clearcut
•Wildlife habitat
•Invasive plant control and cost sharing available to help to accomplish project
•Landowner goals and long‑term stewardship options

This event is perfect for:
•New woodland owners unsure where to begin
•Experienced landowners seeking fresh ideas for sustainable management
•Scouts working on forestry merit badges
•Students, teachers, and conservation enthusiasts
•Anyone interested in forest stewardship

The tour will be led by the Schuylkill County Conservancy’s Woodland Stewardship Committee, Will Thomas, Service Forester with the PA DCNR Bureau of Forestry, and Philip Hackenberg, private forestry consultant who wrote the plan.

This event is free and open to the public. Please dress appropriately for the weather and for walking in a forest setting.

Woodland Field Visit to Ron & Sheri Herbst’s Property
Date: Saturday, May 30, 2026
Time: 9:30 am to 11:30 am
Location: Property of Ron & Sheri Herbst
250 Timber Rd, Ashland PA 17921

For more information, or on day of the event, please feel free to call Ron at 570‑516-1007.

Woodland Stewardship Committee:
Our Mission is to empower people with knowledge and skills to care for, improve, protect, and enjoy their woodlands.