Call for volunteers to help at the FoM booth at Fall Furnace Fest!
We hope you will stop by and see us at Fall Furnace Fest on October 15-16! Please consider signing up to help at our booth!
Spend a day in the forest on October 2!
- From 9 AM – 10 AM – Walk in Penn’s Woods Michaux! Join Michaux State Forest District staff, Trenton and Suzanne, for a 1.5 to 2-mile walk in the woods on Sunday, October 2nd. Explore the Smoke Zimmerman Cross Country Ski Trails for local plants and wildlife. The trails are reasonably flat and moderate in difficulty with rocks and exposed roots in areas and are NOT wheelchair or stroller friendly. Leashed pets are welcome to join. Cell phone service can be unreliable throughout the forest, so please plan accordingly. RSVP by emailing your name and number attending to shartley@pa.gov. We will meet at 984 New Baltimore Road, Fayetteville, Coordinates ,(39.88997, -77.47149)
- At 11:00 join the Friends of Michaux for a guided tour of the Monterey Pass Battlefield Museum and Park, located on the southeastern periphery of Michaux. We’ll meet at 11 a.m. in the large parking lot along Charmian Road, just off Rt. 16 near Blue Ridge Summit.We’ll start at the Museum, where many artifacts from the “4th Day of Gettysburg” help to flesh out the story of the nighttime conflict, during a torrential thunderstorm, between the retreating Confederates and the pursuing Union Cavalry. Then off to the Monterey Peak trail to the observation decks, and return on the historic Maria Furnace Trail (c. 1747) that the Confederates used on their way south. Darwin Seiler, retired history teacher and volunteer with the Museum, will share the stories of the battle. Sturdy shoes, walking sticks, and water recommended. For directions see “Planning Your Visits” on the website, as well as more information about the battle, museum, and park. Please RSVP!
- Then, from 2:00-4:00, join us for our Fall members meeting at the Michaux Brewing Company in Waynesboro, PA. Relax with some locally brewed beverages at a new business that loves and supports Michaux State Forest as much as we do! Please RSVP!
A new bridge in Camp Michaux – September 2022
You may be familiar with this bridge at the “upper dam” in Camp Michaux – no hand railings, a little wobbly. Now, thanks to a great group of volunteers (led by Andre Weltman) and funding from REI, that bridge has been replaced. It’s super nice, check it out!
Give your feedback on the Mountain Creek trail system redesign
Michaux State forest managers are redesigning the trail system in the Mountain Creek Watershed with the aim to support high quality recreation opportunities and conservation in the watershed and the Michaux State Forest. This trail system is between Woodrow and Cold Spring roads. Michaux State Forest managers want your feedback! Follow this link to give feedback via a survey and interactive map: https://mountaincreek.mysocialpinpoint.com/. The survey will be open through September 30, 2022.
What happened to the spruce trees at Camp Michaux? – February 2022
If you visit Camp Michaux you may notice that a beloved scene, the grand alleys of spruce trees, is missing a few trees! Four leaning trees were taken from the approach to the fountain off the main camp road, and separately one tight cluster of trees that had already fallen near the commandant’s log cabin up at the northeast corner of the main camp were removed. Almost all the other trees still remain and seem to be doing well.
We are sad to note their passing, but it’s not entirely unexpected. Most of the Norway spruce around the main camp were probably planted in the late 1930s or early 1940s, making them grand old trees indeed – at least 80 years old. Shallowly rooted on a well-watered slope, some of these trees had already been lost to high winds and they were becoming a hazard.
Michaux foresters carefully removed the trees with minimal impact to the site. The minimal impact of this salvage logging operation will soon fade, and these trees will have a new life. The logs have been taken to PSU Mont Alto, where Michaux foresters are working with the faculty to schedule a log to lumber demonstration day sometime in April. The lumber will be placed in custodial storage for value added processing options that are yet to be determined. (More on all this as plans emerge.)
And don’t worry, young spruce will be replanted to create a grand alley for future generations to enjoy.
Thanks to Andre Weltman and the Michaux foresters for photos and background information.
Friends of Michaux State Forest 