Sustainability

Description: Leslie Blake is a local artist who captures the true beauty of Pennsylvania's woodlands and the rural countryside. Her "Back Home Studio", located in the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains near Meadville, PA, has limited edition prints of her local nature paintings and her antique style photography for sale. Her quaint country studio will make you feel right at home as you explore paintings of local rural and nature scenery and wildlife.

Environmental Issue: As you enter Leslie's studio, you will see paintings of Pennsylvania's wildlife, local rural areas and nature scenes. Leslie uses the beauty of nature to inspire her work and the paintings are all things that she has experienced and seen. Leslie truly combines the ideas of art with nature and wildlife. Once you experience the paintings, you will feel as if you have stepped outside for a walk in the woods or along a stream and may see some wildlife along the way. The idea of art and the environment and wildlife art has been expanding for the past few decades. By seeing the beauty of paintings and other forms of art that deal with nature, artists hope to inspire people to learn to respect nature and protect and conserve natural resources.

Erie National Wildlife Refuge

Description: Erie National Wildlife Refuge is a wonderful place to see many different kinds of wildlife. You may see a bald eagle, northern saw-whet owl, Henslow's sparrow, black tern, or upland sandpiper and also many duck hatchlings. Many species of mammals, reptiles and amphibians, and wildflowers can be observed from the trails that are open to public use.

Environmental Issues: Due to declining waterfowl habitat throughout the United States, the Erie NWR was established in 1959, where there are over 2,500 acres of choice wetland habitats. The refuge is dedicated to preserving a variety of habitats to support a broad diversity of species including ones that are of special concern due to their scarcity. In fact, nine of Pennsylvania's 13 endangered and threatened bird species have been observed on the refuge. Birds are not the only type of endangered species on the refuge. The refuge has a five-acre wetland area of special concern called Mohawk Run Fen, a rare natural community in Pennsylvania, classified as critically imperiled. Shrub fens are important because they contain certain water and terrain features that are necessary to support uncommon plants. The shrub fen community is also an ideal habitat for bog turtles, a reptile that has been declared a federally threatened species.

Timberland Gallery and Frame

Description: This gallery specializes in framing packages for customers and also has a variety of artwork for sale from many well-known artists such as Thomas Kinkade and Terry Redlin who paint scenes of rural America. The gallery also specializes in taxidermy and features works by Robert Griffing, who specializes in paintings of Seneca Indians, who once inhabited the area.

Environmental Issue: The Timberland Gallery includes many paintings depicting Native Americans, who played an important role in the history of northwestern Pennsylvania. The Seneca Nation of the League of Iroquois lived in northwestern Pennsylvania. This league was united with various Iroquois such as the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and others. There was a small tribe called the Erie that lived in the Lake Erie region. In the Pymatuning region, there was neutral land that was shared between the Seneca and Shawnee. The Seneca interacted with the French as they built forts in present-day Erie, Waterford, Franklin and Pittsburgh. The Seneca were a great influence in the French Creek region for many decades even though they were treated harshly and eventually forced out by American military and treaties.

Description: The Linesville Spillway is located in Pymatuning State Park and is a great place to feed and watch geese, ducks, and carp. Carp gather in such density, that it is known as the place "where the ducks walk on the fish." The Spillway is actually the outflow of a secondary impoundment of the reservoir, making an excellent place to observe wildlife.

Environmental Issue: After the last glaciers of the ice age moved across the land 15,000 years ago, the Pymatuning area was an enormous wetland. In 1933, the area was dammed and Pymatuning Lake was formed, drastically changing the habitat for many plant and animal species. Damming waters is a major cause in the loss of wetlands. Wetlands are special ecosystems, defined by particular soils, water conditions, and plant species. They also act as filters for sediments and help to improve water quality. Wetlands support a great diversity of life, providing critical habitat for these creatures. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that one-third of all endangered species spend part of their lives in wetlands and nearly half of all original wetlands in the U.S. have been drained, filled, polluted, or degraded.

Jamestown Wood Carver's Gallery

Description: Woodcarving is the art of fashioning or ornamenting objects of wood. Wood is carved using sharp handheld tools. It is a highly skilled trade that dates back to early times. Jamestown Wood Carvers, which features the work of local carver John Vanderstappen, offers a unique collection of hand carved wood art that is for sale. There are over 250 carvings on display, featuring wildlife and natural scenes. The woodcarvings at the Jamestown Wood Carver's Gallery involve nature and wildlife and are another form of wildlife art that helps to instill appreciation for both art and the environment.

Environmental Issue:

Jamestown Deer Park

Description: Here, families can pet and feed many animals on display. The Deer Park is also home to six species of deer, including whitetail deer, the state animal of Pennsylvania.

Environmental Issue: Whitetail deer are a beautiful and important asset to the ecosystem, but are also destructive because the deer population is currently far greater than the environment can support. Whitetail deer feed on understory vegetation of seedling-sapling forests, removing the buds, stems, and leaves of flowers, shrubs, and young trees. Deer selectively browse on certain species of plants, eradicating them from the forest understory. Forests must contain small seedlings and saplings to allow for regeneration after logging or the death of mature trees. The lack of seeding- and sapling-size trees is pronounced in many northwest Pennsylvania forests. The understory is habitat for many small mammals and birds. Deer have altered the structure of the forests, and the makeup of the entire forest ecosystem. Farmers are also concerned about deer overpopulation because deer feed on crops when forests food sources become depleted.