Sustainability

Description: The beaches on the shores of Lake Erie in Presque Isle State Park are a unique place to visit in the winter months. There are many natural wonders for a visitor to explore during the winter near Lake Erie. There are impressive ice dunes that are formed by the combination of lake-ice, wave surge, and freezing spray. (Please stay off the ice dunes for your safety, as the winter conditions on the Lake Erie side of the park are unpredictable). If you take a walk along the beach, you will most likely see animal footprints in the snow. The lake is also a popular place for ice fishing and ice-skating in the winter. A cross-country ski concession located in the picnic shelter area operates during the winter if conditions permit.

Environmental Issue: Presque Isle contains more of Pennsylvania's endangered, threatened, and rare species than any other area of comparable size in the state. The peninsula is an ideal stop over location for migrating birds during their annual migration. The ecologically fragile Gull Point is a favorite place for migrating birds to stop. Some 320 species of birds have been identified on the peninsula. In addition to the many birds that pass by Gull Point, many rare plants also make it their home. To help preserve and protect the many species of plants and animals residing on Gull Point, the eastern portion is closed to the public from April till November, the time during which most of the park's four million annual tourists visit the park.

There are seven distinct ecological zones on Presque Isle, including Lake Erie, the bay and shoreline, sand plain and new ponds, dunes and ridges, old ponds and marshes, thicket and sub-climax forests, and climax forest. Each zone has distinct plant and animal communities. Records of ecological succession, the gradual change in an ecosystem over time to a more stable climax form, can be traced through each zone. At the park, wildlife such as muskrats, beavers, turtles, frogs, deer, and opossums are frequently seen. A patient observer may even catch a glimpse of a coyote, raccoon, or skunk as dusk approaches. During the winter, visitors will find many animal tracks in the snow on the beach. More than 600 plant species have been recorded here and many are found nowhere else in Pennsylvania. At least 60 of these plants are listed on the state's list of species of special concern.

Wooden Nickel Buffalo Farm

Environmental Issue: Buffalo, also known by their scientific name, bison, once roamed the plains of the Midwest in great numbers. Around the time Christopher Columbus landed in America in 1492, there were 40 to 60 million buffalo in North America. Buffalo were very important to the Plains Indians, providing them with food, clothing, and shelter and playing an important role in their culture. They also were important to the settlers moving west. However, by the 1800s, they were very close to extinction due to over-exploitation. In the late 1800s, there were about 1,000 buffalo left in North America. Through the efforts of early conservationists and ranchers, the buffalo are not extinct today and have again become and important part in the lives of some Americans. Buffalo meat is low in fat compared to beef and is a valuable source of nutrition. Bison usually live for 25 to 30 years and can adapt to almost any climate. A buffalo weighs 1,500 to 2,000 pounds at the mature age of 6 to 8 years.

Woodcock Creek Lake

Description: Woodcock Creek Lake lies among the rolling hills of rural Crawford County and was formed from a manmade dam. The dam is nearly a mile in length and even in the winter is a great place to walk. For a scenic view of the lake, check out the overlook on the north shore. During the winter months, the level of the lake is lowered to capture the snowmelt and prevent spring flooding. Many times, people can be spotted ice fishing if the lake freezes. The frozen lake also is an excellent place for ice-skating. For a walk through snow-covered trees, try the Bossard Nature Trail near the Visitor Information Center.

Environmental Issue: Woodcock Creek Lake was authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1936 and has been in full operation since February 1974. This reservoir is part of the flood control system operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for French Creek, Allegheny River, and upper Ohio River. The elevation of the lake is usually held near 1181.0 ft. from early May until August, and sometimes until the end of October. The lake is lowered during November and December and reaches 1165.5 ft. by early January. This elevation is held until early March when the lake is gradually refilled. The purposes of this project include flood control, low flow augmentation for water quality, fish and wildlife enhancement, and recreation.

The construction of dams for flood control and hydroelectric and mechanical power is quite common in the United States. Woodcock Creek Dam is quite large compared to the estimated 75,000 small and abandoned dams that block America's creeks and rivers. Dams, which were built for mechanical energy before the advent of fossil fuels, now only serve to disrupt the ecology of streams. The water held in the impoundment is warmer and less oxygenated than upstream sections. Dams also collect sediment and organic debris as the water velocity slows and particles fall out of suspension. The natural flow regime of the river is also upset as flood control dams regulate flow out of the dam. Lastly, dams present a physical barrier for the migration of fish and other wildlife. A dam completely changes the ecology of the waterway. Many conservation organizations, such as Trout Unlimited and American Rivers have begun to remove abandoned dams as a cost effective and simple solution for the restoration of impacted waterways.

Description: This protected, natural area is an 86-acre forested tract, owned by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and used for research by the Pymatuning Lab of Ecology. The area contains 40 acres of old growth American beech and sugar maple. This type of forest is the only remaining stand in Pennsylvania. Near the parking area, there is a trail that leads into the woods. The area can easily be explored, even though there are no marked trails. Tryon-Weber Woods is home to many birds and animals, such as the eastern chipmunk and the whitetail deer. Also, Canadian warblers use the woods for breeding.

Environmental Issue: Tryon-Weber is home to a stand of old growth forest, timber that has been logged very little or never. That is, it looks as it would have before Christopher Columbus "discovered" America. Old growth makes up less than five percent of the forests remaining in the United States and contains unique trees that make significant contributions to biodiversity. Four large trees from an old growth stand would be enough to build a six-room house! In the past, scientists referred to old growth forests as climax ecosystems, implying that a forest had reached a final stage of growth with no further change. This theory is misleading because it fails to account for natural changes within mature ecosystems. Today, ecosystems at a final stage of succession are called steady state: they have reached equilibrium of plant and animal species, but not without the possibility of change. Old forests do not change as greatly as young, developing forests, but at no time does any ecosystem remain static.

Tryon-Weber Woods is a rare hardwood old growth stand, containing American beech and sugar maple. At the time of European settlement, approximately 90 percent of Pennsylvania was covered with Eastern hemlock, white pine, and mixed hardwoods. From the Industrial Revolution to the early 1900s, forests were logged to supply the developing nation with lumber, charcoal, turpentine, and other wood-derived chemicals. After the forests were clear-cut, fast growing species quickly regenerated on thousands of treeless acres. The forest structure shifted from Eastern hemlock and white pine to mixed-hardwoods. Pennsylvania is now the world's largest producer of black cherry, a species seldom found before the massive clear-cuts.