Watoga dark sky good for bats. Cindy Sandeno, District Ranger of the Marlinton/White Sulphur Springs Ranger District, visited Watoga State Park this past Saturday evening to teach an assembled group of campers, park employees and other interested parties why we need bats, and why they now need us. Sandeno discussed light pollution and how bats …
Synchronous Fireflies This story, like most, has a backstory. What follows is how something extraordinary was recently discovered in Watoga State Park. A little over a year ago Mack Frantz, a zoologist with West Virginia Department of Natural Resources, was informed by a retired biologist from the same agency that she had observed a rare …
Read more “Synchronous Fireflies, “They Lit Up the Woods Like a Christmas Tree””
Mechanical Milieu Probably the best advice that was ever given to me by an uncle who freely dispensed advice, much of it unsolicited, was to be good to your mechanic. He was spot on; if you are fortunate enough to find a competent and trustworthy person to entrust the health of your car to, it …
The State of Watoga Park 2020 is strong! For the uninitiated, the thought of managing a state park may conjure up visions of spending your days walking on wooded trails and talking to park visitors. The sort of job that many people would call a “dream” job. And to a certain extent, this was true …
Current Happenings in and around Watoga State Park via Watoga Update November 4, 2019 The Riverside Campground sits empty now, the gate was closed last week for the 2019 camping season. Riverside will reopen as it does every spring, on April 1, 2020. It is now a winter sanctuary for dog-walkers and beavers that can …
Background The very first time I saw the Devil’s Tower in Wyoming, it was from a distance of 12 miles and approximately 11 hours before I would start the climb to its summit. It rises straight up out of the pine-clad hills, an ostentatious imposition on a terrain that abhors any vertical challenge to its …
Let’s Talk Snakes Brian Hirt, one of Watoga’s volunteer trail workers had already put a full morning’s work into the Arboretum on Sunday, May 19. Then he decided to finish out the day by continuing his trail marking project on the Allegheny Trail. He had marked several miles of trail when he ran out of …
Today’s trail-work was concentrated on the Pine Run Cabin Area Trails. Two of the classic cabins are open in the winter months. Consequently, I have noticed that the robust folks who rent these cabins, at this time of year, are often hikers. Pine Run Hiker Advantages Subsequently, those staying in this area have access to …
Watoga Trail Report June 28, 2018 Update. It felt wonderful to get back out Watoga’s trails. This morning ended a month- long convalescence from rib fractures sustained on the Bear Pen Loop. My dog Bongo felt it would be a good idea to go right back out on the same trail. Sort of a “get …
May 2018 Watoga Trails Update Report From Brian Hirt, trail volunteer: “I finally got some spare time and the weather cooperated. So I spent Friday and most of Saturday doing some trail maintenance and cleanup projects in and around Watoga. Started out Friday morning clearing fallen trees from the landing strip at Beaver Creek. Then …