ABOUT BEAR: Jim Burns writes, “A few months ago, I authored an
article about the whitetail deer, in the Bradford area specifically
but also Potter County. These areas have so many black bears – many
times as many as in the ’50s.”
“According to the American Hunter (NRA), bears will follow a doe
ready to birth and get the fawn or fawns. If one recalls, in the
’50s and ’60s you rarely heard of any bear activity, only around
dumps or State Parks.
“I don’t know why the Pennsylvania Game Commission is denying
this issue. I worked for the Bell of Pennsylvania from 1953, the
year I graduated, until 1962 when I transferred to Pacific
Telephone in San Diego, Calif. During those years, I worked all
over Western Pennsylvania and observed our deer herds. It is this
man’s opinion – unless Pennsylvania has massive bear hunts your
deer will be memories only.”
TODAY’S TREE: If you’ve ever driven in the Quehanna area, you
can appreciate this month’s tree: the white birch. Stands of these
beauties can be seen in the Wild Area.
The Bureau of Forestry, Elk State Forest, tells us, “The white
birch, or commonly know as the paper birch, is a medium-sized tree
between 55-80 feet tall which is found on upland slopes in northern
Pennsylvania.”
“The leaves are alternate, simple and about 2-4 inches long and
1-2 inches wide with a saw-toothed edge and a pointed tip. The bark
is chalky to creamy white marked with horizontal stripes that peel
off in thin layers. The white birch flowers in the spring and the
fruit is ripe in August through September.
“This wood of the white birch is used in cabinetmaking and
interior finishing. It is also used to make spools and clothespins.
The bark was used by Native Americans to make canoes, shelters and
containers. Deer, squirrel, hares, and rabbits browse on the tender
twigs and songbirds and game birds eat the seeds and buds.”
THAT HAMMER: Bob Slike of Derrick City tells us absolutely and
for certain that that weird hammer was made specifically to install
barbed-wire fences. (It’s obvious that the hammer was adaptable to
many uses.)
