Pennsylvania Mixed Bag: Woman dies after falling into sinkhole – Outdoor News
Unity Township, Pa. (AP) — The search for a woman who fell into a sinkhole above an abandoned mine in Westmoreland County in early December ended Dec. 6 when the body of 64-year-old Elizabeth Pollard was found. Rescuers spent parts of two days digging to find her.
Police believe Pollard parked along Marguerite Road, behind Monday’s Union Restaurant to search for her lost cat, Pepper, when she fell into the sinkhole. Police reported that the dark gray cat has not been located.
“Where Pollard fell, the ground was probably only a few inches of dirt and grass,” Pennsylvania State Police spokesman Trooper Steve Limani said. “It had been deteriorating over the course of 75 years.”
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ATV Connector Trail has Big Impact
University Park, Pa. — While there are about 285,000 registered all-terrain vehicles , also known as four-wheelers, in Pennsylvania, there are only 11 public trails where people can legally ride ATVs.
In 2020, Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources launched a pilot project dubbed the Northcentral Regional ATV Trail Connector – formerly known as the Northcentral ATV Regional Trail Connector pilot – to expand regional riding opportunities and provide economic opportunities to surrounding rural communities by connecting previously isolated trails and extending ridable paths.
An economic analysis led by researchers at Penn State found that the ATV trail generated over $23.5 million in economic revenue for area businesses over a two-year period. The evaluation was detailed in a report to the state General Assembly that was released publicly in September and can be viewed here.
Old Coal Mines Cause Sink Holes
Pittsburgh (AP) — Swaths of Pennsylvania and many other states are honeycombed with old, unstable mines that can cause the earth to suddenly give way and threaten people and property.
That’s what searchers in Westmoreland County, just southeast of Pittsburgh, fear led to the disappearance of 64-year-old Elizabeth Pollard. Pollard and a young granddaughter were looking for a lost cat when she went missing in early December.
At about the same time, a sinkhole appeared roughly 20 feet (6 meters) from where she had parked her car, in an area above an old coal mine. The granddaughter was found safe inside the car hours later.
Mine subsidence has caused billions of dollars in damage in the U.S. In Pennsylvania, where mining dates to the late 1700s, coal was mined in nearly half of the state’s 67 counties and there are at least 5,000 abandoned underground mines, leaving behind hazards that officials say can arise at any time.
Wild Resource Conservation Program Grants
Harrisburg — The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources recently announced the award of $372,000 to 11 projects dedicated to protecting Pennsylvania’s native biodiversity.
Administered by DCNR, the Wild Resource Conservation Program works to safeguard the commonwealth’s non-game animals, native plants, and their habitats. Grants are awarded in three categories: species surveys, conservation, and management.
The 2024 grant round includes projects aimed at growing and surveying Pennsylvania’s fungal diversity to assessing natural habitats for stream restoration and improving threatened and endangered wildlife, flora, and fauna. For more details on the specific projects, visit DCNR’s website at https://bit.ly/41g3STX.
Deeper Lake Effect Snows Blamed on Climate
Erie, Pa. — Storms dumped 3-6 feet of snow on northwest Pennsylvania in early December, leading some to blame worsening lake-effect snows on climate change.
Temperatures in the northeast, including Pennsylvania, were above normal again this fall. The region is accumulating heat, said Richard Rood, professor emeritus in Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering at the University of Michigan.
Because the air is abnormally warm, the Great Lakes are too, according to Rood. The water holds the heat far more effectively than the air and land, he explained.
So when cold arctic air dipped into the Great Lakes region, “It encountered this incredibly warm water, and hence there’s this enhanced evaporation from the warm water,” Rood said. That additional water evaporation, mixed with freezing air temperatures, has led to the unusually heavy lake-effect snow, he noted.
Study Identifies Ramps Forest Farming Sites
University Park, Pa. — Ramps, also known as wild leeks, and their unique garlic-onion flavor profile, are a popular foraged seasonal food, but that demand could drive overharvesting of the native forest plant.
In response to excess harvest worries, an interdisciplinary Penn State research team has studied how to grow and harvest ramps as a potential forest crop since 2017. In their latest study, published in the journal Wild, they characterized ramp habitat for the first time in Pennsylvania, offering guidance for the agroforestry practice known as forest farming.
The researchers gathered field site data such as soil, topography and neighboring vegetation at 30 thriving wild populations across Pennsylvania and paired it with geographic information system site-level data for more than 100 additional populations to determine “ramp habitat” in the state. Plant species associated with ramps in natural settings were recorded as “indicators” for on-the-ground assessments of potential forest farming sites.
