Pennsylvania Forest Fire Museum News

2011 Annual Meeting

2011-11-10T11:29:00.001-05:00

This year's annual meeting was held at Caledonia State Park and the Discovery Center on Saturday, November 5. About 25 members gathered to look back on the first season of operation of the Discovery Center at Caledonia and plan for future developments.

Group Photo

In the afternoon the members met in small groups for a brainstorming session to develop plans and ideas for the PFFMA. They also toured the Discovery Center to evaluate the displays. The results of the brainstorming sessions and the evaluations will be compiled to aid in planning future activities.

After a hard day's work the meeting adjourned to the Chambersburg Country Club for a banquet, awards ceremony and stories by "Pennsylvania Jack". Dustin Wirt (left) presents the George H. Wirt award to Joe Devilbiss (right) at the Pennsylvania Forest Fire Museum Association annual meeting on Nobember, 5, 2011. Past recipient of the service award, Steve Cummings, looks on. Dustin is the great great grandson of George Wirt, Pennsylvania's first professional forester and state fire warden.

2011 Annual Meeting Pictures

2011-11-10T11:16:00.000-05:00

These pictures from the 2011 annual meeting are courtesy of Brad Bates. click on the slide show for captions.

Pennsylvania Forestry Association Visit

2011-09-27T22:24:00.003-04:00

On Saturday, September 17, fifty members of the PA. Forestry Association visited the Discovery Center during their annual meeting held at the nearby Penn State Mont Alto. For many it was their first visit since the Center opened. Enjoy these pictures from the afternoon.

Bill Parr presents a 125th anniversary memorial spade to the PFA with Smokey's help..

Joe Devilbiss and Mike Kusko with the firefighter mannequin.

Steve Cummings discusses firetowers.

PFFMA President Jack Graham.

Visitors in the Center.

Fire towers saved Pennsylvania from 'wasteland' past | PoconoRecord.com

2011-07-17T12:05:00.000-04:00

Fire towers saved Pennsylvania from 'wasteland' past | PoconoRecord.com

Check out this article on fire towers in Pennsylvania from the Pocono Record with extensive quotes from our own Steve Cummings.

Welcome Hagerstown YMCA

2011-06-29T20:35:00.003-04:00

Today the Forest Heritage Discovery Center welcomed 67 campers from the Hagerstown YMCA. They had a great time exploring the exhibits and learning about forest fire fighting and Smokey the Bear. Thanks for the visit!

Imagine carrying these all day...

2011-05-27T21:58:00.001-04:00

Among the many items in the Discovery Center is the collection of Indian pumps. These can be really heavy to carry through the forest when full.

This is the oldest pump we have found. We are still researching how old it really is.

Discovery Center Grand Opening

2011-05-14T16:01:00.002-04:00

In spite of the rain, over 100 people attended the grand opening of the Forest History and Discovery Center at Caledonia State Park today (5/14). Just when it was time for the opening ceremony, the skies opened up and we adjourned to the conference room of the park headquarters next door.

PFFMA President John Graham starts off the ceremony.

Rev. Deacon Michael J. Ripton gave the invocation.

Steve Cummings gives a few words on the importance of Boy Scouts in the protection and reforestation of Pennsylvania.

John Bitzer gave the keynote address.

John Norbeck, Director of the DCNR Bureau of Parks welcomed the Discovery Center to Caledonia State Park.

Randy White, the PA Chief Forest Fire Warden, stressed the importance of remembering the history of forest fire fighting.

Joe Rothrock III donated a copy of the Journal of the Wheeling Expedition, written by Dr. Joseph Rothrock, the father of forestry in Pennsylvania.

Cutting the Ribbon!

The wonderful refreshments were provided by Brad and Sharon Bates of The Caledonia House in Mont Alto.

Scenes of the day:

Thanks to everyone for participating!

Board meets at the State Museum

2011-02-20T21:55:00.001-05:00

The board of the PA Forest Fire Museum Association met on Februrary 16 at the State Museum in Harrisburg. It was a great opportunity to visit the Wood on Glass Exhibit of glass photos of early logging in Pennsylvania. There were some great ideas of how mount exhibits.

The board discussed the grand opening date for the Discovery Center at Caledonia State Park. It will be in April. More news to follow.

(Museum photos by Peter Linehan. Meeting photo by John Ritter )

Thanks to our Contributors

2010-11-18T23:01:00.002-05:00

The PFFMA would like to thank to following contributors for making the 2010 annual meeting a great success!

Contributors

Lady Moon Farms - Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Beddard

Joseph McCarthy

Norman Lacasse

Peter Linehan

Jack Graham

Paul Sebasovich

Karen High

Rick Flowers

Frank & Tammy Mertz

Paul Augustine

Enoch Frankhouser

Steve Cummings

Brad Bates

Mark Haughwout

Lisa Lasalle

Vince Phillips - Phillips Associates

Items For Door Prizes or Silent Auction

John Bitzer

Paul Sebasovich

Olga Herbert - Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor

Jack Graham

Brad Bates - Caledonia Guest House

Rich Valley Golf, Mechanicsburg PA

Jeff Stuffle

Jim Foose

Jack Graham

Item For Raffle

Travis Pugh, Pennsylvania Game Commission

Dinner Centerpieces

Sharon Sebasovich

Items For Use At Meeting

Wolfgang Candy Company, York PA

Martin’s Potato Chips, Thomasville PA

Annual Meeting Photo

2010-11-09T19:47:00.000-05:00

Smile everyone! Here are the participants at the 2010 PA Forest Fire Museum Association annual meeting in Gettysburg this past Saturday, Nov. 6. The Eisenhower Hotel and Conference Center was a great place to hold a meeting. We left the meeting inspired to make the coming year a great success for PFFMA.

Partnering Organizations at the Annual Meeting

2010-11-07T17:48:00.000-05:00

One of the most interesting parts of the annual meeting was the series of brief reports from partnering organizations. We have a lot to learn from sharing with our colleagues.

Check out the links!

George H. Wirt Award

2010-11-07T17:39:00.001-05:00

PFFMA secretary Lisa Lasalle was awarded the George H. Wirt award for her long and dedicated service to the PFFMA and the cause of forest conservation, at yesterday's annual meeting in Gettysburg.

PFFMA President, Steve Cummings, presents Lisal Lasalle with the George H. Wirt award.

Lisa Lasalle surrounded by previous Wirt award winners: John Bitzer, Steve Cummings, Bill Parr, and Norm Lacasse.

Van Wagner Performs

2010-11-07T17:31:00.000-05:00

Singer and educator Van Wagner peformed at the PFFMA Annual Meeting in Gettysburg. Choosing a combination of songs about logging, rafting, and the rural life Wagner used videos as backdrops to his music. It was a great performance. Click here to see Van Wagner's web page and educational programs.

Progress at the Discovery Center

2010-11-06T11:49:00.002-04:00

Jack Graham shared these pictures of progress at the Discovery Center at the old park headquarters at Caledonia State Park during the annual meeting in Gettysburg.

We can't wait for the center to be open!

Annual Meeting Agenda

2010-11-05T21:24:00.001-04:00

AGENDA - SATURDAY PROGRAM

PFFMA 2010 ANNUAL MEETING

0830 - 0930 - Registration for those who did not come in Friday Evening

0930 - 0935 - WELCOME - President Steve Cummings

0935 - 0950 - Welcome - Carrie Stuart Gettysburg Chamber of Commerce

0950 - 1050 - Brief FFMA Business Meeting - President Steve Cummings

1050 - 1105 - Short Break

1105 - 1120 - Discovery Center Update & Grand Opening - Jack Graham

1125 - 1200 - Reforestation of Gettysburg Battlefield - Randy Krichton

1200 - 1300 - L U N C H B R E A K

1300 - 1330 - Use Google Maps To Explore the World - Dr. Peter Linehan

1335 - 1405 - American Chestnut Reintroduction Project - Jim Foose

1410 - 1425 - Short Break

1425 - 1455 - Mira Lloyd Dock - Her Legacy To Harrisburg and Pennsylvania -

Dr. Norman Lacasse

1500 - 1530 - The Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor - Fred Gantz

1535 - 1600 - Updates on Other Affiliated Organizations

Mont Alto Historical Society, Appalachian Trail Museum,

South Mountain Partnership

1800 - 1830 - Social Time Prior To Evening Banquet - At the Banquet Site

(Initial Showing of New FFMA Video!)

1830 - Approx 2100 Banquet - Awards - Prizes - Fun

Forest Heritage Concert

Canoe Fire in Humboldt State Park in California

2010-06-23T10:44:00.000-04:00

Forest fires occur throughout the world. Firefighters from different states often help their neighbors. Recently I was visiting Humboldt State Park in the redwood country in California and came across this sign commemorating those who fought in the Canoe Fire in 2003.

Click here for more information on the Canoe Fire. Go here for more on the Mont Alto forestry students' tour of the redwoods.

Appalachian Trail Museum Opening

2010-06-06T08:11:00.002-04:00

The grand opening of the new Appalachian Trail Museum, located in the old grist mill at Pine Grove Furnace State Park, was held yesterday (June5). The museum has some great exhibits, including a trail shelter that was taken apart piece by piece from the trail and reassembled in the museum. Check out the ATA Museum web site.

The PAFFMA was well represented at the event. Steve Cummings gave a presentation in the afternoon on: Rothrock and the Beginnings of Forestry in Pennsylvania. The presentation was one of a number of historical talks held on the porch of the Ironmasters Hostel, which is undergoing extensive renovation and should reopen in 2011.

Bill Parr and Jack Graham manned an informational table for the PFFMA throughout the morning. They talked to many people and passed out many brochures. Thanks for everyone's hard work.

If you haven't been yet, the ATA museum is well worth a visit! It has some great ideas we can use for the Discovery Center.

What is it?

2010-05-15T19:53:00.001-04:00

Work is continuing to prepare the discovery Center at Caledonia State for the grand opening. Among the many exhibits is this piece of the ladder attached to the fire tower on Piney Mountain overloking Route 30. Imagine having to climb that all the way up! It would need a strong grip.

Work on the Museum Site

2010-05-12T16:13:00.005-04:00

Work on the grounds of the primary museum site has been deferred for some time due to heavy wind storm damage that has left large trees on the ground and dangerous stems and limbs hanging aloft as well.

For some time, years, we have been trying to get forest fire crews to come to the site for training, as a means of solving some of our safety and access issues, including the potential for chain saw training.

This past April 24th, eight members of the Keystone Wildfire Crew, from southern Lancaster County, worked on the site. The crew includes folds who are engaged in timber work. They have access to more and bigger equipment than most. The day included chain saw instruction by a certified U.S. Forest Service chain saw operator who spends his summers on Western fires. Several were heavy equipment operators. By the end of the day, the site was safe for our ground crews to be invited back to work on the site.

A considerable stack of big logs was hauled away following the work day. All arrangements were handled by the crew staff and the state forest fees and permits were paid.

While on site the crew mulched much of the accumulated debris spreading that and much of our piled mulch awaiting spreading.

This is the same crew that installed the current display in the exhibit space we occupy on the second floor of the PA National Fire Museum in Harrisburg.

I am proud to say that I was the first Warden of the Keystone Wildfire Crew. The current warden, Michael Hall, was then one of my crew members.
Steve Cummings

Historic Lantern Slides

2009-11-23T11:21:00.005-05:00

After the banquet Mike Kusko, District 1 Forester, presented some lantern slides of forestry scenes in the area that he had recently received. Lantern slides are 3 by 4 inch glass plates with an image either engraved on the plate or film sandwiched between slides. In the days before modern digital projectors or 35 mm slide projectors lantern slides were the most popular way to project images for an audience.

For the evening's show an overhead projector was jury rigged. It wasn't quite bright enough, though. Several people brought old magic lantern projectors. As these were mostly kerosene powered, it was impossible to use them indoors!

Norm Lacasse demonstrates the use of the projector.

Lantern slide shows were commonly used to promote conservation and reforestation in Pennsylvania in the nineteenth century. Both Joseph T. Rothrock and Mira Lloydd Dock have many slide shows over the years. Almost 500 of Dock's slides have been preserved at the Penn State Mont Alto Library. They have been scanned and posted on a website for all to see. Peter Linehan brought several of the slides to show, including this hand-tinted scene taken near the South Mountain Sanitorium overlooking Mont Alto and the Cumberland Valley.

What is it?

2009-11-23T11:14:00.003-05:00

Alex Day brought this instrument, that he had rescued from disposal at his office at the Bureau of Forestry Seedling Nursery. He presented it to the group and asked "What is it?"

As it turns it this was the alidade, which would fit onto a plane table, an old surveying instrument that was widely used during surveying and mapping field work. Follow the links for more information.

2009 Annual Meeting

2009-11-23T10:24:00.003-05:00

The 2009 Annual Meeting of the Pennsylvania Forest Fire Museum Association was held Saturday November 21 at Penn State Mont Alto.

President Steve Cummings led the business meeting where the following important topics were discussed:

Ongoing work on the Discovery Center at Caledonia State Park.
Membership development including creation of a promotional DVD.
Publication of the newsletter.
Renewal of the strategic and marketing plan.
Creation of a possible northern annex of the museum in Sinnamehoning, PA
Next year's meeting.

Detailed information will be forthcoming in the newsletter.

Bill Parr was awarded the George H. Wirt award for service and dedication. The award was presented by Joseph T. Rothrock III.

Mr. and Mrs. Brad Bates were presented a special award for their many hours of service in the restoration of the Discovery Center.

The theme of the day's meeting was Partnerships and there were several excellent presentations:

Brad Bates discussed the establishment and program of the Mont Alto Historical Society. The Society was formed three years ago with the goal to: promote awareness of area history, be a repository for artifacts, preserve local historical resources, and promote community support. Its upcoming events include a tree lighting ceremony on December 4 and a religious service at the historic Emmanual Chapel on December 12.
Kim Williams presented the South Mountain Partnership which is a cooperative volunteer effort to promote awareness, conservation, and responsible development of the three county South Mountain Area.
Mike Kern, wildfire operation specialist of the Pa. Bureau of Forestry, presented the efforts of the multi-agency PA Prescribed Fire Council to develop prescribed fire standards applicable to Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth recently passed new legislation, Act 17, that encourages prescribed fire for forest management and provides protection from civil liability of standards are followed. Much work remains to outline operating procedures for prescribed fires during the small burning season in Pennsylvania.
Larry Luxenburg presented the new Appalachian Trail Museum that will be opening at Pine Grove State Furnace in June. The museum will commemorate the effort to create the trail and celebrate the experiences of the hikers.
John Graham, "Pennsylvania Jack", detailed his experiences a volunteer researcher for PAFFMA. He established that the State Capitol did serve as a temporary fire lookout tower in the 1920's. He highly recommended the joys of getting involved as a researcher.

Alex Day making a point.

Steve Cummings calls the meeting to order.

Museum Locations

2009-06-15T15:47:00.000-04:00

Below is a Google Maps insert showing the location of the soon to be opened Discovery Center, located at the old park headquarters for Caledonia State Park. Also, shown on Route 30 is the location of the permanent home of the Pennsylvania Forest Fire Museum.

View PAFFMA in a larger map

You will notice that the route shown for Rte 233 is in error.
Another view is to look at Bing Maps (formerly Microsoft Live Maps). Follow this link to see the same area in Bing Maps.

Welcome

2009-06-15T14:22:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the new blog for the Pennsylvania Forest Fire Museum Association. It will cover news and events of the PFFMA as we move forward to the opening of the new Discovery Center at Caledonia State Park. We also hope to include wildfire fighting news events.