Van Wagner Performs

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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