News • Ideas • Events
EDITOR’S DESK
Knock on Wood
Our youngest has left the nest, testing her wings on her own. There’s an empty room down the hall now, but I still find myself patting the door as I walk by. The “condemned” sign she left hanging there still makes me smile. But that little knock — just a light tapping on wood — is my quiet way of staying connected to her, a gentle reminder of our little feather in the wind.
When our son went abroad for a year, I used to browse the old children’s books still sitting on his shelves. I’d grab a favorite — maybe a Seuss or Sendak, a Dahl or Dickens — and plop myself down on the beanbag chair in his room for my own storytime. Holding that book in my hands connected me to a time when that same chair would hold all three of us.
These days, of course, there’s Facebook and FaceTime, texts and emails — but sometimes it’s comforting to have something tangible to connect to in this digital age. I like the feel of a book in my hands or turning the pages of a magazine. And it turns out, I’m not alone.
In fact, a recent survey of Penn Lines readers shows that 97% of you prefer reading the printed magazine over the digital version. That’s consistent with past surveys — and echoes how I feel about reading books and magazines in general. Sure, scrolling is convenient, but I prefer the sensory experience of flipping the pages in my hands.
The same survey also found readers are still highly engaged in the magazine, with 85% considering themselves “regular readers” (those who read at least three out of the last four issues), while nearly 80% read every issue. Those numbers place Penn Lines among the most highly read cooperative magazines in the country. And those numbers have stayed strong for decades.
As Penn Lines looks forward to our 60th anniversary next year, I’d just like to say thank you for your loyalty to the magazine over all these years. It’s an honor to have such devoted readers. Knock on wood, we hope to keep Penn Lines in your homes — and in your hands — for the next 60 years.
PETER A. FITZGERALD
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
SLOW AND STEADY
Sanctuary's missing turtle found three years later, 20 miles away
Pete, a missing turtle from a Crawford County sanctuary, was recently found 20 miles away from his former home. The errant animal wandered off more than three years ago.
Earlier this summer, a Venango resident came across a box turtle and helped it cross the road. Noticing markings on its shell, the person contacted the Tamarack Wildlife Center in Saegertown, where staff members identified the distinctive markings. Pete, it turns out, was part of a box turtle research project, where he also went by “C3,” according to the center’s Facebook page.
Before hibernation in fall 2021, Pete was released into the sanctuary with a new transmitter. By the time spring 2022 came around, researchers began to wonder if Pete was moving. When they checked, they found the transmitter — but the turtle was gone.
Fast-forward to this summer, when a well-meaning person stumbled upon Pete some 20 miles away from the sanctuary.
Sanctuary staff says Pete is in good health, has a new transmitter and has been returned to the study area, where researchers hope to learn from his travels.
REUNITED AT LAST: After wandering away from a Crawford County sanctuary three years ago, a turtle named Pete was found recently 20 miles away from his former home.
RIDERS REJOICE
Tioga County gets state's first designated ATV route
Route 49 in Westfield, Tioga County, is the first road in Pennsylvania to be designated an All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) Route, according to the state Department of Transportation. The designation program is part of an effort to boost rural economies and the state’s recreation industry.
The designated route will include a 3,700-foot section of Route 49 that connects with other ATV routes and provides access to businesses along the road. ATVs will be allowed to operate on the road during daylight only and during a limited riding season that begins the Friday before Memorial Day and ends the last Sunday in September.
Route 49’s ATV trail label was the first approved under a new process that enables municipalities that manage trail networks to request the designation. The trail title is meaningful — and valuable; a recent study found that the Commonwealth’s ATV trail system had a $13 million economic impact in Potter and Tioga counties in 2023. That number is up from $10.4 million in 2022.
The state announced earlier this year that $2.1 million will also be invested to expand ATV and snowmobile trails across Pennsylvania.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Pa. leads country in venison donations
Pennsylvania led the country in venison donations for the 2024-2025 hunting season, the state Game Commission reports.
In all, hunters donated about 7,800 deer through the Hunters Sharing the Harvest (HSH) organization. That amounts to more than 283,000 pounds of venison and about 1.1 million servings.
“Every year, our expectations are surpassed,” says Randy Ferguson, the nonprofit’s executive director.
HSH began in 1991 to give hunters the ability to donate deer through more than 100 approved meat processors across 56 Pennsylvania counties. Those who donate must harvest, tag and field dress a deer, and drop it off at a participating processor.
FOREVER YOUNG
Toolkit aims to help older Pennsylvanians connect with the outdoors
After Pennsylvania was designated as an “age-friendly state” by the AARP earlier this year, the Shapiro Administration unveiled a new toolkit, “Connecting to the Outdoors as We Age: Pennsylvania’s RX for Nature.”
The toolkit is aimed at helping older Pennsylvanians connect with the outdoors and improve their health. According to a news release, the initiative provides practical strategies for caregivers, long-term care facilities and community organizations. The toolkit also offers suggestions to bring nature indoors, tips to overcome access barriers, and research that highlights the proven health benefits of outdoor recreation.
Pennsylvania is currently home to 124 state parks and 2.2 million acres of state forests that are free and open to the public. The Commonwealth also has more than 6,400 local and county parks and an extensive regional and national trail system.
TIME LINES — October 2015
Ten years ago, Penn Lines Lines chronicled the dedication of cooperative board members in honor of National Co-op Month. Among those sharing their stories was Bob Guyer, who served on the New Enterprise Rural Electric Cooperative Board for 60 years. He was 8 years old when his family’s home received electricity for the first time in 1936. Guyer’s story was one of many that focused on how the arrival of electricity inspired members to help lead their cooperatives.
Also in this issue
Read the full Issue
Read past issues
