Hey! You got some snow, didn't you? Wonderful news for all my bunnies back home. I hope you can all get outside and enjoy the powdery beauty. The masthead photograph of the Penn Scenic View property (recently added to the Laurel Hill State Park Complex) perfectly depicts the classic winter dilemma. When you see that scene, do you want to go out and scramble through that perfect snow or do you want to just sit back and watch it all sparkle? Either way, it will look very different next weekend as the site of the Laurel Highlands Winter Weekend!

We are a little late this AM as a mysterious power outage earlier in the week seems to have just set everything back enough to throw off the well-oiled machine that is my work life.

A girl can dream anyway. Never mind - don't just sit there, go out and play!

Pam Metzger
Membership Coordinator

News of note

Did you know? Registration is open for the Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community. We'd LOVE to have you join our team!

We're working on the schedule for our stewardship days for 2017 and will send the schedule out soon. If you haven't signed up as a volunteer or for the Stewards of Penn's Woods, please consider doing so.

At work and play in the parks and forests

Valentine's Day is Tuesday, of course, but there's no reason why you can't treat the one you love (especially if that's yourself) to a heart-pumping outing this weekend. Fests and special days await!

North

R.B. Winter hosts its 20th annual SnowFest on Sunday.

South

Tomorrow is Winter Fun Day at Prince Gallitzin. Go out and meet the Friends of Prince G!

East

Winterfest 2017. Tomorrow. Lackawanna State Park. Be there!

West

Pymatuning Trail Blazers Winter Fun Day (complete with Relay for Life polar bear plunge) takes place tomorrow at, where else, Pymatuning!

No matter what region of the commonwealth you want to visit, our website Events and the DCNR Calendar of Events are great sources for things to see and do. Bookmark them!

Picture of the week

This week's picture moves. Thank you, St. Marys Mary, for sharing this incredible film!

Inspired? Consider becoming a Steward of Penn's Woods!

Take five for trivia

We're so proud. You know just why exercising outdoors is so good for your heart: it reduces stress, it increases your vitamin D levels, it lowers your cholesterol, and it just makes so many of us happy. And if you aren't convinced, check out this article from the New York Times on Robert Marchand, at 105 (yes, AGE 105), still cycling the roads of Paris and setting records while he does it. Makes me want to go hop on my 'bent right NOW!

This week, our tribute to St. Valentine's Day. We know him as the patron saint of love, but he is also the patron saint of what more earthly occupation?

Send in your answer and we'll enter your correct response into our monthly prize drawing. All correct answers each week will go into the hat and at the end of the month we'll draw one lucky winner. The more correct answers you submit in a month (up to four or the occasional five depending on the month), the more chances you'll have to win.

In closing

Pennsylvania Parks & Forests Foundation (PPFF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization - contributions to which are tax deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law. The official registration and financial information of PPFF may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling, toll-free within Pennsylvania, to 800.732.0999. Registration does not imply endorsement.

Pennsylvania Parks & Forests Foundation is a proud member of EarthShare and is a Gold GuideStar Participant.