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FOR TWENTY YEARS
Our Mission: Inspire Stewardship of Pennsylvania's State Parks and Forests

Another Day on a PA Trail - Along the AT
Photo by Alissa Journey

I've no clue how it happened but I realized - thanks to the friends I was walking with - at 3:45 on Wednesday that it was Wednesday and not Tuesday.

Actually, I think I do know how it happened. We engaged for two days in a flurry of activity to once again oppose any removal of the Keystone Recreation, Park & Conservation Fund and Environmental Stewardship Funds from DCNR's purview to the general fund. We feel like a broken record any more on this subject - with your help, the idea gets beat back again and again. Thank you to those who leapt into action.

Read up on the coalition of voices across any political spectrum on Dave Hess's PA Environment Digest Blog, and we are keeping our Take Action Center activated. All you need to do there is click a few buttons and our pre-written message will blast out. You can also edit the message to include your own thoughts on cutting funding from the places that are helping so many maintain equilibrium in a topsy-turvy world.

And now as you read this we are in the throes of ExtraGive Friday. Details below of the fun things that we're up to on this ONE DAY of online giving. Thank you as always for your support!

This week's masthead is a charmer and a half from the aptly-named Alissa Journey, as posted to the Hiking & Backpacking PA Book of Faces. I love her comment accompanying the photos:

Hiked some AT yesterday with my little guy.
Rock. Rock. Rock. Trip. Stumble. Rock. Lol.
& yes those rocks are the trail. We enjoyed ourselves & fell a bit less than expected.
Mostly we giggled our way through it.
Today our legs are black & blue & becoming stronger.

Hurray for Alissa and The Little Guy.

Pam Metzger
Membership Coordinator
Pennsylvania Parks & Forests Foundation

News of Note

A quick note that the masks advertised in last week's Take Five are sold out. Thank you EVERYONE for your enthusiastic embrace of them. Never fear, more on order. Watch the store!

Audrey Kuhns, a senior at Messiah College in Marketing, has been helping us with website thingamajigs - all that SEO, keyword, statistical stuff that only makes sense if your brain is nimble as a college senior's. She was good enough to share an essay on her COVID-19 experiences in the outdoors. Follow along on her adventures!

The 21st is Family Volunteer day… perhaps you know of someone to nominate someone for a COVID-19 Champions award?

EXTRAGIVE SCHEDULE OF FUN

Join us on our Facebook page and YouTube channel for informal chats throughout the day. We'll have prize giveaways for donors during these special times.

7:00 AM to 8:00 AM: Morning Wake-Up. Marci and Pam chatting about ideas for getting outside. Prize for donors during that hour: one of the Social Distancing masks that sold out so quickly!

10:00 AM to 11:00 AM: Coffee Break with Tina Molski. Marci hosts a chat with board member Tina, who's Director of Operations for REI's East Coast Distribution Center in Bedford. They'll give you ideas on how to even begin to become an outdoor person. If you don't have the first clue on finding confidence for the experience, these two women can make it happen! Prize for donors during the hour: a State Parks & State Forests Passport and a map from Purple Lizard to fuel your adventures.

2:00 PM to 3:00 PM: Sugar Rush. Marci and Pam talk about s'mores and other sweet stuff, like hanging around the campfire. Prize for the hour: a package of small camping supplies to make your next outing a little more sweet.

4:00 PM to 5:00 PM: Happy Hour. Marci is joined by a few of our chapter leaders to talk about their projects and activities. They're doing great work and there's a place for you to pitch in. Prize for the hour: A $25 state park gift card - and that'll make anyone happy!

Stop by for a chat any time! And please do give as generously as your pocket book will allow during this 24 hours of giving.

Pictures of the Week

You might recall last week I went off in search of a few Facebook pages I hadn't visited before and I kept that going this week. A series of photos by picture from Kristin Blunk on PA Hiking Adventures made me smile. It's a trek to Hawk Rock in Duncannon, near Harrisburg. That was the first "real hike" I ever did after moving to central PA in 1989.

Here's a quite nice shot from Swatara State Park by Adriel Stoltzfus from that same PA Hiking Adventures page. It's a nice WIDE shot and worth a click. Worth being a jigsaw as well!

Congratulations to Priscilla Castner, winner of the Wearing Orange for Visibility Award out on the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail on a beautiful Monday.

Yes, some places did see a bit of the white stuff this week. We had a mini blizzard squall in Confluence on Monday morning but it didn't stick around. Here's a glimpse at Worlds End State Park from Wendy Storey - the shape of things to come.

At Work and Play in the Parks and Forests

Very quiet on the calendar leading up to Thanksgiving so let's make this a DIY-Get-Outdoors-Column this week! Remember that the day AFTER Thanksgiving is not Black Friday but is instead the time to join our good friends and REI and the rest of the outdoor community and #OptOutside. Isn't that always the BEST opt?

In addition, if you happen to be in the Harrisburg area this Saturday morning, we hope you'll be able to join in the City's Reverse Holiday Parade at City Island. Look for us at space #36 celebrating winter recreation!

And, finally, join PPFF Sarah and Bureau of State Parks' Chris Kemmerer for next week's Lunch & Learn on November 24th at noon on staying active outdoors as the winter turns chill.

Take Five for Trivia

I really did love last week's question: The current human population is 7.8 billion. If you had to estimate, how many trees are there worldwide? According to the Morning Brew email I cribbed this from, it's approximately three TRILLION or 400 trees per person! Wouldn't you like to be able to pick your 400 trees and protect them?

This week, November 26 is Ruth Patrick's birthday. Who is Ruth Patrick?

Send your answer to me and I'll enter you into the month's random drawing for a goodie from the prize closet if you answer correctly. Enter each week for more chances to win.

In Closing

SUPPORT PPFF

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.

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