Allegheny National Forest

The Forest Service brought new concepts in forest management to the Allegheny Plateau — multiple benefits and sustainability. The Organic Act of 1897 introduced the National Forest mission: to improve the forest, provide favorable conditions for water flows, and furnish a continuous supply of wood to meet people’s needs. On these lands, seedlings for tomorrow’s forest are the focus of forest management activities. Watersheds are managed to ensure clear water for fisheries like trout and clean drinking water for all.

Over time, various laws added other benefits like wilderness, heritage resources and grazing to the original ideas of watershed protection and continuous wood supply. The Multiple Use-Sustained Yield Act of 1960 recognized outdoor recreation and habitat for wildlife and fisheries.

The motto “Land of Many Uses” captures the National Forest goal of a healthy, vigorous forest that provides wood products, watershed protection, a variety of wildlife habitats and recreational opportunities — not only for us today, but in a sustainable way so future generations can enjoy these benefits, too.

http://www.fs.usda.gov/allegheny/

October 6, 2019 Night

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Good evening! Rain and 61 degrees at the Allegheny National Forest. ☔ There is a southwest breeze at 6 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 59 degrees. Despite the rain, it’s a fairly mild evening. It looks like West Virginia is getting hit by a lot of rain tonight – even more than here and thats a good thing – they need it badly. The skies will clear Tuesday around 1 am.

Today I mostly stayed around camp ⛺, reading a book about agriculture in America. 📖 I don’t remember the name of the book and I’m not interested in going out in the rain to look at it. Read it cover to cover, it was an interesting book.

Later in the evening I went for a walk 🚶 along the Elijah Bike Trail up to Coal Knob. While the Coal Knob tower 🗼 is long gone it is pretty with the Pitch Pine on the summit. It turned out to be a five plus mile walk, through a variety of forests.

Rain held off for the most part until 8:30 💦 and I laid back in the hammock for a while before having to take it down for the rain. A mild evening, I am now sitting tarp although I let the fire go down 🔥 to save wood for tomorrow and because I don’t know how much longer I’ll stay up. I might start up the truck a bit to top off the batteries before bed. 😴

Tonight will rain. Patchy fog after 4am. 🌧 Low of 53 degrees at 6am. Six degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around September 23rd. Southwest wind around 6 mph becoming northwest after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. In 2018, we had cloudy skies. It became humid as the night progressed. It got down to 52 degrees. The record low of 27 occurred back in 1986.

Tonight will have a Waxing Gibbous Moon 🌔 with 72% illuminated with the moon setting at 12:39 am. The moon will set at 1:00 am. The 🌕 is on Saturday night with mostly clear skies. The sun will rise at 7:18 am with the first light at 6:50 am, which is one minute and 6 seconds later than yesterday. 🌄 Tonight will have 12 hours and 29 minutes of darkness, an increase of 2 minutes and 46 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will rain, mainly before 10am. Patchy fog before 10am. 🌧 High of 56 degrees at 2pm. Six degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around October 22nd. Maximum dew point of 51 at 6am. 🏖️ Calm wind becoming west 5 to 8 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. A year ago, we had cloudy skies in the morning, which became light rain by afternoon. The high last year was 72 degrees. The record high of 89 was set in 1963.

If it’s too cold and wet in the morning, I’ll head into the tent next to the heater with a book and hang out there maybe with a cup of coffee. ☕

In four weeks on November 3 the sun will be setting at 5:08 pm (Standard Time),🌄 which is one hour, 41 minutes and 35 seconds earlier then tonight. In 2018 on that day, we had rain and temperatures between 57 and 41 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 53 and 35 degrees. The record high of 75 degrees was set back in 1990.

Looking ahead, Average High is 60 🍂 is in 1 week, Daylight Savings Time Ends 🛥️ is in 4 weeks, Day After Election Day 🛀 is a month away, Average High is 50 🍂 is in 5 weeks, December 🎄 is in 8 weeks, Saint Nicholas Day 🎅 is in 2 months, Bill of Rights Day 📜 is in 10 weeks, Days are Getting Longer ☀️ is in 11 weeks, National Pie Day 🍰 is in 15 weeks, and the 5:30 PM Dusk 🌆 returns in 16 weeks.

From the Clearing

Today’s Almanac for Sunday October 6

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Today’s Almanac for the Allegheny National Forest

The much later sunset – nearly 21 minutes after Albany also means that the mornings also are much darker. It was very noticeable getting up this morning.

Night before dawn is 6 hours and 50 minutes,
Dawn starts at 6:50 am and runs for 27 minutes,
Sunrise is at 7:18 am which is 4 hours and 41 minutes before noon,
High noon, the transit of the sun, is at 1:04 pm,
From twelve noon to the sunset at 6:49 pm is 6 hours and 49 minutes,
Dusk lasts for 32 minutes concluding at 7:17 pm,
Leaving 4 hours and 42 minutes until midnight.

Churchill Mountain

Pennsylvania and the CCC

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Pennsylvania does a much better job at preserving the history of the Civilian Conservation Corporation with signage of old camps and facilities, preserved old buildings and monuments. You almost get the impression that it is chapter of New York’s history that is to be forgotten.

But then again, I think conservation is at best an after thought in New York. But it’s always been that way – much of the state land is forest preserve – which is a decidedly anti-conservation concept.