Get to know our new Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission Officer for Jefferson County, Shaina Painter. Officer Painter grew up in Jefferson County and enjoys interacting with the public and hearing about their exciting fishing experiences!
In this video she discusses some great areas managed by the PA Fish and Boat Commission for public recreation in Jefferson County. You can support her and the mission of the PA Fish & Boat Commission by abiding by their laws and regulations, picking up your trash, and safely enjoying your experiences on the water.

Meet Holly May, the new DCNR Service Forester for Jefferson, Clarion, and Armstrong Counties. Holly has been working with landowners, private forest owners, and other partners answering questions concerning forestry management, timber harvest, forest insects and disease, invasive species control, riparian buffers, and wildlife habitat. The Bureau of Forestry is currently teleworking. If you are interested in utilizing Holly’s services you can contact her at 814-650-0429 or email her at homay@pa.gov.

Using a deer’s teeth you can accurately estimate the age of a harvested deer. The white portion of a tooth is called enamel. The brown substance underneath the enamel is dentine. As a deer ages, the enamel on it’s teeth begins to wear away. The more dentine you see, the older a deer will be. When looking at the bottom right jaw of a deer, you can count 6 teeth. The first 3 are called premolars. After a year, a deer will lose their premolars and grow new adult teeth. The back 3 teeth are referred to as molars. Keep in mind, that a deer’s chewing habits, dominant food source, and other outside factors, may have an influence on a deer’s teeth. Overall, using this method is considered an acceptable and accurate for providing a good estimate on the age of your deer!
If you have any questions, please feel free to comment below! Thanks for watching!
Cited: https://www.pgc.pa.gov/Pages/default.aspx

Winter can be long, dark, and cold, but there are ways to appreciate it. This video talks about how snow can be a benefit, but also how snow melt can impact the area around you.
Sources used: http://www1.udel.edu/.../jan/snow-environment-011911.html

“Big Night for Salamanders” by Sarah Marwil Lamstein is a feel-good story about a little boy named Evan who helps Spotted Salamanders migrate to vernal pools.
Vernal pools are temporary pools of water that fill up in the Spring from snow melt and spring rains but dry up in the Summer months. Certain species (Spotted Salamander, Jefferson Salamander, Marbled Salamander, Blue Spotted Salamander, Wood Frog, Fairy Shrimp) rely on these pools to complete their lifecycle. Usually starting in March and after a long rain when temperatures are above 42 degrees Fahrenheit, you can find them as they migrate from their forested homes to the vernal pools.