21 minute read
Winter 2021 commencement
Advertisement
“WHEREVER YOU GO, GO WITH ALL YOUR HEART.”
WINTER 2021
“GRADUATION IS NOT THE END; IT’S THE BEGINNING.”
In the 1980s, when federal legislation was enacted to limit acid rain, coal mining in western Pennsylvania became less viable. With the diminished state of the coal industry, the logic of railroads – which had been used to move coal – also disappeared.
ALLEGHENY RIVER TRAIL www.avta-trails.org
Across the country and in Pennsylvania, dormant tracks were taken up, including those along the Allegheny River from Franklin to Emlenton.
An Ohio attorney purchased a portion of the property to subdivide and sell as riverfront lots. Around the same time, Pacific Gas and Electric created the Scrubgrass Power Plant in Rockland Township. To connect the plant to the power grid, Pacific bought the northern 15 miles – from the Kennerdell tunnel to Franklin – for the power lines. Not interested in owning property, Pacific wanted to donate the land to a nonprofit organization or to local government.
At Clarion University, science professors Dr. Jim Howes and Dr. Jim Holden were becoming acquainted.
“We were both avid bicyclists,” Howes said. “I lived in Oil City, and I would ride the Oil Creek State Park trail.”
One of Howes’ early memories with Holden, who lived in Franklin, is participating in the annual bike race at Oil Creek State Park. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania had constructed the 9.7-mile trail adjacent to Oil Creek, and Cranberry Township had developed the Justus Trail along the Allegheny between Oil City and Franklin.
“Jim and I appreciated the work Cranberry Township and Oil Creek State Park had done, and (further developing the area’s trail system) seemed like such an obvious thing to do,” Howes said.
They began to look into transforming the 15 miles owned by Pacific Gas and Electric, as well as the tract owned by the Ohio attorney into recreational trail.
“At first, Jim and I thought local government would be the logical entity to own the land, but neither Clarion nor Venango County wanted to take ownership,” Howes said. “That’s why we founded Allegheny Valley Trails Association.”
Howes was the first president, and Holden was vice president. It was a learning experience for the men, who became experts on title searches and land records. Through their work and a “very strong core of dedicated people,” their vision became a reality.
Once the nonprofit AVTA was founded, Pacific Gas and Electric was able to donate the 15 miles between the Kennerdell tunnel and Franklin. Howes wrote a grant to buy out the Ohio attorney’s interest, and 10 years later, the organization purchased the remaining salvage interest, beyond Foxburg to the Parker bridge.
“Jim and I were very pleased that our initial work seemed to stimulate other groups,” Howes said.
FOXBURG TRAIL artincc.org
Bryan Koehler’s involvement with the Foxburg Trail, part of Allegheny River Trail in Clarion County, came about through a Facebook post by a business acquaintance. The post said that the Foxburg Trail had secured a longsought 3.3 miles of rail bed between Foxburg and Emlenton for a rail trail to be built. Koehler '88 is experienced with trail work from having worked on the North Country Trail 25 years ago, and he offered his help to Jennings, who heads the Allegheny River Trail in Clarion County group.
“The reason I got involved with North Country was that I used to do a lot of backpacking,” Koehler said. “I felt that I was using the trail, so it was a return-the-favor-kind of thing.”
He now bikes on the area rail trails, and he wants to return the favor this time to the Foxburg Trail. Koehler is a member of the construction committee for Allegheny River Trail in Clarion County.
The work began with correcting the grades, which ARTinCC hopes will be done by the end of summer, when they will turn the work over to a paving company.
The construction crew recently took down trees, cleared brush and removed a dilapidated shed from the rail bed.
“The group is working to secure grants from the (Department of Conservation and Natural Resources). One of the outfits that’s helped us is Central Electric Cooperative. They just gave us $4,800 and may volunteer some tree cutters and climbers,” he said.
The plan is to build a trail, then adjacent to the trail is a right of way that will be created to allow traffic. “If people want to develop along the river, they’ll need access,” Koehler said.
As trail and river recreation increase, Koehler wants to remind people to leave no trace. “Take only pictures; leave only footprints.”
REDBANK VALLEY TRAILS redbankvalleytrails.org
Phil Hynes’ love of rail trails began on the Justus segment of the Allegheny River Trail and grew while traveling with friends to bike on rails to trails around the country. He came on board the Redbank Valley Trail Association shortly after it formed in 2011.
“Redbank joins with Armstrong, the Erie to Pittsburgh, and the Great Allegheny Passage trails. You can go from Brookville to Washington, D.C., without leaving the trail,” Hynes '83 said.
Eventually, the trail will connect from Rockwood on the GAP trail to the future 9-11 Memorial Trail. It’s also part of an initiative to connect Pittsburgh via the Redbank Valley Trails to Ridgway in the heart of the Pennsylvania Wilds.
The trail is unique in several ways, from ownership to construction.
“It’s privately owned,” Hynes said. “Many rail trails are administered by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, but Redbank is actually owned by the trail association. We own and maintain all 51 miles.”
Hynes said trails that length usually take decades to develop.
“We pretty much finished Redbank Trail in four years,” he said. “DCNR couldn’t believe it – they named Redbank Trail the first Trail of the Year in 2014.”
Hynes, a member of Brookville Borough Council, said his biggest project with the trail has been developing the one-mile Depot Street spur, which brings the trail into downtown Brookville.
“Our group is trying to get a trail town designation for Brookville,” he said. “There have been all kinds of studies on the economic impact of tourism and bike trails.” Hynes said.
Bed and breakfasts have been springing up. Hynes said the town needs and can support more restaurants. Borough council has placed bike racks on the sidewalks to enable trail users to explore the downtown.
The New Bethlehem area and Redbank Valley community benefit from Redbank Valley Trails in countless ways, according to Gordon Barrows, mayor of New Bethlehem and member of Redbank Valley Trails Association. Barrows said benefits include:
• Making better places to live by preserving and providing access to open spaces.
• Encouraging physical fitness and healthy lifestyles.
• Creating new opportunities for outdoor recreation and non-motorized transportation.
• Strengthening the local economy by providing business and recreational opportunities and improved property values.
• Protecting nature and the natural environment.
• Preserving culture and historically valuable areas and resources.
“The eco-tourism and recreational opportunities of the Redbank Valley Trails have revitalized and transformed the
“Existing businesses have flourished, while new businesses have started, grown and prospered. That includes places to stay, places to eat and things to do, including B&Bs, restaurants, bike shops, outfitters, campgrounds, an art gallery and more.”
RAIL 66 COUNTRY TRAIL rail-66.com
The Rail 66 Country Trail follows the path of the narrow-gauge Pittsburgh and Western Railroad, built in the late 1800s.
In the early 2000s, the line was purchased by the Kovalchick Corporation. Al Lander ’74 of Lucinda leased four miles of the rail bed property from Kovalchick and paved it through the Lucinda-Snydersburg area for easy hiking, jogging and bicycling. The people of the neighborhood liked the trail and formed Rail 66 Country Trail Inc., to support and further develop it.
Last year, the Headwaters Charitable Trust purchased all 74 miles of the rail line in Clarion County, Forest, Elk and McKean counties to Kinzua Bridge State Park. Headwaters put Rail 66 in charge of the 24 miles in Clarion County.
The property includes the original Lucinda Railway Station, which had been preserved by Gene Lander of Lucinda with help from history teacher Terry Moore ’67 and students from North Clarion High School.
Rail 66 is poised to become part of the growing network of hiking and bicycling trails in Pennsylvania. It twice intersects the North Country Trail – a national scenic hiking trail stretching from northern New York State to North Dakota. Plans are being laid to connect Rail 66 to Cook Forest State Park’s system of bicycling and hiking trails. In Marianne, it crosses Route 322, which serves as the Route V bicycle trail spanning Pennsylvania.
P E NNSYLVANIA
RAIL-TRAIL STATS 194
total rail-trails
2,136
miles of rail-trails
83
current projects
726
miles of potential rail-trails
Many of Jason Hollingsworth and Brooke Porter’s customers at Clarion Bicycle & Outdoor are rail trail riders.
“We sell them their bikes and accessories, maintain their bikes, and are always available to answer questions about where to ride,” Hollingsworth ‘05 said.
He also answers questions about what to ride.
“We’ve had a big shift into ebikes,” he said. “We have been selling as many ebikes as traditional bikes for the past year. We currently have over 50 ebikes in stock, in different varieties for every type of riding.”
Last year, Hollingsworth moved Clarion Bicycle & Outdoor from its downtown Clarion location to a new building on Reidsburg Road. He said it offers easier parking and a perfect place to test ride bikes.
He has supported Rail 66 through providing at cost several maintenance stations along the trail and bikes for raffles to raise money for the trail. He has donated free bike tune-ups as part of his support of Rail 66.
When the COVID-19 pandemic closed stores, restaurants and entertainment venues, Pennsylvania families exorcised their cabin fever by taking to the outdoors. That was good news for John Straitiff ’89, executive director of Pennsylvania Great Outdoors Visitors Bureau.
Endless adventures await in the Pennsylvania Great Outdoors, a 2,900-square-mile region encompassing Cameron, Clarion, Elk, Forest and Jefferson counties.
Straitiff’s goal for the organization is to grow tourismrelated businesses in the PA Great Outdoors region.
The PA Great Outdoors region saw record numbers of stays at lodging facilities as well as steady growth with rentals like Vrbo and Airbnb in 2021. Visitors also are frequenting wineries, distilleries and craft breweries.
“When people think of planning vacations focused on outdoor adventures and time spent in nature, I want them to think about Pennsylvania’s Great Outdoors region,” Straitiff said.
Hiking and kayaking are some of the most popular outdoor activities, so people are naturally drawn to the Wild and Scenic Clarion River (an official designation from the federal government) and the ancient stands of old growth timber in Cook Forest State Park.
Some tourism is based around wild animals, including the elk herd in Elk and Cameron counties, and some not-so-wild animals like Punxsutawney Phil.
“Punxsutawney Phil is by far our most well-known attraction,” Straitiff said. “Phil brings travelers from around the globe.”
Straitiff added that the Allegheny National Forest is popular with outdoor adventure seekers, while Clarion’s Autumn Leaf Festival is a family-friendly attraction.
However, there are some relatively unknown attractions that Straitiff believes deserve to be programmed into your GPS.
In Clarion County, he recommends that people visit the Redbank Coaling Tower along the Armstrong Trail in East Brady; Helen Furnace along White Oak Drive off of Miola Road; Henry Run Sawmill Dam in Cook Forest; and the Blue Ridge Forest near Cook Forest.
If you find yourself in Cameron County, head to Bucktail Overlook, otherwise known as the ‘Top of the World’, and plan to do some eagle watching along the Sinnemahoning watershed, Straitiff said.
Forest County offers Lighthouse Island and Peace Park as well as the vast Allegheny National Forest. Elk County’s hidden gems include Bendigo State Park and The Cross on the Hill in Benezette. Jefferson County boasts Scripture Rocks Heritage Park and Beartown Rocks in Clear Creek State Park.
Straitiff’s journey to the position as PA Great Outdoors executive director combines his love of the outdoors with his communication degree from Clarion and his subsequent communication experiences.
Upon graduation, Straitiff worked at Sports Channel Chicago as a segment producer and also was a freelancer for TV crews covering sports in Chicago.
“It was fun seeing the pro sports stars and coaches up close,” Straitiff said. “I am glad that I tried television in the big city, but I am country boy at heart.”
He then took a sales job at a Clearfield radio station, and later became an account executive with WTAJ TV. Nature continued to call his name, so he became a manager and head guide at a large outdoor adventure ranch.
“While working a trade show for the ranch, I discovered that the executive director position at PAGO was available. I knew in my heart this was the perfect job for me. I started at PAGO in April 2014 and absolutely love my job. I am able to use my love of the outdoors and the knowledge gained working with various clients over two decades in broadcasting sales to develop and implement marketing programs that attract visitors to Cameron, Clarion, Elk, Forest and Jefferson counties, that collectively are known as Pennsylvania’s Great Outdoors region.”
For more information on the Pennsylvania Great Outdoors go to visitpago.com.
Some fly fishers learn to tie flies after becoming experienced in the sport. For Tim Cammisa ’01, fly tying came first.
“My parents signed me up for an afterschool fly tying class when I was 10 years old (4th grade). It was so fascinating, designing and creating imitations of natural insects. Then when I realized that we could catch fish with these flies – I was hooked!”
Cammisa explained that in traditional fishing, you use the weight of a lure to cast a fine monofilament line. In fly fishing, things are reversed.
“A thick fly line is used to generate energy to cast a small fly. The fly can be an imitation of a natural insect, baitfish, worm, or simply something that looks good enough for the fish to eat,” Cammisa said.
For Cammisa, tricking fish is part of the fun.
“Catching a fish on a fly that I tied myself is the best feeling in the world. To know that I tricked that fish brings a smile to my face, and also brings me back to my youth,” Cammisa said. “I practice catch-and-release, which means that I put the majority of fish caught back into the water, giving others the chance to experience that feeling, too.”
Another gripping aspect of fly fishing is creating and flying the ties that trick the fish. Cammisa has shared his expertise on the subject on his YouTube Channel and in his latest book, “Fly Tying for Everyone.”
“With social media, there are many flies and techniques being shared at an incredible rate. The downside is that few of those patterns are vetted.”
This is especially helpful for a novice fly tier. In “Fly Tying for Everyone,” he features a baker’s dozen of tried-and-true flies that are sure to catch fish.
“Each pattern encompasses fly-tying techniques from the beginning to intermediate level, so this is a ‘one stop shop’ that provides modern flies and materials to a range of tiers. Also, within each section, I included methods on how to fish the patterns, as the goal is to use each to catch fish.”
You also don’t necessarily have to be dexterous to learn to fly ties.
“Having dexterity and fine motor skills definitely helps, though fly tying becomes easier over time with practice. There are many tools available to help the process go smoother, such as a fly-tying vise, bobbin, scissors, hackle
pliers, whip finishing tool, and more.” He said thread and hooks round out the basic supplies. “With modern technology, this is a great time to learn fly tying.”
Cammisa started fly tying and then fly fishing at a young age. His great uncle John is an enthusiastic fly fisher who took him under his wing in those early days of fly fishing. He took Cammisa and his cousin to the water, but casting didn’t go as planned in that first outing.
“We proceeded to beat the water to a froth, only managing to catch one fish between us,” Cammisa said.
The uncle and another older friend gave Cammisa and his cousin a casting lesson, with the advice to practice before returning to fish again. The seasoned fly fisherman joked that the two boys had scared every fish in the county.
“So, I practiced, was invited back, and have been fly fishing and tying flies for 33 years.”
Fly fishing requires specialized equipment including a fly rod, fly reel, fly line, leader and flies. Because many fly-fishing locations are in moving water, Cammisa also recommends buying waders and wading shoes.
“Experiencing fly fishing, especially with flies tied yourself, is unlike anything else. It’s taken me all over the world, and I now host trips to Iceland and other destinations.”
It’s important to note that the appeal of fly fishing isn’t because it’s more effective at catching fish than regular fishing. Fishing is situational, Cammisa explained.
For him, the “appeal of fly fishing is the connection to the natural world, using imitations of what the fish are currently feeding on.”
“Like everything else in life, there is a learning curve, but you get to work through that in the outdoors, on the water. Nature’s classroom is the perfect environment, and for many, the fish are just a bonus.”
Fly fishing can be done in freshwater and saltwater.
“I can say that I have fly fished all over the country, from Montana to Florida, and caught both freshwater and saltwater species on a fly rod. I also host fly fishing trips to Iceland, and using a fly rod is an excellent and effective way to catch fish there.”
For more on fly fishing, follow Tim Cammisa on his website at www.troutandfeather.com and at www.youtube.com/c/TimCammisa. His channel is dedicated to lessening the learning curve for fly tying and fly fishing and has educational and entertaining content from locations around the world. His content has more than 4 million views.
THE LAST FRONTIER
Dr. David ’69 and Kathy ’68 Wartinbee enjoy long walks on the beach, working in their flower and vegetable gardens and their orchards, and going for a spin in their classic ’67 Corvette. They also love playing in the snow, whether they’re hiking, snowshoeing, snowmobiling and, for David, helping out at the Iditarod.
They live in Soldotna, Alaska, a locale that’s ideal – with preparation – for year-round outdoor activity.
When the Wartinbees walk on the beach, for example, they navigate around obstacles in the form of giant chunks of ice. Around their gardens and orchard, they construct fences that are 7 feet high – enough to protect the vegetation from the moose that wander near their home.
The couple worked hard throughout their careers, he as a professor of biology, she as a librarian. When they retired, Alaska’s beauty – of the people even more so than of the breathtaking scenery – lured them from their home state of Pennsylvania.
“I felt like I was home,” Kathy said of their first visit.
David’s research of streams and aquatic insects first took them to America’s 49th state in the summer of 1977. The Wartinbees were so enamored with Alaska that they returned for all but a few summers until they moved there permanently in 1997.
Before they committed to moving, they wanted to experience winter there.
“We came during Christmas break when I was in law school,” David said. “We said ‘Let’s see what it’s like in the winter.’ It was even more beautiful. Winter is spectacular.”
They moved there permanently after retiring from their teaching jobs in Pennsylvania.
Now that it is their home, the Wartinbees embrace the climate and terrain, as well as the planning ahead that is essential for survival, even during routine trips.
In Soldotna, David said temperatures fall to 40 degrees below zero in the winter. Soldotna is about 50 air miles or 150 road miles south of Anchorage.
“You have to have the appropriate gear to take care of yourself for the kind of conditions you’ll be in,” David said.
The Wartinbees live near wilderness, where there are no houses, no roads and no cell coverage. They spend as much time as possible in the wild and beautiful places that surround them. Preparation is key.
“We have different clothing. I have five changes of long underwear. You just prepare for the weather. This is my 15-degree jacket. This is my minus-10-degree jacket,” Kathy said.
“As I prepared to work at a Galena checkpoint for the Iditarod sled dog race, I packed my minus-45-degree jacket,” David said.
Alaska is a state with very few roads, David said. He and Kathy get around using their Polaris side-by-side ATV, snowmobiling, snowshoeing and walking. David is a licensed pilot and has his own Cessna 180 plane that is fitted with wheels, skis or floats, depending on the season – that he uses to visit wilderness areas for sightseeing, hiking, fishing or visiting friends.
Some parts of Alaska are dark for several months, but the least amount of sunlight in Soldotna is five hours per day. During those periods, “you have to go outside,” David said.
“If it’s a nice bright day, you can figure I’m going to go out flying, or ice fishing or running the snow machine,” he said. Snow machine is another term for snowmobile.
Kathy said her knees are shot from downhill skiing, but she stays active with snowshoeing, hiking, gardening, quilting and traveling with her husband.
In the warm summer months, Soldotna can have almost 20 hours of daylight – “Lots of time to play,” David said.
Planning ahead has also been a financial priority for the Wartinbees. Long before they became Alaska residents, David and Kathy began to make decisions to enable the life they have now. Part of their carefully crafted plan is philanthropy.
“I’d been sending Clarion $100 each year for many years. One of the things that I learned to do is invest money and make money with the investments,” David said. “We have everything we could want in terms of toys, a wonderful place to live, and good health; we don’t want for anything. We are comfortable. Now, we are able to step up our support of education.”
“We owe Clarion. We earned our living because of the education we got at Clarion,” Kathy said. “It’s payback time.”
“We recognize that there are students who can use a helping hand going through college, and we want to provide an opportunity for some of those students,” David said. “Neither of us came from wealthy families, and we know how difficult it can be to afford college. That’s one of the reasons we wanted to start these scholarships – to help someone who needs it.”
