Yep. Solstice tonight at 10:45. Temperatures in the 90s next week. Thus endeth another Spring in Pennsylvania.

Drink water.

Practical advice for keeping your cool is abundant on social media posts (like this one). 

Please also stay informed of conditions in the places you plan to visit: Pine Grove Furnace's Laurel Lake is closed, the beach at Little Pine is closed due to hurricane damage, the concession at the Point is also closed for repairs and upgrades to parking. The park's iconic fountain is also closed. 

We are pleased to share that we have been selected as a grantee in the #AARPCommunityChallenge for 2025.

The AARP Community Challenge is a grant program to make tangible improvements in communities that jump-start long-term change. It is part of AARP’s nationwide Livable Communities initiative, which supports the efforts of cities, towns, neighborhoods and rural areas to become great places to live for people of all ages. To learn more, visit AARP.org/Livable.

Through this grant, PPFF will seek to:

1. Expand Access and Inclusion in Pennsylvania’s state parks and forests by developing inclusive resources, programs, and infrastructure that support older adults and individuals with disabilities.
2. Inform and Empower New Audiences through bilingual educational materials—including factsheets, podcasts, social media, and radio—to raise awareness of accessible outdoor recreation opportunities for people aged 50+ and those with disabilities.
3. Build Community Capacity with volunteer training, gear-lending libraries, skills-building workshops, and transportation support for senior communities.

Here's a special little tree, planted by a Friends of Tyler board member. If you don't recognize it, it is a pawpaw. 

Lately the pawpaw has been having its moment in the media, with lots of focus on its status as a hardy (and truly long lived native species) as well as a delicious fruit. They tell me! 

This article from the Heritage Conservancy from 2023 gives a good overview of its significance. And, perhaps, will plant a seed for you to plant a seed of your own!

Next Thursday is National Canoe Day and, although the "National" is Canadian (founded in 2007 by The Canadian Canoe Museum) a canoe is worthy of universal celebration.

One of our latest infographics, pulled from the summer issue of the Penn's Stewards newsletter, celebrates canoe camping and water trails. It can be found on the Publications page of our website.

So can the newsletter!

One of our Chapters' longest running running events is the Friends of Nolde Forest's Run for the Ages 10k, held again this past Sunday. The Run for the Ages honors the late Deena Andrus, a member of both the Friends and Pagoda Pacers, the athletic club who conducts the race. Both organizations figured largely in Deena's life and following her passing in 2011 the partnership to continue a race she had only just begun to coordinate seemed the perfect way to honor her memory. Kudos to the hundreds of people who have enjoyed this beautiful course over the years and raised money to support the causes she cherished.

Bingo? The folks at Spotlight PA put together this kind of "Best of a Pennsylvania Summer" bingo card. 

The card and the list of suggested entries (and these are only suggestions; you are encouraged to find your own fun and submit your favorite places) are available on the Spotlight PA website. Our website Publications page offers more ideas like wild and natural areas, "Explore Near" flyers when you're headed out to a particular region, "Insider's View" suggestions from the people who know ... 

Not to mention the Pennsylvania State Parks & State Forests Passport of course!

It all adds up to a pretty good Summer adventure.