Vernal Pool in the Newest Part of Rothrock

A recent deal between conservation groups and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has resulted in the addition of 1,271 acres of land to the Rothrock State Forest. Some of the land is in Centre County, where I live, and some of it is in Huntingdon County.

The land was purchased from the Dry Hollow hunting club for $3.65 million by ClearWater Conservancy, a well regarded local conservation group, in partnership with other philanthropic organizations. ClearWater Conservancy then gave the land to the state. The land features hardwood forests, rolling hills, and vernal pools.

A recent press release about the land acquisition included this bit of information: "The Dry Hollow property is within an area that supports 26 species of special concern in Pennsylvania. Vernal pools, which are dry for part of the year, also are located on the property and provide space for salamanders and frogs to breed and lay eggs. The land has been identified as a Biological Diversity Area by the Centre County Natural Heritage Inventory."

It also says this: "The newly added land is sometimes called Scotia West because of its proximity to the Scotia Barrens, which contains the largest remaining patch of pitch pine-scrub oak barrens in Pennsylvania." (Scotia = industrialist/ philanthropist Andrew Carnegie's "Little Scotland.") Part of the Scotia Barrens is within walking distance of our house, and my husband and I hike there regularly, in all seasons.

As soon as we learned about the new addition to the state forest, my husband and I decided we would need to go and check it out, and so that is what we did on this afternoon. The drive there was about fifteen minutes, and we parked the car in a tiny, muddy parking area by the front gate, which is locked. From there, we walked up the lane to  explore the camp property.

The land does indeed feature a number of vernal pools, of various sizes. Some of them are still frozen over, but they are thawing at the edges. The one in this photograph was the only one I saw that was completely clear of snow and ice. I looked in it and spotted at least a few newts, but I did not see any egg masses yet.

Soon these woods will ring with spring peeper song, and it will be the biggest amphibian party of the year! For my money, it's one of the best wild and sweet songs of all, as it heralds the arrival of spring!

The soundtrack song is for the music that will soon be coming from this vernal pool: Harry Chapin, with I Wanna Learn a Love Song.