Jefferson County
Cool Finds
Jefferson County straddles two sections of the Appalachian Plateau Physiographic Province in Pennsylvania; the Pittsburgh Plateau covering the central and southern area and the Allegheny High Plateau covering sections to the north. Forest covers much of the northern third of the county which borders the Clarion River and the Allegheny National Forest beyond.
The first recorded sighting of tawny cottongrass (Eriophorum virginicum) in Jefferson County was made this past September as part of the ongoing inventory work. It flowers from August to October, when its dense, wo
olly spikelets appear as floating cottonballs to the casual observer.
This sedge species was found in an acidic wet meadow in the North Fork watershed, one of the few areas of the larger Redbank Creek watershed not seriously impacted by abandoned mine drainage. Pertinent information from the inventory will also be used in the Redbank Watershed River Conservation Plan (RCP), which is being completed by staff in WPC’s Resource Conservation Department.
Pictured to the right is Bear Rocks. Bear Rocks is an erosional remnant of resistant sandstone. The Bear Rocks area is covered by a dry oak-heath community - a fairly common natural community in the area. From the top of the rocks, one can see down into the Clarion River valley.
The Clarion River forms part of the northern boundary for Jefferson County. In this section of the county the rivers makes a tight meander forming a thin peninsula called the "Clarion Hogback". Pictured is the top of the hogback and the old road that runs its length.
While surveying the natural communities on Clover Run in the southeastern part of the county, we came upon a porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum). The porcupine ranges through most of Pennsylvania except for the southwestern counties and is primarily nocturnal. It can not throw its quills, as is a popular myth, but uses them for defense. The quills are shed easily and lodge readily in the skin, mouth
or eyes of an attacker.
Calendar
o Fieldwork for the inventory will conclude during the Summer of 2006.
o A public presentation of the findings of the inventory will be scheduled in late 2006.
Recommend a Site
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Contact
For questions relating to the Jefferson Co. Inventory, please contact:
Christopher Tracey
Ecologist
Western Pennsylvania Conservancy
209 Fourth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
(412) 586-2326
ctracey@paconserve.org