solomonswords

Rick Bosworth of the Port Allegany Moose Lodge FC is pictured with Makayla Alcorn, a Headley’s Headliners volunteer after presenting a check for $1,000 to the group.  The donation, proceeds from a spaghetti dinner held recently at the Moose, benefit the Pastor Randy Headley Memorial Award for Community Service.  Students at Port Allegany High School are given the opportunity to apply for the awards by volunteering in the community,  schools and churches.  Pastor Randy served the Port Allegany United Methodist Church and several others in the area.  He loved serving his church and community and loved spending time with and supporting the youth of the community.  The award is given to help keep his memory alive and to encourage more youth involvement in service to their school, community and churches. 

Whether in their backyards or high on a mountain, it’s almost certain Pennsylvanians will encounter young wildlife this time of year.

While some young animals might appear to be abandoned, usually they are not. It’s likely their mothers are watching over them from somewhere nearby.

So when encountering young wildlife, be it deer, birds, raccoons or other animals, the best thing you can do is leave it alone.

“Well-intentioned people might step in to help a young animal that appears to be alone, not realizing its mother is nearby and it’s not in need of help,” said Matthew Schnupp, the Game Commission’s wildlife management director. “That’s one reason why leaving young wildlife undisturbed in the wild typically is the best solution when encountering young wild animals.”

Adult animals often leave their young while they forage for food, but they don’t go far and they do return. Wildlife also often relies on a natural defensive tactic called the “hider strategy,” where young animals will remain motionless and “hide” in surrounding cover while adults draw the attention of potential predators or other intruders away from their young.

Deer employ this strategy, and deer fawns sometimes are assumed to be abandoned when, in fact, their mothers are nearby.

The Game Commission urges Pennsylvanians to resist the urge to interfere with young wildlife or remove any wild animal from its natural setting.

Such contact can be harmful to both people and wildlife. Wild animals can lose their natural fear of humans, making it difficult, even impossible, for them to ever again live normally in the wild. And anytime wildlife is handled, there’s always a risk people could contract diseases or parasites such as fleas, ticks and lice.

Wildlife that becomes habituated to humans also can pose a public-safety risk. Some years ago, a yearling, six-point buck attacked and severely injured two people. The investigation into the incident revealed that a neighboring family had illegally taken the deer into their home and fed it as a fawn, and they continued to feed the deer right up until the time of the attack.

It is illegal to take or possess wildlife from the wild. Under state law, the penalty for such a violation is a fine of up to $1,500 per animal.

Under no circumstances will anyone who illegally takes wildlife into captivity be allowed to keep that animal, and under a working agreement with state health officials, any “high risk” rabies vector species confiscated after human contact must be euthanized and tested; none can be returned to the wild because the risk of spreading disease is too high.

Animals infected with rabies might not show obvious symptoms, but still might be able to transmit the disease. Though any mammal might carry rabies, the rabies vector species identified in the agreement are: skunks, raccoons, foxes, bats, coyotes and groundhogs.

People can get rabies from the saliva of a rabid animal if they are bitten or scratched, or if the saliva gets into the person’s eyes, mouth or a fresh wound.

Only wildlife rehabilitators, who are licensed by the Game Commission, are permitted to care for injured or orphaned wildlife for the purposes of eventual release back into the wild. For those who find wildlife that truly is in need of assistance, a listing of licensed wildlife rehabilitators can be found on the Pennsylvania Association of Wildlife Rehabilitators website, www.pawr.com.

If you are unable to identify a wildlife rehabilitator in your area, contact the Game Commission by phone at 1-833-PGC-WILD or 1-833-PGC-HUNT.

On May 29 at 11:09 pm Bradford City Fire Dept. was dispatched to for a structure fire at 87 Pleasant street for multiple houses on fire. This is a third alarm fire. Bradford Twp. and Lewis Run Fire Departments have also been dispatched. This fire has been raised to a 4th alarm Derrick City has been dispatched Rew and Limestone on standby. Corydon and Salamanca is also dispatched. Lafayette, Smethport and Otto Twp are on standby. the fire has also been raised to a 5th alarm

On Sunday, May 28 the Coudersport Council 1355 performed a live degree based on the new CUF exemplification format and welcomed 11 new brothers to the order and advanced to brother into full Knighthood.

Coudersport Grand Knight Chris Fink, Coudersport Financial Secretary Christian Sevinsky, and Bradford Council 403 Financial Secretary Jeff Brewer welcomed PA State Warden David Spacht and Supreme Representative David MacIntosh to witness the exemplification hosted at St. Eulalia Church in Coudersport and a meal was provided to all in attendance.

Jeremy Wonderling certainly knows how to get around Bradford Speedway; however, in the two prior Tour races run at the tricky track, it was fellow New York standouts Bryce Davis and John Waters victorious. Neither Davis nor Waters were in competition on Sunday so a new winner was guaranteed. Wonderling was certainly the favorite and he lived up to the billing passing Kurt Stebbins on lap three and holding off 13-year-old phenom Brock Pinkerous for his Series leading third victory of 2023 worth $3,000.