Northcentral Regional Director, Barry Zaffuto Explains PGC Vision For Winslow Viewing Area

Today we will continue with coverage of the dedication ceremony at the Winslow Hill/Gilbert Farm Viewing Area by presenting the speech given by the Director of  The Northcentral Region of The Pennsylvania Game Commission, Barry Zaffuto.

PGC Northcentral Region Director: Barry Zaffuto

First I will present an overview of his speech and then follow with some exact quotes from Mr. Zaffuto, which will be followed by a video of the entire speech which is just over four minutes in length.

He began by discussing how elk viewing in this area began and I personally recall this period of time well as I began going there in 1995. At that time The Gilbert Farm was private property and people pulled to the side of the road and watched elk in the meadows. The photo below is a frame-grab from video shot in September of 1995.

Gilbert Farm In 1995 Taken From Saddle-Video Still Capture

 This was the same general area in September of 2013, with the area where the buildings once stood being just off the right lower corner of the photo.

Gilbert Farm 2013 Taken From Saddle

Zaffuto tells how that after the PGC acquired the property, the viewing area was developed in response to people arriving and included widening the shoulder of the road and dumping stone, etc. to make it more stable.  He points out that DCNR established several viewing areas, the most important of which was Elk Country Visitor Center, . This resulted in drastically increased visitation to the area and the Dewey Road area became unacceptably congested.

Mr. Zaffuto became regional director three years ago and was extremely interested in the elk herd.  He visited the hill not wearing a uniform and circulated among the public, observing the situation, and chatting with the public.He mentions that some of the major concerns were the congestion, with it sometimes taking over and hour to get off of the hill during peak use times, elk viewers by the roadside having to listen to idling diesel engines, and people stopping in front of houses and yards and parking in yards.

At this point I will post a direct quote from Zaffuto's speech, which explains very clearly the goals of the PGC for this area.

“This Location where we are continued to be the heart of elk viewing, where the herd is most viewed, and people are coming—something had to be done, The other big thought was there was too much interaction between elk and people, too many people were getting close they were following them around, too much habituation. So while we provide for the visitors we had to account for the interaction between people and elk so last year many of you know we started with the trail system and the horses and the bikes and the hikers and the restricted areas and we got that started to try and make that separation, the elk will get used to seeing people at the viewing areas and on the roads, but if you step off of the road we want them to raise their heads and say why are you where you are not supposed to be”

I am hesitant to post video as it can be off-putting for those with a relatively slow internet connection ( I am one of those) as the video will frequently hang on the first viewing--it helps to view it in SD, but then the quality suffers severely.  For that reason I have enabled viewers to download the video by following the link to the Vimeo page where it is posted.  For best viewing experience I recommend that you download it in 1080p or 720p.  The 1080p version is over 400MB in size and requires awhile to download, while the 720p is a good compromise, as it still gives good quality, and the download size is about 75MB and takes much less time to download.  Save it to your computer and then view it in either Windows Media Player or Apple Quicktime Player.  For whatever reason it is a bit dark in Windows Media Player and looks better in Quick Time, but enough of the technical talk--here is the video.

PGC Northcentral Director Barry Zaffuto Speaks At Dedication Of New Winslow Hill Viewing Area from Willard C. Hill on Vimeo.

Feel free to share the video.

Originally published at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.

While Construction Continues-Calf Sightings Abound On Dewey Road

Intersection OF New Portion Of Dewey Road -Winslow Hill Road

 On my mid-July trip to Pennsylvania Elk Country, I arrived on Monday , the 13th, to find the new section of Dewey Road completed and open to traffic.  The old portion of the road was still there, but it was closed to the public.  On Tuesday they began re-contouring the area and the old portion of the road slowly vanished.

Old Portion Of Dewey Road Vanishes

The view from the new portion of Dewey Road toward The Saddle and the distant mountains is exceptional.

View From New Portion Of Dewey Road

The photo below is taken looking down the new portion of the road to where it intersects the old portion. The road to the new parking lot is not visible, but is directly to the right of the lower right corner of the photo.

New Dewey Road

I didn't film any bulls at the Gilbert Farm. A large herd of cows and calves were in the area, but it was hard to find them close enough for good photographs or to find situations where there were not unwanted objects in the background, or the fog was too thick.  For example, one morning a herd of cows and calves were feeding along the fence shown in the photo above.  While a bit of fog adds to the atmosphere, it was just too thick in this case for good detail and the combination of short grass in the foreground, and orange netting in the background further complicated the situation.

On Friday morning I found them near the Ponds below where the Gilbert Barn once stood.  This time some of them walked into the edge of the parking lot after I stopped and I got a few frames taken with the 5D MK III and the 70-200mm rested over the window-sill of the SUV.

Calf Grazing

Soon the elk crossed the road and began feeding on the hillside above Rucki Road and I got out of the vehicle and mounted the 5D MK III on the 600mm and alternated between taking still photos and filming with the Panasonic GH4.

Alert Calf

The elk worked across the meadow, slanting toward Rucki road, and heading for the woods in the distance, but they did this very slowly and along the way some interesting action took place.  In one instance a cow and calf touched noses and somewhat later they began nursing.

Touching Noses

Nursing

 I did not walk into the Saddle one time this trip, and all in all I did not spend a lot of time on Dewey Road , but I did check it out at least once on most mornings and evenings. Even with the new construction this is still one of the more reliable areas for producing up-close elk sightings in Pennsylvania Elk Country.

Originally published at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.

The Passing Of Ralph Harrison

Legendary Pennsylvania Elk advocate, Ralph L. Harrison, 87, of , Dents Run, died Wednesday, July 22, 2015, at his home after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

I first learned of Ralph from Billie Cromwell, the PGC Game Lands Maintenace Supervisor for Fulton County, who was my foreman at the time.  Billie shot a significant amount of the video footage for the rut portion of The Pennsylvania Game Commission's film, "Pennsylvania Elk: Reclaiming The Alleghenies" and  met Mr. Harrison sometime during this period.  The film featured an interview with Mr. Harrison.  This was my first exposure to him and  and I was impressed with his knowledge and low-key unassuming manner.

I first met him sometime in the late 1990s. During the elk rut that year, Billie Cromwell and I  walked far back in the mountains one evening to a food plot the elk were using heavily and the air resounded with the bugles of several bulls as darkness closed in.  We were walking back to the vehicle in the moonlight when we saw a dog standing in the roadway and a man sitting on the road bank.  It turned out that this was Ralph Harrison, sitting there in the moonlight listening to the bulls bugle, with his dog along for company and as protection if he unexpectedly came upon a bull while walking in the darkness. Within the next year or so I was in the same area once again and Ralph came by.  This time we had a long conversation and this led to many more meetings and discussions about wildlife conservation and elk in particular over the remainder of his life.

Mr. Harrison was an Elk County native and resident of Dent’s Run. He was born there in 1928 and  lived there most of his life except for a stint in the military. Ralph went to work for what was then know as the Department of Forest and Waters in 1951 and worked for them for the next forty years, although the agency changed names over this period. It would take a book to cover his life and in fact Ralph has written several, the latest being on the history of the Quehanna Wild Area..

Mr. Harrison never had an official job in elk management. There was no big title, just a simple love and respect for the animals, which led him to go above and beyond the call of duty and dedicate his life to them. He saw the  elk population grow from less than twenty to the 900-1000 of today. Although he would never claim responsibility, he was an important factor in this increase. Like many true experts, he professed to know little about elk, and was not a self-promoter, but rather tried to give as much credit as possible to others.  He will be deeply missed.

Originally Published at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.

A Historical Landmark Is Gone-Burning Of The Gilbert Farm House

As darkness fell on Sunday September 26th, I paused by the glowing embers of the remains of the Gilbert farm house. As I stood there a great sadness came over me as I thought of the hopes, dreams and hard work of those that lived there. Now they were gone, and it was gone,. As I stood there in the darkness, the piercing bugles of  bull elk provided a fitting requiem for the passing of a way of life on Winslow Hill that is gone forever.

Glowing Embers Mark The End Of An Era: Photo by W.Hill

It is PGC policy to raze buildings such as this when they acquire the land, so this was to be expected, yet one  still felt a great sense of loss. As I stood there, I could still picture Kenny Gilbert, the last inhabitant, standing in the doorway as he talked to a visitor, and I wondered how long it will be until few visitors to Winslow Hill will know there had ever been a Gilbert Farm. This area was referred to as "The Gilbert" when it was first purchased from Betty Gilbert, Mr. Gilbert's Widow, and I still refer to it as "the Gilbert Viewing Area, but the PGC christened the area, "The Porcupine Run-Winslow Hill Viewing Area" and I can understand the reasoning to a certain extent, as the Gilbert is a but a small part of the entire viewing area.

Gilbert House And Worker's Vehicle: Photo by W.Hill

Gilbert House-Facing Dewey Road: Photo by W.Hill

I  learned that the buildings were to be razed some time ago, and late in the week of September 19th, I found that Sunday morning September 26th was to be the day that the house was to be burned. I photographed elk in the backcountry near there that morning and when I came into view of the house I found that the burning was underway.

Early Stages Of Burning: Photo by W.Hill

This was a highly controlled burn, with several fire companies on the scene.  Flames were immediately dampened with water when they appeared.

Photo by W.Hill

Water Was Pumped From Nearby Ponds: Photo by W.Hill

 Photo by W.Hill

I mentioned the proposed removal of the buildings in a previous post concerning the opening of the visitor center and other updates on conditions on Winslow Hill. Click Here to read that post.  As a result I received an e-mail concerning this house and the efforts of John and Kathy Myers to save it.  Mrs. Myers kindly granted permission to reprint it here.  It is well worth reading and I highly recommend that you do so.

Here it is in its' entirety:

Hi, Willard - I found photos of the Gilbert farm on a blog page and wanted to make a comment.



The Gilbert House In Winter: Photo courtesy of Kathy Myers

 I am a Winslow descendant whose 3rd great grandmother lived in that house, she being a Mayflower descendant. I began a project to save that house and asked the state to consider turning it into a visitor center. While DCNR had all kinds of reasons why it couldn't do that, I did receive some encouragement elsewhere to try to preserve the house. The Game Commission did agree to give us the house, but it had to be moved off the property.


I formed a 501(c)(3) non profit corporation, Winslow House Heritage Council, in order to save it. The state asked us for a feasibility study and gave us a $22,000 grant to conduct same. It was done by a local architectural firm. The results were that in order to meet current code (we wanted to operate it as a B&B and museum/shop) we would take the house down, salvage parts, and rebuild it elsewhere on Winslow Hill over its original footprint, only larger.


As you are aware, prices have skyrocketed on Winslow Hill. We were initially offered the remaining one acre parcel that was attached to St. Cecelia's Cemetery which is surrounded by the visitor center property; however, Rawley Cogan and RMEF arranged a land swap with St. Joseph's Church, the group that oversees the cemetery, and the priest who offered us the land and was a member of our board, was actually somewhat dismayed at the plans in progress to build the visitor center. For that reason, we lost our opportunity to get that land.


We tried to establish a heritage shop, for which we were given a grant, but there was nothing available for us on Winslow Hill or in the town of Benezette. We attempted to purchase the Don Wood property, but USDA thought we would have a hard time making a go of it "selling souvenirs" on Winslow Hill.


Possibly if the Game Commission had just given us the house with a little land around it as we first requested, we would have something going today. My letters to the Governor, where I asked him to override the Game Commission and just give us the house, went unanswered even though we had received two grants from the Commonwealth.


While Mr. Cogan wants to preserve Winslow Hill, I am concerned that the history of the early pioneers will be lost. When RMEF had its initial study done shortly after it purchased Elk Mountain Homestead, I was asked to meet with Rawley Cogan and the person who was conducting the study for RMEF. As a matter of fact, RMEF suggested our two organizations work together which never happened.


I attended a meeting at Game Commission Headquarters in Harrisburg in August of 2007 that was arranged by Senator Joseph Scarnati's office. In attendance was Dennis Duzia, PGC, Meredith Hill of DCNR, a representative from PA Historic and Museum Commission, the Senator's aide, Casey Long, and my husband and I. I was shocked at our treatment. Mr. Duzia was adamant that there would be no further extensions on our efforts to save the house. His words to my husband and I were that not many people were interested in the project "other than you people", and that they were going to take a "big D9 dozer in there and bulldoze it over and it won't be a pretty sight." DCNR and PHMC could offer no assistance, even though the house was listed as endangered by the PA Preservation group. In January, 2008, I contacted Carl Roe, PGC Director, about Mr. Duzia's comments. Mr. Roe did say that as long as the house was standing, if Winslow House Heritage Council could present him with a plan and timetable for moving it off the property, we would still have that opportunity. And he noted that Mr. Duzia would not be taking down the house without notifying us.


When RMEF pulled out of the visitor center and it was turned over briefly to another state agency, I contacted that agency and asked that Winslow House Heritage Council be given space in the visitor center to operate a heritage shop, noting that I had many good ideas for such a shop. I also discussed my concerns for the lack of information about the early pioneers, etc., which I feel should be presented for those traveling to this area. I was asked to list what I thought should be part of an educational display which I did. But then the management of the center was turned over to the Elk Country Alliance people and that was the end of the dialogue.


There is more to Benezette than the elk.


Kathy Myers

I wish to thank Mrs. Myers for sharing this information with us and I hope to discuss some of the issues involved with this type of situation in a future post.

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill




Dr. Perk-A Controversial Figure

I first went to Winslow Hill to videotape the elk in 1995

At that time The Gilbert Viewing Area did not exist. The land was still owned by Kenny Gilbert, the farmer for which the viewing area was named. The fields were much as they are today except that no crops were planted to attract the wildlife. At times portions of the meadows were mowed. This area was the hotspot for observing large numbers of elk, several of which were monster bulls.
There was no elk hunt, and there was little talk of one.

A white frame house was located on a small parcel of land in a hollow. This was to the left of what is now known as Dewey Road-the public road, which passes through The Gilbert Viewing Area.

Dr. Perk's House: The cabin to the right was not there in 1995

This was home to Claude M. Nye. Mr. Nye was deeply interested in the elk herd and loved to videotape the animal. He initially used a VHS camcorder. Each year he made a tape of what he saw and offered it to the public for a modest price.

He portrayed himself as an elk expert and called himself "Dr. Perk". This aroused the ire of Rawland ‘Rawley’ Cogan who was the PGC elk biologist at the time and the two became enemies. Perk’s expertise was not biological in nature, nor did he portray it to be. He attracted elk to his property by feeding them and soon had a herd of “habituated” elk that visited each day. By his daily observations he was eventually able to differentiate between individual animals and named most of them. He would tell someone what day, hour, and minute an animal was born.

At the time I thought that this could not be. It was possible to distinguish bulls because of the different antler configurations, but there was no way he could distinguish individual cows.

In time I found that I was wrong. A day came that I could distinguish individual antlerless deer under certain circumstances and I had to eat my words! Now you are saying that I am nuts, but stop and think! Can a farmer differentiate between individual animals in his herd? Can you tell your pet cat or dog from every other dog of the same type out there? One only has to spend a large amount of time around the same group of animals and observe them closely. Soon one notices the differences rather than just the similarities. I do think that he was guessing about the hour and minute of birth in many cases.

1995; Dr. Perk explaining how antlers are shed

Dr. Perk: Second from left in blue jacket

During mating season or “The Rut” as it is normally called, the herd of “habituated” cows that frequented his lawn, brought monster bulls to the area in large numbers.

Dr. Perk was on a collision course with The Pennsylvania Game Commission!

Note: Above photos except Mr. Nye’s residence are frame captures from an S/VHS camcorder as this is from a period when I did not take still photos.