Make plans to get your spring “warbler fix” on Saturday, June 6th with an outing to one the best migrating warbler traps in Western Pennsylvania, Cook Forest State Park.

Michael Leahy from Knox, PA will be the leader for a spring trip to one of the gems in the crown of the Pennsylvania State Park system, The Cook Forest. With all of its acres of mature evergreen and hardwood trees, Cook Forest State Park is a real magnet for large numbers of migrating warblers and other forest dependent passerines.

Located along the picturesque Clarion River, Cook Forest has some of the largest tracts of virgin forest remaining in Pennsylvania. Classified as a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service, Cook Forest State Park is often referred to as the “Black Forest” of Pennsylvania. The parks 11,586 acres contain some of the largest specimens of Eastern Hemlock and White Pine found in all of the eastern states. At 184.7 feet tall, the “Longfellow Pine” was the tallest White Pine tree in the Northeastern United States and the 3rd tallest tree east of the Mississippi River. Unfortunately, it was felled during a microburst in May of 2018. We will visit the remains of this magnificent giant.

We will meet at 9:00 am at the Log Cabin Interpretive Center which is off of Forest Drive. From there we will begin our adventure into the “Forest Cathedral”. There are restrooms available at both the park office and the Log Cabin Interpretive Center. Bring water and a lunch or if the weather is wet, there are several restaurants from which to choose. For questions feel free to contact Michael at 814-229-1648 or mrl706@gmail.com