It was mild weather for an eagle watch at the Connecting Channel in Tioga! The Tioga County Woodland Owners Associatin, in conjunction with Step Outdoors Tioga County and the USACE, hosted and eagle watch with resident expert, Matt West.

There were 14 eagles spotted, and we shared a few laughs and some cocoa while getting an education in eagle biology. We had 33 participants

If you’re not a member, but are interested in events like this, please reach out to be put on our mailing list!

TiogaCoWOA@gmail.com

Each year for the Potter-Tioga Maple Tour Weekend, our group meets over breakfast and travels tandem to several local producers.

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This year's we met at Rosie’s in Tioga (formerly MeMaw’s) for breakfast, a very short business meeting and then caravan to this year’s destinations.

Our plan was as follows:
- Leave Rosie's at 9:30ish for the first producer - Butler's on the Elkhorn (Wood-Fired & Reverse Osmosis)
- Next we arrived at DDD/ Davis Farms in Farmington (Reverse Osmosis and Hot Dogs)
- Finally we ended the tour at Hills Creek (All wood-fired) 

Wintertime birdhouse building in Marwin's woodshop. Members and new visitors gather over cocoa to create a dozen bluebird houses.

In following with tradition, members gathered at the Cummings residence to share a meal before the monthly meeting and then adjourn to build birdhouses.

WOA members join the community to walk the woods of landowner Chris Gastrock. Participants learned about deer browse pressure, natural versus selective regeneration, food plots, and apple trees. Along the way we identified plants, amphibians, and birds.

Members display natural artifacts such as bones, feathers, skulls, shells, and full mounts to explore. People were also welcome to sit and create a "god's eye," a woven object made with yarn and found sticks and charms.

Members met at Joe's house and learned to re-plant in slow-draining and other wet areas through the use of live-staking and wattles. Led by Steve Hoover, our adviser from the DCNR.

Members and friends gathered at Anne's house for a chicken BBQ and plant/nature walk led by botanists Chris Firestone of the DCNR and Chris Sacchi, PhD of Kutztown University. We also welcomed the Alexanders' second daughter, Anabel, born 2 weeks prior. The club planted a pear tree to commemorate the event. 

Members of the Woodland's Owners,  joined by a group of participants, walked along a lumber road near Hills Creek .We visited a vernal pond and an area being managed by prescribed burn.  

Club members joined DCNR biologists on a tour of the historic Hesselgessel millstone quarry site in Asaph, where exposed conglomerate and one authentic millstone still stand for the curious to visit.  Next was the USGS Aquatic Research Lab facility at the bottom of the mountain. There we saw the lab's operations, including tanks full of eels being raised for re-introduction into streams for research and to restore both eel and freshwater mussel populations. 

Marwin contacted several of our skilled woodworkers and arranged a woodturners' show with the Gmeiner Art & Cultural Center of Wellsboro, PA. Our members had their work showcased for several weeks