Summertime Sights at Watoga State Park

Ah, those summertime sights, sounds, and smells entice many people to visit Watoga each year. This summer was no different. From the children splashing about in the pool’s crystal-clear water to a family of deer meandering alongside a mountain stream, there’s always something to fill your senses in this 10,000-acre park. Wildlife, Back to Nature, …

Watoga Dark Sky Good for Bats

Watoga dark sky good for bats. Cindy Sandeno, District Ranger of the Marlinton/White Sulphur Springs Ranger District, visited Watoga State Park this past Saturday evening to teach an assembled group of campers, park employees and other interested parties why we need bats, and why they now need us. Sandeno discussed light pollution and how bats …

Synchronous Fireflies, “They Lit Up the Woods Like a Christmas Tree”

Synchronous Fireflies This story, like most, has a backstory. What follows is how something extraordinary was recently discovered in Watoga State Park. A little over a year ago Mack Frantz, a zoologist with West Virginia Department of Natural Resources, was informed by a retired biologist from the same agency that she had observed a rare …

Arrowhead Discoveries in All the Right Places at Watoga

Have you ever seen an arrowhead at Watoga State Park? Recently, I spoke to two gentleman (both named Ken) who found arrowheads at the park. Finding an Arrowhead with your Dad — Priceless Ken Caplinger, former Watoga Assistant Superintendent (1979-1984), later served as West Virginia State Parks Chief and is now a board member of …

The Black Bear Story at Watoga — Creative Endings

Ever eat a peanut butter sandwich right before coming face-to-face with a black bear? And how about seeing a bear with Paul McCartney eyes? With this in mind, the following are readers’ creative endings to earlier posts (Part 1 and Part 2) about the black bear at Watoga State Park. Peanut Butter Sammie, Anyone? The …

The Untold Story of the Black Bear — Part Two

Editor’s Note: The Department of Natural Resources advises all state forest and park visitors to NEVER approach wildlife in an attempt to touch it. The Department of Natural Resources protects the state’s wildlife so that all can enjoy their beauty in West Virginia. The Black Bear’s Blood Drains Near Me I noticed something bright red …

Growing Up at Watoga State Park — The Untold Story of the Black Bear

Part One This is the untold story of the black bear. While it may be true that watching a black bear can be fascinating, seeing one up close and personal is not always a pleasant experience. The Secretive, Shy, Intelligent Black Bear During that magical summer in 1971, there had been endless bicycle rides to …

Let’s Talk Snakes

Let’s Talk Snakes Brian Hirt, one of Watoga’s volunteer trail workers had already put a full morning’s work into the Arboretum on Sunday, May 19. Then he decided to finish out the day by continuing his trail marking project on the Allegheny Trail. He had marked several miles of trail when he ran out of …

Arrowheads at Watoga

Arrowheads at Watoga Background Consider the trails currently existing in Watoga State Park.  Some of these are assumed from existing pioneer trails. And those early but historical trails may have been appropriated from trails trod by the ancients. We now call them Native Americans.  After all, the terrain forces us to take the path of …