In Slovene and Macedonian the origin of the word once used for “February” relates to cutting wood or trees.  I’m sure the people speaking those languages spent a lot of time cutting wood for their February fires.

Many of NPC’s landowners also heat with wood.  During conversations with landowners thinking about a conservation easement the topic of firewood often comes up.  The conservation easements NPC drafts allow the landowner to cut firewood for their use.  We recognize the forest is renewable (if managed properly) and can provide resources like firewood for us and generations to come.

According to the website “History Orb” on January 10,  1910 the first photograph from an airplane in the U.S. was taken.  Now, this may not seem like a big deal to you, but we use aerial photographs all the time at NPC.

Aerial photographs not only give us a different perspective of a property and its role in the landscape, but also allow us to better understand a property’s history.

Do you want to see what your neighborhood looks like from above?  Well, if you’re reading this, you’ve got a computer.  : – )  You can go to Google or Bing (both have fairly recent aerial photographs) and enter your address then select maps.  You should get an aerial view that’s pretty close to the address you entered.

For historic maps, you’ll want to visit PennPilot, http://www.pennpilot.psu.edu/index.html

Looking for a gift for that hard to shop for friend or family member?

Let NPC help you out.  Make a donation in their honor.  Your tax deductible donation will help conserve working farms and forests in our region, let your friend or family member know you care about them and their quality of life, and save on the gift wrapping!

Just send your donation to NPC, PO Box 2083, Williamsport, PA  17703.  Include the name of the person you’re honoring with the gift, their mailling address, and the occasion for the gift (Christmas, Hanukkah, Boxing Day, Kwanzaa, etc.).  We’ll send you a thank you letter, and they’ll receive a letter to inform them of your gift, a NPC window decal, a recent newsletter, and a photograph of a NPC completed project.

Any donation of $35 or more will also provide the recipient with one-year of NPC’s newsletter.

With a donation of $50 or more, we’ll throw in a NPC baseball cap (for you or the gift recipient).  Just let us know who gets the cap, and we’ll drop it in the mail.

If you’d prefer to use a credit card, call the office (570-323-6222) and we can get all the information over the phone.

**The photo is of Sheryl peering into the ice cave at Jacoby Falls several years ago.  Thanks to our members and partners NPC was able to acquire a property to ensue public access to the Falls.

Enjoy a little of the red, white, and blue that you’ve helped to conserve!

(red maple leaf, bloodroot, and early low blueberries)