Введение
Государственный парк в штате Пенсильвания, США.
Экология
Черный медведь в парке.
It has been estimated that before the arrival of William Penn and his Quaker colonists in 1682, up to 90 percent of what is now Pennsylvania was covered with woods: over 31000 square miles (80,290 km2) of eastern white pine, eastern hemlock, and a mix of hardwoods. By 1890, Ricketts' land was the largest tract of old growth forest remaining in the state, and though he made his fortune clearcutting nearly all his land, the forests in the glens of Ricketts Glen State Park were "saved from the lumberman's axe through the foresight of the Ricketts family". The rough terrain of the glens made it difficult to harvest timber from the area. Many of the old growth trees are believed to be over 500 years old, and ring counts on fallen trees have revealed ages of over 900 years. The old growth forest in the Glens Natural Area is mostly eastern hemlock, eastern white pine, and oaks, and the park is home to 85 species of shrubs, woody vines, and trees, including seven kinds of conifers. The streams and lakes of Ricketts are fisheries for many fish species, defined by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission as "streams which support a population of naturally produced trout of sufficient size and abundance to support a long term and rewarding sport fishery". Lake Jean is home to brook trout, brown trout, brown bullhead, and yellow bullhead. Acid rain with a pH near 3.0 has altered the ecology of the lakes and region; in Lake Jean low pH has decreased the number and quality of insects and plankton at the base of the food chain. Fish which are acid tolerant are predominant, including fathead minnows, muskellunge, pumpkinseed, walleye, and yellow perch. Predators like chain pickerel and largemouth bass are relatively few in number, and adult fish appear to grow rapidly but breed comparatively poorly. Among perhaps of old growth forest, two branches of Kitchen Creek cut through the deep gorges of Ganoga Glen and Glen Leigh and unite at Waters Meet; then flow through Ricketts Glen. These old trees are commonly up to 100 feet (30 m) tall, with diameters of almost 4 feet (1 m). The park has a great variety of trees as it lies at the boundary between the northern and southern types of hardwoods. In 1993, the state designated the Glens Natural Area a State Park Natural Area, which means that it "will be protected and maintained in a natural state". No buildings or latrines are allowed in the natural area, and the bridges in it are built with wood, not steel or concrete. White tailed deer became locally extinct on Ricketts' land by 1912, mirroring the sharp decline in Pennsylvania's deer population from overhunting and loss of habitat in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The state imported nearly 1,200 white tailed deer from Michigan between 1906 and 1925 to re establish the species throughout Pennsylvania, and Ricketts brought deer to the area of the park in 1914. Pennsylvania's deer population rebounded from roughly one thousand in 1905 to roughly one million in 1928. Deer are now one of the most numerous mammals in the park, and their overbrowsing threatens development of trees and plants there. The deer eat most of the saplings and shrubs before they can reach their full size, which reduces the number of low lying plants many birds use for shelter. In 1995 and 1996, 39 fishers were released in the State Game Lands adjoining the park, and breeding populations appear to have been reestablished. The coyote seems to have come to the state in the 1930s. Black bear and wild turkey populations were also severely affected by overhunting and loss of habitat; the recovery of their populations in the 20th century has been "aided by the re growth of the eastern deciduous forest". Bears prefer a mixed forest of hickory and oak with an understory of shrubs such as blueberry and laurel; they use patches of coniferous forest for cover during the winter months. Ricketts Glen State Park is featured in the Audubon Society's Susquehanna River Birding and Wildlife Trail Guide. Ornithologists and bird watchers have recorded a total of 75 species at Ricketts Glen State Park and within the North Mountain IBA. Several factors contribute to the high total of bird species observed: there is a large area of forest in the park, as well as great habitat diversity. The location along the Allegheny Front also contributes to the diverse bird populations. There are 120 campsites at Ricketts Glen State Park. Each campsite has access to washhouses with flush toilets, showers, and laundry tubs. The campsites also have fire rings and picnic tables. There are two camping areas on the shores of Lake Jean, with one of the campgrounds on a peninsula. There is also an organized group tenting area, which can accommodate six groups of up to 40 persons.
По оценкам, до прибытия Уильяма Пенна и его квакеров в 1682 году до 90 процентов территории современной Пенсильвании было покрыто лесом: более 80 000 квадратных километров восточной белой сосны, восточной гемилоки и смешанных лиственных пород. К 1890 году земля Рикеттса представляла собой самый большой сохранившийся участок старого леса в штате, и хотя он сделал состояние, вырубив почти все свои земли, леса в ущельях Государственного парка Рикеттс Глен были "спасены от топора лесоруба благодаря дальновидности семьи Рикеттс". Неровный рельеф ущелий затруднял заготовку древесины в этом районе. Считается, что многим из старых деревьев более 500 лет, а подсчет годичных колец на поваленных деревьях показал возраст свыше 900 лет. Старый лес в природной зоне Гленс состоит в основном из восточной гемилоки, восточной белой сосны и дубов, а в парке обитает 85 видов кустарников, древесных лиан и деревьев, включая семь видов хвойных. Реки и озера Рикеттса являются рыболовными угодьями для многих видов рыб, которые, согласно определению Комиссии по рыбе и лодкам Пенсильвании, представляют собой "водотоки, поддерживающие популяцию естественно воспроизводимой форели достаточного размера и численности для обеспечения долгосрочного и полноценного спортивного рыболовства". В озере Жан обитают ручьевая форель, бурая форель, американский сомик и желтый сомик. Кислотные дожди с pH около 3,0 изменили экологию озер и региона; в озере Жан низкий pH уменьшил количество и качество насекомых и планктона, составляющих основу пищевой цепи. Преобладают рыбы, устойчивые к кислотам, включая пескаря, мускулунга, солнечника, судака и желтого окуня. Хищников, таких как щука и окунь полосатый, относительно немного, а взрослые рыбы, по-видимому, быстро растут, но сравнительно плохо размножаются. Среди, возможно, древних лесов две ветви Китчен-Крик прорезают глубокие ущелья Ганога-Глен и Глен-Ли и соединяются в Уотерс-Мит; затем они текут через Рикеттс-Глен. Эти старые деревья обычно достигают 30 метров в высоту, а диаметр составляет почти 1 метр. В парке большое разнообразие деревьев, поскольку он расположен на границе между северными и южными типами лиственных пород. В 1993 году штат объявил природную зону Гленс природной зоной государственного парка, что означает, что она "будет защищена и поддерживаться в естественном состоянии". В природной зоне не допускается строительство зданий или туалетов, а мосты в ней построены из дерева, а не из стали или бетона. Белохвостые олени исчезли на землях Рикеттса к 1912 году, что отражает резкое сокращение популяции оленей в Пенсильвании из-за чрезмерной охоты и потери среды обитания в конце 19-го и начале 20-го веков. Штат импортировал около 1200 белохвостых оленей из Мичигана в период с 1906 по 1925 год, чтобы восстановить вид по всей Пенсильвании, а Рикеттс привез оленей в район парка в 1914 году. Популяция оленей в Пенсильвании восстановилась с примерно тысячи в 1905 году до примерно миллиона в 1928 году. В настоящее время олени - одно из самых многочисленных млекопитающих в парке, и их чрезмерный выпас угрожает развитию деревьев и растений. Олени съедают большинство саженцев и кустарников до того, как они достигнут своего полного размера, что уменьшает количество низкорослых растений, которые многие птицы используют в качестве укрытия. В 1995 и 1996 годах 39 рысей были выпущены на государственных охотничьих угодьях, прилегающих к парку, и, по-видимому, восстановились размножающиеся популяции. Койоты, по-видимому, появились в штате в 1930-х годах. На популяции черного медведя и дикой индейки также сильно повлияли чрезмерная охота и потеря среды обитания; восстановлению их популяций в 20-м веке "способствовало восстановление восточного широколиственного леса". Медведи предпочитают смешанный лес из ореха и дуба с подлеском из кустарников, таких как черника и лавр; они используют участки хвойных лесов для укрытия в зимние месяцы. Государственный парк Рикеттс-Глен представлен в Руководстве по наблюдению за птицами и дикой природой реки Сусквеханна от Общества Одюбона. Орнитологи и наблюдатели за птицами зарегистрировали в общей сложности 75 видов в государственном парке Рикеттс-Глен и в пределах Северной горной зоны IBA. Несколько факторов способствуют высокому количеству наблюдаемых видов птиц: в парке большая площадь леса, а также большое разнообразие мест обитания. Расположение вдоль Аллегенского фронта также способствует разнообразию популяций птиц. В парке Рикеттс Глен есть 120 кемпингов. Каждый кемпинг имеет доступ к умывальникам с туалетами, душевыми и раковинами для стирки. На кемпингах также есть кострища и столы для пикника. На берегу озера Жан есть две зоны для кемпинга, одна из которых расположена на полуострове. Также есть организованная групповая палаточная зона, которая может вместить шесть групп до 40 человек.
It has been estimated that before the arrival of William Penn and his Quaker colonists in 1682, up to 90 percent of what is now Pennsylvania was covered with woods: over 31000 square miles (80,290 km2) of eastern white pine, eastern hemlock, and a mix of hardwoods. By 1890, Ricketts' land was the largest tract of old growth forest remaining in the state, and though he made his fortune clearcutting nearly all his land, the forests in the glens of Ricketts Glen State Park were "saved from the lumberman's axe through the foresight of the Ricketts family". The rough terrain of the glens made it difficult to harvest timber from the area. Many of the old growth trees are believed to be over 500 years old, and ring counts on fallen trees have revealed ages of over 900 years. The old growth forest in the Glens Natural Area is mostly eastern hemlock, eastern white pine, and oaks, and the park is home to 85 species of shrubs, woody vines, and trees, including seven kinds of conifers. The streams and lakes of Ricketts are fisheries for many fish species, defined by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission as "streams which support a population of naturally produced trout of sufficient size and abundance to support a long term and rewarding sport fishery". Lake Jean is home to brook trout, brown trout, brown bullhead, and yellow bullhead. Acid rain with a pH near 3.0 has altered the ecology of the lakes and region; in Lake Jean low pH has decreased the number and quality of insects and plankton at the base of the food chain. Fish which are acid tolerant are predominant, including fathead minnows, muskellunge, pumpkinseed, walleye, and yellow perch. Predators like chain pickerel and largemouth bass are relatively few in number, and adult fish appear to grow rapidly but breed comparatively poorly. Among perhaps of old growth forest, two branches of Kitchen Creek cut through the deep gorges of Ganoga Glen and Glen Leigh and unite at Waters Meet; then flow through Ricketts Glen. These old trees are commonly up to 100 feet (30 m) tall, with diameters of almost 4 feet (1 m). The park has a great variety of trees as it lies at the boundary between the northern and southern types of hardwoods. In 1993, the state designated the Glens Natural Area a State Park Natural Area, which means that it "will be protected and maintained in a natural state". No buildings or latrines are allowed in the natural area, and the bridges in it are built with wood, not steel or concrete. White tailed deer became locally extinct on Ricketts' land by 1912, mirroring the sharp decline in Pennsylvania's deer population from overhunting and loss of habitat in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The state imported nearly 1,200 white tailed deer from Michigan between 1906 and 1925 to re establish the species throughout Pennsylvania, and Ricketts brought deer to the area of the park in 1914. Pennsylvania's deer population rebounded from roughly one thousand in 1905 to roughly one million in 1928. Deer are now one of the most numerous mammals in the park, and their overbrowsing threatens development of trees and plants there. The deer eat most of the saplings and shrubs before they can reach their full size, which reduces the number of low lying plants many birds use for shelter. In 1995 and 1996, 39 fishers were released in the State Game Lands adjoining the park, and breeding populations appear to have been reestablished. The coyote seems to have come to the state in the 1930s. Black bear and wild turkey populations were also severely affected by overhunting and loss of habitat; the recovery of their populations in the 20th century has been "aided by the re growth of the eastern deciduous forest". Bears prefer a mixed forest of hickory and oak with an understory of shrubs such as blueberry and laurel; they use patches of coniferous forest for cover during the winter months. Ricketts Glen State Park is featured in the Audubon Society's Susquehanna River Birding and Wildlife Trail Guide. Ornithologists and bird watchers have recorded a total of 75 species at Ricketts Glen State Park and within the North Mountain IBA. Several factors contribute to the high total of bird species observed: there is a large area of forest in the park, as well as great habitat diversity. The location along the Allegheny Front also contributes to the diverse bird populations. There are 120 campsites at Ricketts Glen State Park. Each campsite has access to washhouses with flush toilets, showers, and laundry tubs. The campsites also have fire rings and picnic tables. There are two camping areas on the shores of Lake Jean, with one of the campgrounds on a peninsula. There is also an organized group tenting area, which can accommodate six groups of up to 40 persons.