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Alicia Antoinette Luczak and Robert Alan Marr, Jr. announce their engagement

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Local bass tournament schedules and results

<p>In a 10-year span from 2002 to 2012, the Pinchot State Forest didn&#8217;t just double in size.</p><p>It did more than triple or even quadruple.</p><p>During that decade, the size of the Pinchot State Forest, which includes tracts in Luzerne, Lackawanna, Wayne, Susquehanna and Wyoming counties grew from 8,100 acres to 46,574.</p><p>Managed by the state Bureau of Forestry, the land, which was formerly called the Lackawanna Forest District, is a conglomeration of virtually every habitat type that can be found in northeastern Pennsylvania. It extends from Moosic Mountain south to Mocanaqua, and the task of managing it all falls on service forester Nick Lylo and his staff.</p><p>It&#8217;s a challenge that Lylo is happy to accept.</p><p>&#8220;Many foresters have the opportunity to manage a state forest, but very few have the opportunity to create a state forest,&#8221; Lylo said.</p><p>When Lylo came to the district in 2002 the acreage totaled 8,100 acres on two tracts - Thornhurst (7,000 acres) and West Nanticoke (1,100 acres).</p><p>But that didn&#8217;t last long.</p><p>Beginning in 2005 the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources began to acquire parcels across the region, thanks to a coalition of land trusts and conservancies and enormous swaths of property made available by a handful of landowners, such as the Theta Land Corp, Earth Conservancy and Blue Ridge Reality.</p><p>The first purchase was made from Theta and included almost 2,500 acres along the Harveys Creek corridor from West Nanticoke to state Route 118. After that, the land acquisitions came in a flurry.</p><p>&#8220;The district grew very rapidly. There hasn&#8217;t been that kind of growth since the 1920s,&#8221; Lylo said.</p><p>Even the original tracts grew in size. Thanks to purchases from Theta, the Thornhurst tract nearly doubled in size to 13,000 acres. But the largest acquisition was the Montage Mountain tract, which totalled more than 8,000 acres surrounding the Montage Mountain Ski Resort. Lylo said the parcel is so large that crews have yet to tackle the boundary work.</p><p>&#8220;I knew there was some opportunity because of the water company selling land but never at the scale we&#8217;ve obtained,&#8221; Lylo said. &#8220;We had willing sellers, the partnership and the support. Everything came together at the right time.&#8221;</p><p>So what&#8217;s in store for the newly-acquired acreage?</p><p>That answer is simple, according to Lylo.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re going to manage it as part of the state forest system, which means it will be protected, conserved and managed for the citizens of Pennsylvania,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It rings the Wyoming and Lackawanna valleys and it&#8217;s not going to be developed. That&#8217;s the biggest impact this land will have in the future.&#8221;</p><p>A look at the tracts comprising the Pinchot State Forest:</p><p><strong>Harveys Creek Tract:</strong> Encompasses the Harveys Creek stream corridor from West Nanticoke to state Route 118. Approximately 2,500 acres and was acquired from the Theta Land Corp.</p><p>&#8220;Harveys Creek runs the whole length of the tract and is the biggest feature,&#8221; Lylo said. &#8220;It&#8217;s a hidden gem for trout anglers.&#8221;</p><p><strong>Mocanaqua Tract:</strong> Includes the Mocanaqua Loop Trail and Penobscot Mountain. The 3,400 acre parcel was heavily mined decades ago and is the site of the former West End Colliery. The tract is defined by a pristine mountain ridge that extends right up to Lily Lake.</p><p><strong>Seven Tubs and Deep Hollow Tract:</strong> Acquired from Luzerne County. The Seven Tubs is a popular destination in the summer.</p><p><strong>Crystal Lake Tract:</strong> Includes environmentally-significant areas such as Arbutus Peak and scrub oak barrens. The Joe Palooka monument along route 309 is also part of the tract.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s like a Canadian wilderness but only minutes from Wilkes-Barre,&#8221; Lylo said.</p><p><strong>Thornhurst Tract:</strong> The original parcel of the Pinchot State Forest, at nearly 13,000 acres it&#8217;s the largest tract in the system. Located on the Pocono Plateau, the parcel features red and black spruce, tamaracks and bogs common to a Pocono forest. The Lehigh River traverses the tract.</p><p><strong>Montage Tract:</strong> An expansive parcel surrounding the Montage Mountain Ski Resort. Just minutes from Scranton and home to numerous streams holding native trout.</p><p><strong>Elmhurst Tract:</strong> Located in the Roaring Brook watershed, the tract is comprised of several parcels. Formerly owned by the Theta Land Corp. Lylo said protecting the watershed and providing recreation opportunities along Roaring Brook are the goals for the tract.</p><p><strong>Moosic Mountain Tract:</strong> Home to a series of dams and reservoirs in the Olyphant area. The remote tract is prime rattlesnake habitat.</p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/web1_tubs.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">The Seven Tubs is one of eight tracts comprising the Pinchot Forest District, which totals more than 46,500 acres. In 2002 the district encompassed 8,100 acres, but over the past 10 years, it has grown rapidly thanks to large land purchases between the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and several landowner entities. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/web1_tubs.jpg</photo0><caption0>The Seven Tubs is one of eight tracts comprising the Pinchot Forest District, which totals more than 46,500 acres. In 2002 the district encompassed 8,100 acres, but over the past 10 years, it has grown rapidly thanks to large land purchases between the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and several landowner entities. </caption0><photoCredit0>Clark Van Orden| For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/web1_PinchotSF1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">The Harveys Creek corridor is popular with trout anglers, and access to the stream is plentiful thanks to its inclusion in the Pinchot State Forest. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/web1_PinchotSF1.jpg</photo1><caption1>The Harveys Creek corridor is popular with trout anglers, and access to the stream is plentiful thanks to its inclusion in the Pinchot State Forest. </caption1><photoCredit1>PA Bureau of Forestry </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/web1_PinchotSF2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">A waterfall on Rattlesnake Run in the Montage Mountain tract is part of the Pinchot State Forest. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/web1_PinchotSF2.jpg</photo2><caption2>A waterfall on Rattlesnake Run in the Montage Mountain tract is part of the Pinchot State Forest. </caption2><photoCredit2>PA Bureau of Forestry </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/web1_PinchotSF3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Remnants of the coal mining era are evident on the Mocanaqua Tract, which is part of the Pinchot State Forest. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/web1_PinchotSF3.jpg</photo3><caption3>Remnants of the coal mining era are evident on the Mocanaqua Tract, which is part of the Pinchot State Forest. </caption3><photoCredit3>PA Bureau of Forestry </photoCredit3></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Tom Venesky</p><p>tvenesky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Tom Venesky at 570-991-6395 or on Twitter @TLTomVenesky</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Growth of the Pinchot State Forest defines Northeastern Pennsylvania