You might think that at a park like Blue Spruce Park, which has been in existence for nearly 50 years, that every species of plant or animal has already been documented. Not true. Just recently we discovered that a population of Seal Salamanders resides in the park. Probably not a large population due to the limited habitat area where they were found but they are here nonetheless, No previous record of Seal Salamanders existed for the park until they were recently discovered. Seal Salamanders are a Species of Concern in PA so we were glad to know they are here and future management of the park will account for their presence. It will be important to protect the ravine area where they reside if we want to keep a viable population here in the future.
One of our favorite early park photos, this scene looks like it could have been taken in the 1800s but it actually dates from the mid-1960s when Pine Ridge Park was first being developed. Most brush clearing work back then was done by hand before the invention of gasoline powered weed eaters. We don't know the names of these workers but they are some of many that worked in our park system over the last, nearly five decades, since the first Indiana County parks were established, We still have some of the scythes pictured in the photo and sometimes we like to have our younger workers try them out, just to get a feel for how it was in the good old days.
If you have ever been to Pine Lodge at Pine Ridge Park this historic photo of the Laird Cabin will give you an idea of what the building once looked like. Once the County acquired the property the foundation of the cabin was used for Pine Lodge but the building was torn down. The pine kitchen cabinets in Pine Lodge were made from pine paneling recycled from the inside of the Laird Cabin. Pine Lodge opened to the public in 1976 and remains a popular location for all types of events and activities.
