Clear skies. Low 41F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph..
Clear skies. Low 41F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.
Updated: October 22, 2022 @ 6:30 pm
Cook Forest State Park Manager Ryan Borcz points out an area where deer were spotted to Assistant Park Manager Joe Guthrie at the new hunting area that accommodates disabled people.
This sign greets visitors to the new hunting area in Cook Forest State Park that accommodates disabled people.
Cook Forest State Park Manager Ryan Borcz points out an area where deer were spotted to Assistant Park Manager Joe Guthrie at the new hunting area that accommodates disabled people.
This sign greets visitors to the new hunting area in Cook Forest State Park that accommodates disabled people.
COOKSBURG — The legacy of two brothers will aid hunters with disabilities in the Cook Forest area.
Jeff “Cuffy” and Jim Calderwood grew up in the Sigel area, and Jim Calderwood worked for Clear Creek State Park (now part of the Cook Forest State Park) for most of his life.
Jim Calderwood, the younger brother, died first; when Jeff Calderwood died, the park learned a 110-acre tract, just off of Route 36, had been given to the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
“That made sense to me,” said Suzanne Reinsel, an environmental educator at Clear Creek State Park who worked with Jim Calderwood. “Jim was a big man who always played ‘Smokey the Bear’ for us. He always volunteered to work the first day of hunting season so everyone else could go hunting. He loved the woods but never hunted.
“I think it is very fitting that he is making sure everyone can hunt to this day.”
Cook Forest Park Manager Ryan Borcz said “Cuffy” gave the park permission to use the tract “on a handshake.”
“I think he knew his brother’s intention was for this to become part of the park. When (“Cuffy”) passed in 2017, we learned that he had donated 110 acres to the park,” Borcz said.
The park on two sides already bordered the new property.
“It was exciting from the start to receive this,” Borcz said, and a service road already existed on the property that was improved by the addition of limestone and improved drainage.
“An area for handicapped hunting is something we had not offered at Cook Forest,” Borcz said. “Statewide, we are encouraged to develop opportunities like this. We have had people call and ask about an area like this. We have had three or four applications over the past several years.”
Internally, he said, it is being called “Cuffy’s tract” but “you will not be seeing this on a map any time soon.” There will be a placard placed on a stone at the entrance to the tract acknowledging the donation.
And, that donation had an additional benefit.
“This allows us to access the 8-mile-long Tobecco Trail,” Borcz said. “It runs right down to the river and links Cook Forest and Clear Creek State Park along the Clarion River. This is a connector trail to the Tobecco.”
A sign on the access road forbids entry by any vehicle that does not have the required permit. Those permits are obtained through the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
Assistant Park Manager Joe Guthrie said there are two parking lots on the property. One is for anyone to use and the second is for use only by disabled people.
Borcz said there might be four-wheeler traffic allowed on the trail in the future, but he “would allow some on the trail now if they asked permission.”
To Cook Forest Environmental Specialist Dale Luthringer, “this is like a new area. We don’t have many fields in Cook Forest. It’s mostly woods and a river. To me this is a new habitat to study.”
“We have been treating invasive species out here, such as barberry. Some of it went up the trees 30 or 40 feet. We continue to take a bite out of it at a time.”
In the field are blueberries and “most likely ‘Cuffy’ planted them years ago,” Luthringer said. “Hopefully, next year, we can plant a wildflower mix and promote butterflies. We will plant milkweed in one corner and place bluebird boxes.”
There is plenty of wildlife in the area.
“We see numerous turkey, deer and bear back in here,” Luthringer said. “In one corner, you can see where the bears have been dragging garbage up there. There is a deer path right through the center of the property.”
And, Borcz said, “We have cellphone service here, too. If a hunter is out here alone that may be a lifesaver.”
There are other hunting areas in the region that accommodate disabled people.
“In my district, in Clarion County, we have a handicapped hunting area in Mill Creek Township and State Game Lands 45,” Game Warden Alex Dicicco said. Those hunters may hunt from their vehicle with a special permit, for which there is no fee.
RANDY BARTLEY, reporter for The Derrick and The News-Herald, can be reached at 814-226-7000 or at [email protected].
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COOKSBURG — The legacy of two brothers will aid hunters with disabilities in the Cook Forest area.
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