Outdoors Notebook– Historic guns gone from Pa. museum; saving the Allegheny woodrat
HARRISBURG – Three antique guns stolen from a Pennsylvania Civil War museum were part of a National Rifle Association-sponsored exhibit that had drawn protests.
National Civil War Museum CEO Wayne Motts told Pennlive.com one of the weapons was a Henry repeating rifle once owned by Simon Cameron, Secretary of War during the Civil War. The other stolen guns were revolvers said to have been presented by Samuel Colt to Cameron in 1861.
Harrisburg Police Capt. Gabriel Olivera said Wednesday the guns were in a display case that was smashed. He said the alarm system malfunctioned during the Sunday morning break-in. Surveillance video shows a male suspect.
The NRA exhibit drew protests last week over the display of Confederate guerrilla leader William Quantrill’s gun. He led the massacre of 180 men and boys in Lawrence, Kan.
Researchers trying to save Allegheny woodrat: Researchers at Frostburg State University are leading a multi-state effort to help save the Allegheny woodrat.
Biology Professor Tom Serfass announced a nearly $100,000 federal grant Wednesday to help fund the two-year project involving researchers in Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Serfass said they’ll study the animal’s interaction with its habitat, and look for nearby raccoons. He said raccoon feces can carry roundworm, which could kill woodrats foraging for food on the forest floor.
The squirrel-sized animal is a state-endangered species in Maryland and New Jersey. It’s listed as threatened in Pennsylvania.
The funds from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Office will be matched by various agencies and institutions, including Frostburg State, for total funding of about $200,000.
Python hunt to conclude: A state-sanctioned hunt on public lands near Miami for invasive Burmese pythons is about to end.
The monthlong Python Challenge ends today at 7 p.m. As of Friday, 102 pythons had been caught since the competition began Jan. 16.
Researchers believe tens of thousands of pythons may be slithering through the Everglades, decimating native mammal populations.
The first public python hunt in 2013 netted 68 snakes. Cool temperatures and more training appeared to help this year’s hunters, who are competing for prizes awarded for the longest python and the most snakes captured.
The hunt’s final tally will be announced at an awards ceremony Feb. 27.
All the snakes captured were killed and turned over to researchers trying to find clues to help control the python population.