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| Photo by
Jacob Dingel |
| Elk Have Antlers; Now
Antenna Too |
| Information Radio
Service for Elk Enthusiasts "Herd" on AM 1620 in
Pennsylvania |
BENEZETTE, PA:
Elk don’t listen to the radio, as far as we know. But
elk enthusiasts? That might be a different story. At
least that’s the hope of the Pennsylvania Game
Commission, whose Winslow Hill Elk Viewing Area in
Northcentral Pennsylvania has become uber-popular
recently.
“We’re in a very remote area with little to no cell
coverage,” states spokesperson Mandy Marconi. “We have a
lot of important information that we want to get out to
visitors, 24 hours, round-the-clock.” That is especially
the case during the fall
"rutting" season, when thousands of elk fans from all over
the world clamor to the two-lane roads just north of
tiny Benezette, Pennsylvania, to experience elk up
close. |
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| Traffic
tangles on Winslow Hill Road as visitors stake out spots
to view the elk. |
The medium of
radio provides a convenient means of reaching them
effectively. “A lot of people pull into our viewing
areas and want to view the animals right from their
cars,” which is especially the case on cold days or if
they have difficulty with mobility. The broadcast
also allows them to listen as they drive the local roads
in search of viewing opportunities. She says
if visitors do get out of their cars, it often is toposition
themselves to get a beetter view of wildlife.
Consequently, they are likely to walk right by kiosks
and signs. “But, almost
everyone has a radio in their car, though; so that's a
natural way to reach them.”
When the elk become active, Marconi comments that some
people will do things they wouldn’t normally do – such as approach
animals or try to feed them or even rescue them. Some will
stop their vehicles in the middle of the road to take
pictures or enter private property. The radio system
repeats advisories intended to keep visitors and
wildlife safe. But in between safety reminders, it does
a lot more. “We want to enhance people’s experience by
telling them the best places and times to view elk and
the other wildlife they may see. We give them a little
history of our elk herd and let them know how we manage
them.” |
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| A Nursery
Herd Consisting of Females and Calves, as Seen from the
Woodring Farm Viewing Site |
The program is
changed seasonally so it’s relevant to what people will
see when they arrive. “This allows us to keep visitors
current with what is happening, but also, if we have some
kind of emergency, we could get that information out to
everyone immediately.”
The fifteen minute , multi-voice broadcast message is
broadcast on an Information Station Specialists’
“Information Station IP” system that was installed
in the fall of 2018 at the Winslow Hill viewing area (hear
sample). The signal range on AM
frequency 1620 is sufficient to blanket the three
viewing areas, the connecting roads and the Elk County
Visitor Center which is operated by the Keystone Elk
Country Alliance (KICA). |
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| The Elk
Country Visitor Center near Benezette, PA, serves as a
home base for wildlife enthusiasts. |
| According to Mandy
Marconi, the Elk Viewing Area learned about the
technology after the success of a similar system
installed in 2017 at the Middle Creek Wildlife
Management area (see
the story) near Harrisburg, which is also managed by
the Commission. |
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| Talking at the Top |
| North Carolina's First
State Park to Install Information Radio Station near
Mount Mitchell Peak – Highest in the Eastern US |
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| Sunrise
from Mount Mitchell State Park |
| BURNSVILLE, NC:
And you thought Mount Washington in New Hampshire was
the tallest peak east of the Mississippi? Most people
do. But Mount Mitchell in North Carolina is actually
higher by about 400 feet, making it literally the top
spot in the eastern US. It is definitely a top spot for
visitors. So, North Carolina’s Mount Mitchell State
Park, which inhabits the summit, plans to install an
Information Radio Service this spring to solve some
informational challenges that visitors experience as
they climb the steep, two-lane approach road to the
venue. |
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The same elevation
that produces 100-mile vistas for visitors, creates a
need for the Park to get info into the hands of incoming
guests prior to their arrival. Snow, ice, fog and high
winds that might not be present in nearby Asheville, can
close the park or make the 1,400-foot ascent road
dangerous. "In addition, cyclists and hikers are often
present on the road,” according to Friends of Mount
Mitchell State Park IT manager Alan Orovitz, who says
the Park plans to use the service to educate and inform
visitors as they drive the last 10 minutes from the gate
to the summit summit – where cellular coverage is spotty.
“With ten minutes to talk to people, we will be able to
tell them about the natural features, history and
amenities of our state’s oldest state park…and also
provide critical safety information if necessary. For
example, if there are severe weather conditions
expected, we definitely don’t want people to start out
on the trail system.” Orovitz is a founding member of
the
North Carolina High Peaks Trail Association/Friends of
Mount Mitchell State Park and knows from whence he
speaks. “We have the ability to drop that content in if
needed.” |
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| Mount
Mitchell State Park visitor center and parking lots are
accessible from the Blue Ridge Parkway just east of
Asheville, NC. |
But he tells
The Source that it is travel and parking directions
that the broadcast will emphasize, because some people
drive right by the Park on the Blue Ridge Parkway and
don’t realize it’s there. After they get inside, guests
tend to park at the Visitor Center and often “don’t
realize that the main show is an additional two miles
farther up the road at the observation deck.” As a
result, the lower parking lots fill unnecessarily. Cate
Ferriera, the park's administrative assistant tells
The Source, "We're really looking forward to having
this service up and running."
Mount Mitchell State Park will join
Hocking
Hills State Park (in Ohio) and many
US National Places that utilize Information Radio
technology to deliver reliable visitor information in
places that lack reliable cellular coverage.
Once on the air, Mount Mitchell State Park’s 1630 kHz
Information Radio service will arguably produce the
highest-elevation AM signal – of any kind – east of the
Mississippi River.
Another "first" for the State of North Carolina's first
state park. |
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