Fall foliage, PFBC president's goals and what to know about CWD in deer

With the leaves slowly changing colors across the landscape, a weekly resource is now available to monitor fall foliage across Pennsylvania.

Starting today, weekly fall foliage reports are available on the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources website . A new report will be available each Thursday and continuing into the beginning of November.

The peak season is usually mid-October so start planning your road trips now. Pennsylvania has 124 state parks and about 2.2 million acres of state forestland to give everyone an opportunity to enjoy the leaves from their vehicle or along their favorite trail.

I also have a few stories for you this week that are linked below:

• With archery deer hunting seasons getting underway, the Pennsylvania Game Commission offers some insights and advice about Chronic Wasting Disease.
• I spent some time with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission’s president about the opportunities and challenges anglers face. He and the rest of the agency’s board are working on a variety of topics to create more access for anglers and boaters.
• Here’s one to share with your favorite angler. Do you know the difference between bobbers, floats and indicators? I spoke with an expert fisherman who explains when you should use each one of these on your fishing line.
• The last story I have today involves Somerset Lake. The PFBC plans to temporarily lower the lake in early spring for a repair project. I spoke to the agency’s engineer about how much water will be left out, and how soon the lake should be full again.

Have a good weekend and happy leaf watching

Brian Whipkey is the outdoors columnist for USA TODAY Network sites in Pennsylvania. Contact him with questions about the outdoors or story ideas at bwhipkey@gannett.com or 814-444-5928. Follow him on Facebook @whipkeyoutdoors .

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Fall foliage, PFBC president's goals and what to know about CWD in deer