PARC Virtual Tour
Strip Mine Road Nets
9 Nets total, in 4 sets of 2-3 nets
The Strip Mine Road Nets are mostly parallel to a gravel
service road that historically was a farm lane and later
provided access to small strip mines that were begun in the
1940s. Mining activity was halted in the early 1950s after
the land was purchased for the purpose of donating it to
Carnegie Museum as one of several original tracts of land
(totaling over 400 hectares) for establishing its field research
station, Powdermill Nature Reserve, in 1956. The Reserve
has doubled in size since then.
Strip Mine Road Nets 1-3 and 4-5 are in association with
small riparian areas, and so have shrubs like willow and silky
dogwood in association with portions of them, but Strip Mine
Road Nets 6-7 and 8-9 are in entirely upland situations.
Both of these net lanes are located the edges of experimental
"game food plots" planted for wildlife enhancement shortly after
the Reserve was established in the mid-1950s. A number of
the fruiting shrubs originally introduced into these areas along
the Strip Mine Road, including Morrow's honeysuckle and autumn
olive, have naturalized extensively in the successional habitats
on the Reserve (including virtually all of the banding area).
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Looking up the Strip Mine Road
Strip Mine Road Nets 1-3 are to the left and roughly
parallel with the bottom portion of the road. |
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Strip Mine Road Nets 1, 2, & 3 |
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Strip Mine Road Nets 4 & 5
These nets are roughly perpendicular to the south side
of the Strip Mine Road.
Net 4 is dominated by multiflora rose, while Net 5 is in
more of a wetland situation, extending almost to the
bank of Crisp Pond, and is dominated by willows |
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Looking up Strip Mine Road from
Nets 4 & 5.
Long Lane Nets 1-9 are perpendicular to the road to the
north (left) side, just beyond the first patch of shaded
road in the photo.
Strip Mine Road Nets 6 & 7 and 8 & 9 are on the right
side of (and parallel to) the road, beginning at the
upper patch of shade across the road). |
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Strip Mine Rd Nets 6 & 7 |
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Strip Mine Rd Nets 8 & 9 |
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