Allegheny Front: Cynthia Berger Bio

Cynthia Berger

Cynthia Berger is producer/director at WPSU-FM in State College, where she has launched BookMark, a community book review show, and two series, "Pennsylvania Radio Expeditions" and "Sports That Are Not Football." As a freelancer writer, she has also contributed to the CBS syndicated feature "The Osgood File" and the NSF-funded science feature, "Earth and Sky." The photo to the right shows Cynthia on a trip to India in April 2006.

Stories by Cynthia Berger:

Fly Fishing in Central Pennsylvania - Central Pennsylvania's not only known for college football but it's world famous for fly fishing - with some of the best east of the Mississippi. WPSU's Cynthia Berger reports on the National Fly Fishing Competition in the State College area. Aired week of 10/28/2009.

Bringing Back a Rare Butterfly - Fort Indiantown Gap near Harrisburg is the training ground for the Pennsylvania National Guard where soldiers practice with machine guns, tanks, and grenades. Over the years, the explosions have had unexpected consequences. They've maintained habitat for threatened wildlife. WPSU's Cynthia Berger reports as part of our series, Protecting Pennsylvania's Wildlife. Aired week of 08/05/2009.

Scientists Scale Cliffs to Band Peregrines - Peregrine falcons were nearly wiped out by exposure to the pesticide DDT in the mid-20th century. Now, peregrines -- fastest bird on Earth -- are starting to make a comeback in cities. Here in Pennsylvania, the birds are slowly starting to populate their natural nesting sites on cliffs. Cynthia Berger of WPSU has this report. Aired week of 05/27/2009.

Spiderman - Wolf spiders may frighten the arachnophobic. But, Susquehanna University's Matt Persons also hopes their mere presence might scare off harmful insects down on the farm. Aired week of 08/15/2007.

Invasion of the Gypsy Moths - The gypsy moth outbreak this spring was the worst in Pennsylvania in more than a decade. Very hungry caterpillars chewed the leaves off trees on more than a million acres. The state DID spray...and recently, Bureau of Forestry biologists checked on the success of the spray program. Cynthia Berger has this report. Aired week of 07/18/2007.

Interview with Gary Alt on Black Bears - Gary Alt is best known as one of the nation's leading experts on the biology of the black bear. Cynthia Berger talks with Alt about the growing number of black bears in Pennsylvania and how they're getting along with a growing human population. This is an excerpt of a longer interview that aired on WPSU's Take Note Radio. Aired week of 05/09/2007.

Bringing Back the Barn Owl - Barn owls are the worldā€™s most widespread owls, found on every continent except Antarctica. In Pennsylvania, though, barn owls are in trouble. The population has shrunk drastically since 1989. A new Conservation Initiative could help bring barn owls back, as Cynthia Berger reports on this expedition to a Mennonite barnyard, east of State College. Aired week of 01/03/2007.

PA Ginseng Study - Pound for pound, what's the most valuable plant in Pennsylvania forests? Not walnut or cherry, it's the root of an inconspicuous plant called ginseng. Hong Kong markets pay big bucks for Pennsylvania 'SANG,' used in traditional medicine.

Penn State grad student Eric Burkhart is studying sustainable cultivation of ginseng, and in this installment of Pennsylvania Radio Expeditions, he takes WPSU's Cynthia Berger to visit one of his favorite forest patches. Aired week of 09/13/2006.

Snail Hunter - As you walk through the Pennsylvania woods, what you tend to notice are the mega-fauna: animals that are fairly large, like deer or squirrels or birds. Then there are the tiny creatures you may not notice: like Pennsyvania's 20 species of land snails. In the western part of the state, Tim Pearce of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History wants to make sure snails get their share of the limelight. Cynthia Berger has this report. Aired week of 08/23/2006.

Moorhen Marsh - The months of May and June are when most birds in Pennsylvania build their nests, lay their eggs and raise their young. May and June are also when thousands of bird watchers fan out across the state, to find and study those bird families. They're collecting data for the second edition of the Pennsylvania Breeding Bird Atlas.

Altoona resident Roy Boyle is one of those volunteers. He's found three species of pretty unusual birds in a pretty unusual place. Cynthia Berger reports. Aired week of 06/28/2006.

Cave Conservation - Much of Pennsylvania bedrock is limestone and where there's limestone, there are caves. You might not realize it, but caves need special protection for their striking rock formations, for the wildlife that relies on caves, and because protecting caves protects the water you drink. Cynthia Berger goes underground in one of the most beautiful caves in PA, to learn how local groups are protecting cave habitat. Aired week of 03/29/2006.

Vernal Pools - Take a walk in the woods in late March and early April, and you'll notice that melting snow and spring rain have left some pretty big puddles on the forest floor. These puddles are called vernal pools. From the time they form, to the time they dry up, they're the scene of some pretty wild action. Cynthia Berger has this report. Aired week of 03/22/2006.

Tundra Swans - As their name indicates, tundra swans raise their young on the treeless Arctic tundra. But in winter, thousands of these majestic white waterbirds are right here, in Pennsylvania. Biologists don’t know what paths swans take on their annual migrations, whether they return to the same places year after year, or how well they survive during their time here. Fly along with PA Game Commission biologists as they conduct an airborne swan survey along the Susquehannah. Aired week of 03/01/2006.

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