![\"Asia](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1784718667_147_aa760ff2f0553b061b33268fc66eb8ff48375f82476e32c5860e9da9e477a9f5.png\" "\\"Asia")
<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAsia Tabb is the Host and Producer for WITF\u2019s The Spark.<\/p>\n
She began her start in radio when she joined legendary radio\/ host producer, Doc Christian. She worked closely with Doc for her role on \u201cThe Gospel Express, on WHOV 88.1 FM and was a host for \u201cUnrestricted Praise\u201d at Praise FM.<\/p>\n
Previously she was an anchor in Shreveport, Louisiana at KTAL\/KMSS. Asia also worked as a Multi-Media Journalist at WHP-TV here in Harrisburg, PA.<\/p>\n
Asia got her break into news at KTVO in Ottumwa, Ia. While the 2020 caucuses were gearing up. Asia followed many candidates through their campaign trail from Senator Cory Booker, Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, and 46th President of the United States Joe Biden.<\/p>\n
Asia was born and raised in Norfolk, Va. She graduated from Old Dominion University in 2018 with a major in Communications.<\/p>\n
Asia is extremely friendly so don\u2019t be afraid to say hi if you see her out and about.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
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aired; July 21, 2026<\/p>\n
A coalition of conservation organizations is asking Pennsylvanians to keep an eye on the skies\u2014and the grasslands\u2014as a new statewide effort works to better understand one of the Commonwealth\u2019s rarest birds of prey.<\/p>\n
On The Spark, Sean Murphy, ornithologist with the Pennsylvania Game Commission;<\/a> Jen Sliko, landscape program specialist with Audubon Mid-Atlantic<\/a>; and Bracken M. Brown, biologist-naturalist with Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Association<\/a>, discussed the Pennsylvania Northern Harrier Project<\/a>, a collaborative research effort aimed at protecting the state\u2019s threatened northern harrier.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a very unique raptor, especially in Pennsylvania,\u201d Murphy said. \u201cThey feed over wetlands and open grassland habitat, primarily on small mammals like mice and voles, and they\u2019re listed as a threatened species under state regulations.\u201d<\/p>\n Unlike red-tailed hawks and many other raptors that nest in trees, northern harriers build their nests directly on the ground in expansive grasslands and marshes\u2014a behavior that makes them especially vulnerable as Pennsylvania\u2019s landscape continues to change.<\/p>\n Researchers say the bird\u2019s population has been declining for decades.<\/p>\n \u201cThe second Pennsylvania Breeding Bird Atlas documented a 43% decline in confirmed harriers across the state,\u201d Brown explained. \u201cMore recent research suggests that decline is now closer to 50 percent.\u201d<\/p>\n Brown said the loss of large grasslands, changing farming practices, suburban development and even routine mowing during nesting season have all contributed to the species\u2019 decline.<\/p>\n \u201cWe might be assisting the decline of harriers through accidentally mowing them to death because most people aren\u2019t expecting a hawk to be nesting on the ground,\u201d Brown said.<\/p>\n The northern harrier also serves as an important indicator of ecosystem health.<\/p>\n \u201cRaptors are great indicators of healthy ecosystems,\u201d Brown said. \u201cIf you have enough prey items lower in the food chain to support the predator, that\u2019s a good indication of a healthy area.\u201d<\/p>\n Sliko said scientists still have significant gaps in their understanding of the species, making the project especially valuable.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the reasons it\u2019s important is because we don\u2019t know a lot about it,\u201d she said. \u201cThere has been a decline in northern harriers, but we\u2019re not entirely sure why. This project will help us understand what\u2019s happening and what we can do to bring them back.\u201d<\/p>\n Over the next several years, researchers will revisit historic nesting sites, investigate new sightings, study nesting habitat and, for the first time on the East Coast, use GPS transmitters to follow Pennsylvania\u2019s breeding northern harriers throughout their annual cycle.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll be riding along with these birds for the next three years,\u201d Brown said. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to fill in a lot of information gaps about where they\u2019re nesting, where they\u2019re going and how we can better protect them.\u201d<\/p>\n A key part of the project depends on public participation.<\/p>\n The research team is asking birdwatchers, hikers, farmers and anyone spending time outdoors to report possible northern harrier sightings, especially during the breeding season.<\/p>\n \u201cWe really rely on a strong volunteer effort,\u201d Murphy said. \u201cIf people are out in suitable habitat and they see a harrier, we\u2019re looking for them to report it so we can follow up and hopefully identify nesting birds.\u201d\u00a0 Sliko emphasized that expertise isn\u2019t required to help.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s okay if you\u2019re wrong,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to double-check everything. We\u2019d rather receive too many sightings than not enough because people were afraid to report what they saw.\u201d<\/p>\n The project also highlights the important role private landowners play in wildlife conservation. Because most of Pennsylvania\u2019s open spaces are privately owned, researchers hope future findings can help farmers and landowners balance productive land management with habitat conservation.<\/p>\n \u201cIf that\u2019s the case, how can we work with landowners so they can still have profitable land but manage it in a way that\u2019s not mowing over baby birds?\u201d Sliko said.<\/p>\n For those hoping to spot a northern harrier, Brown recommends visiting large grasslands, marshes and reclaimed mine lands, particularly along the Susquehanna and Delaware river corridors. The birds fly low over open fields and are recognizable by a distinctive white patch at the base of their tail.<\/p>\n The researchers say every observation helps\u2014and every Pennsylvanian can play a role in protecting one of the state\u2019s most unique and threatened raptors.<\/p>\n Listen to The Spark on your favorite platform<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
July 22, 2026 | 6:00 AM
Asia Tabb
Asia…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":249242,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,30,29],"class_list":["post-249241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pennsylvania","tag-pennsylvania","tag-pennsylvania-headlines","tag-pennsylvania-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249241","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=249241"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249241\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/249242"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=249241"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=249241"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=249241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Northern-Harrier-Nestlings-banded-27-days-old-504x672.jpg\")
Often called the \u201cmarsh hawk,\u201d the northern harrier is unlike many of Pennsylvania\u2019s more familiar birds of prey.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Northern-Harrier-Team-672x504.jpg\")
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