The first shovels of ground were overturned in north-central Pennsylvania this week for the construction of the largest elk watching and conservation education center in the eastern United States.

ThePennsylvania WildsElk Country Visitor Center is a public-private partnership between the Commonwealth and theRocky Mountain Elk Foundation, one of the nation's premier conservation organizations.

In addition,Dominion, one of the nation's largest producers and transporters of energy, continues to support elk conservation and education in Pennsylvania.The Dominion Foundationannounced a $250,000 gift to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation for a new Elk Country Visitor Center to be constructed in the Pennsylvania Wilds.

"Dominion has been a great supporter of the Elk Foundation in Pennsylvania for over 14 years. It has steadily contributed to elk habitat enhancement, stewardship and relocation projects, and now is generously helping with a state-of-the-art elk conservation education and tourism center near Winslow Hill," said Rawley Cogan of the Elk Foundation.

"It's incredibly exciting to see this vision for a key destination and world class opportunity in the Pennsylvania Wilds about to become a reality," Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Michael DiBerardinis said. "Elk in the wild are an incredible sight. When we provide the opportunity at the center for people to have this tremendous outdoor experience, we are also instilling in them a sense of wonder and love of nature that will inspire them to become caretakers of our natural resources."

DCNR has a 30-year partnership agreement with the foundation for construction and operation of an 8,400-square-foot green building that will include interpretive exhibits, wildlife trails, viewing blinds and parking for cars and buses.

"This project would not have been possible without the tremendous dedication to conservation from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation," Secretary DiBerardinis said. "We thank them for their commitment and financial support."

Pennsylvania's wild elk herd, the largest in the Northeast, currently attracts more than 75,000 visitors to the Pennsylvania Wilds each fall.

"We see this project as an opportunity to help people understand and appreciate elk and other wildlife, an opportunity to create more conservationists engaged in habitat stewardship and protection," said David Allen, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation president and CEO.

Total costs for completion and 30-year operation of the center are $12 million.

Under the partnership agreement with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, the commonwealth is providing $5 million for design and construction of the center. The foundation is committing an estimated $5.6 million over 30 years for the operation of the facility. The land was acquired with a grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation.

The location of the center is a 245-acre site on Winslow Hill in Benezette Township, Elk County. The site is adjacent to Elk State Forest and State Game Lands 311.

Green building features will include rainwater collection and reuse; night sky friendly light fixtures; use of locally available materials and sustainably harvested timber; and use of low emitting paints, adhesives and carpets. The building will be eligible for Gold LEED certification.

Visitors to the will be greeted by a stone fireplace, a great room with high ceilings supported by large wooden trusses. Interpretive features will include:

>> A panorama of windows looking out on elk viewing areas and forage plots.

>> A Story Theatre presenting a multimedia experience complete with fiber optic star ceiling, a "smoking" campfire and special effects to immerse the visitor in the sights, sounds and smells of a mixed hardwood forest, the natural world of elk and native wildlife and cultural heritage of the region.

>> State of the art interpretive and interactive exhibits that inform and educate the public about elk and wildlife conservation and green building design.

>> Meeting space to support schools and other programming; display space to showcase work of local artisans; and a country store/gift shop.

Construction completion is projected for fall 2009.

Exhibits, displays and educational programs are being designed by Imperial Multimedia of Wisconsin, Magic Lantern of Pittsburgh and the Pennsylvania Institute for Conservation Education of Kempton, Berks County.

The Pennsylvania Wilds regional strategy to encourage the growth of nature-based tourism in northcentral Pennsylvania is being touted as a national model for mobilizing and coordinating the wide array of conservation, tourism promotion, economic development, and community revitalization interests.

Attendance at the Elk Country Center is estimated to reach 160,000 visitors each year by 2016.

Other financial supporters of the Elk Country Center include the Richard King Mellon and Thoreson foundations, Safari Club International and many individual donors.

The center will sit along the Elk Scenic Drive, a 127-mile corridor passing through Cameron, Clinton, Clearfield, Centre and Elk counties. Two state scenic byways - Route 144 and Route 120 - are part of the drive, which takes travelers through three state forests and three state game lands. The drive runs along a spectacular loop between I-80's Penfield Exit 111 and Snow Shoe Exit 147.

The Pennsylvania Wilds covers Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, Forest, Jefferson, Lycoming, McKean, Potter, Tioga and Warren counties.

For more information, visit thePennsylvania Wilds website.

9/26/2008