Construction Of Premier Elk Viewing Facility Begins

A north-central Pennsylvania hillside is being transformed into the largest elk watching and conservation education center in the eastern United States.

 

Construction started late last week at the Pennsylvania Wilds Elk Country Visitor Center, a public-private partnership between the state and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, one of the nation's premier conservation organizations.

 

"Start of construction is a major step forward for the people of Benezette, the RMEF and all those who hold Pennsylvania's unique and regal wild elk herd close to their hearts," said John Quigley, Acting Secretary of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

 

"The Pennsylvania Wilds Elk Country Visitor Center will emerge as key destination and world-class opportunity for Pennsylvania Wilds visitors to view and learn more about elk and the wealth of other natural resources in Elk County," he added.

 

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 state-of-the-art facility will be within a six-hour drive for 50 million people," said Rawley Cogan, RMEF's Northeast Lands Program Manager. "When they come and stand in that center, with elk grazing in the meadow below them, it will be a powerful experience. It will make a difference in how visitors view the natural world around them."

 

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

 

A groundbreaking was held last September. General construction began May 20 after a series of four major bids, totaling almost $4.5 million, were awarded. Major project contractors are: Poole Anderson Corp., State College, general construction; Overdorf Mechanicals Inc., DuBois, heating, ventilation, air conditioning; Solveson Contracting Inc., Emporium, plumbing; and Penn-Ohio Electrical Contracting, Masury, Ohio. Construction is expected to be completed by Spring 2010.

 

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 $1.4 million grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation.

 

The center is sited on 245 acres on Winslow Hill in Benezette Township, Elk County, and 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.

 

The center will feature 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; and

 

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

 

The Pennsylvania Wilds regional strategy to encourage the growth of nature-based tourism in north central 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, Dominion 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 Route 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 the Pennsylvania Wilds webpage.