The Lumber Heritage Region of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Wilds Planning Team are pleased to announce the recipients of its 2012 Mini-Grant Program. The purpose of the grant is to fund projects that promote heritage and nature-based tourism in the region. Thirty thousand dollars from a grant from the Community Conservation Partnerships Program (C2P2), Environmental Stewardship Fund, under the administration of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Bureau of Recreation and Conservation was made available to co-fund the following projects. These funds will be leveraged by other dollars for a total investment in the Region of $78,000.
Forest County Heritage Tourism Project (Forest County) – The Forest County Historical Society will conduct the research of Forest County history (Native American presence; European Settlement; Natural Resources & Industry; Emergence of Tourism) and the development of two displays and interpretive signage at several locations of historic interest throughout Forest County that will be accompanied by a self-guided tour brochure. Displays with brochure distribution will be located at visitor centers in Tionesta and Marienville.
Brookville Historic Interpretative Signs Project (Jefferson County) – The Jefferson County Historical Society will design, fabricate and install 10 interpretative panels at key locations along Main Street of Brookville. Using late 19th and early 20th Century photographs and other historical information, these signs will provide the observer a distinct then-and-now view of the downtown Brookville Historic District and serve as the centerpiece of an interpretative self-guided walking tour that will be of educational and historical interest to both residents and visitors by showing how the community developed and changed through time.
Conservation Treatment of Artifacts for the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum (Potter County) – The PA Lumber Museum Associates will restore and preserve two significant artifacts in the Museum’s collection and prepare them for exhibition – a 1917 Model T Roadster Pick-up and a Civilian Conservation Corps fire alarm ring/bell. Both of these pieces will become part of the new permanent exhibit in the soon-to-be expanded museum.
Redbank Valley Trails (Jefferson/Clarion Counties) – Historic Markers – The Redbank Valley Trails Association plans to put approximately 10 – 15 historic and interpretive markers at locations of historic significance on the rail trail which is now being improved. The trail follows Redbank Creek which was used to float logs to the Andrews Lumber Mill and the Allegheny River. The trail connects New Bethlehem and Brookville, and other communities, located on and near Routes 28/66, 322 and I-80, as gateways to the PA Wilds and Lumber Heritage Regions.
Geocaching along the West Branch of the Susquehanna River Water Trail (Lycoming, Clinton, Clearfield, Cambria Counties) – The Susquehanna Greenway Partnership will plan, develop, and implement a geocaching trail along the West Branch Water Trail that will guide visitors to 24 different interpretive caches (averages one cache every 9.5 miles). Self-paced, and self-guided, this low-impact form of healthy outdoor recreation will encourage exploration of this National Recreation Trail as well as interpretation of the unique cultural, historic, and natural features of the Susquehanna Greenway within the Lumber Heritage Region.
Tuna Valley Trail Information Kiosks with Trail Maps (McKean County)- The Tuna Valley Trail Association will design and construct a new kiosk with interpretive information and mapping at the new Pine Creek Bridge trailhead located within the City of Bradford, to access the new Bradford Community Trail. To design and install mapping and interpretive panels onto existing trailhead kiosks at eight (8) location