Benezette Township in Elk County will soon be home to the
largest elk-watching and education center in the eastern United
States, state officials announced.

With $7.6 million already committed to the project, the proposed
center would add another element to the Pennsylvania Wilds region,
which has attracted thousands of visitors and helped spur the local
economy.

The 7,000-square-foot facility – featuring interpretive
exhibits, wildlife trails and viewing blinds, along with year-round
restrooms and parking for vehicles and buses – will come to
fruition thanks to a 30-year agreement between the state Department
of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Rocky Mountain Elk
Foundation.

“This new center will give us additional opportunities to reach
out to new visitors, give them a wonderful outdoor experience and
share the story of the conservation efforts that have restored the
elk herd, and many other natural and wild areas in Pennsylvania,”
Gov. Ed Rendell said in announcing the development of the
center.

All told, the state’s wild elk herd, the largest in the
Northeast, draws more than 75,000 visitors to the area each fall,
officials said. Benezette Township is located in the heart of the
Wilds region, which covers Elk, Cameron, McKean, Potter, Clarion,
Clearfield, Clinton, Forest, Jefferson, Lycoming, Tioga and Warren
counties.

State Rep. Dan Surra, D-Kersey said the state’s investment will
only interest more visitors to travel to the region, which in turn
will boost local businesses and help advance other resource
conservation efforts.

“This project is one of the capstones in the state’s
Pennsylvania Wilds strategy,” Surra said. “The state has invested
millions of dollars in the Wilds in an effort to create a real
nature-based tourism destination in this part of the state.

“Already, those efforts have helped to grow a number of small
businesses and create more jobs, improve the economy in many of our
communities and boost recreation and tourism-based industries in
Elk and Clearfield counties.”

Under the terms of the agreement, Surra said the state will
provide $5 million in Public Improvement Project funding for the
construction of the viewing and education center. Meanwhile, the
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation will provide $2 million initially for
the purchase of the land and the center’s exhibits.

Officials said the foundation has also already committed another
$5.6 million over the life of the agreement toward the operation of
the viewing and education center.

Elk County Commissioner Dan Freeburg said county officials
remain pleased with the governor’s attention and investment in the
region.

“We recognize the positive benefits along as it continues in a
managed and balanced approach,” Freeburg said. “The other positive
benefit that we are excited about is the continued overflow into
the other communities. There is some economic and community pride
going on, and we embrace that.”

Over the past year, site planning and market feasibility studies
for the center were completed, officials said, adding the
structure’s design is expected by the end of the year, with a
target date for the project to be completed slated for the spring
of 2009. There was no immediate word on when ground will be broken
for the center.

“The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation recognizes the need for
individuals to experience wildlife and wild places,” Peter J. Dart,
president and chief executive officer of the Montana-based
foundation, said. “The new visitor center will provide the
opportunity to educate a broader audience about habitat
conservation and Pennsylvania’s wild elk.”

The Wilds region and U.S. Route 6 corridor have become prime
investment areas under the Rendell administration. Among the
earlier projects completed in the Wilds are the 127-mile Elk Scenic
Drive, which travels through Cameron, Clinton, Clearfield, Centre
and Elk counties. Two scenic byways – routes 144 and 120 – are part
of the drive.