SUGAR GROVE — The PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship Inc. has honored several with Champions of the Pennsylvania Wilds awards.
An awards dinner will be held April 26 at the Pajama Factory in Williamsport. The theme of this year’s PA Wilds Annual Dinner & Awards is “Celebrating 15 Years – The Wilds at Work.”
“We’re thrilled to honor such an inspiring group of award winners this year; their work and dedication is making a powerful impact in the region that will be felt for generations to come,” said Ta Enos, executive director of the PA Wilds Center.
The Outstanding Leader award winner is Tom Kase of Kane, president of the borough council. He was chosen for his work as founder of TAMED (Trail Association of the McKean/ Elk Divide), his community advocacy and leadership for expanding the outdoor recreation economy, trail creation and restoration, and for leading an initiative to acquire a vacant train depot along Route 6 with plans underway to develop it into a Welcome Center and Trailhead for the Knox / Kane Rail Trail. He is also being recognized for his volunteer work with the PA Wilds Marketing Team, and for helping champion a recent request by the PA Wilds Center to The Collins Companies Foundation. That request resulted in a $25,000 award to help the Center establish an incubator/accelerator space to grow its commerce platform and get more local products and services to market.
The Great Design award winner is the Good Growing Gardens in Smethport. The site and project exemplify a wide range of best practices from the PA Wilds Design Guide, including the enhancement of an area’s rural and regional community character, historic preservation, conversion of historic sites to modern-day use, agriculture, farmers’ markets, protection and enhancement of natural assets, public art, trails and outdoor recreation development, innovative community partnerships, and much more. Good Growing Gardens transformed the 1884 barn and associated acreage into a valued community asset and an oasis of conservation, education and rehabilitation. This innovative project is a unique adult probation program coordinated by McKean County with 300 to 400 men and women fulfilling court appointed community service hours growing their skillsets as well as vegetables at the barn.
This McKean County property has been transformed from “the old county barn on Rt. 6” into a well-manicured site bustling with year-round activity, and a unique probation program. This creative program and multi-use site can serve as a model for other counties, showcasing a range of best practices from the PA Wilds Design Guide, as well as innovative community partnerships.
The Great Places award winner is the Dr. Colson E. Blakeslee Memorial Recreation Area, Benezette Township, Elk County. This multi-use recreation area was named in memoriam to Blakeslee, a long-time champion of the restoration of the Bennett Branch, which had once been a dead, red-stained stream. This sustainable natural asset and destination consists of 24 acres along the Bennett Branch Sinnemahoning Creek, with more than 2,400 feet of stream frontage. This property helps to ensure public access to the Bennett Branch for fishing, boating, and other outdoor recreation, and to promote public support for maintaining the remediation facilities in the watershed. This property also provides opportunities for wildlife viewing along State Route 555, one of the most heavily traveled sections of the Elk Scenic Drive. The opportunity to fish a stream that has been dead for decades provides a powerful environmental stewardship message for how local people and diverse partners can work together to restore and protect our natural heritage and in the process, transform a site into a highly valued asset for tourism and improve quality of life for residents.
The individual Conservation Stewardship award winner is Bekki Titchner of Elk County for her creation of “The Factory Song,” and for her tireless commitment to conservation stewardship and recycling. “The Factory Song” is music in an educational format that tells the story of past and present factories, providing historic and economic dialogue about our ancestors, land usage and challenges of life in the region. As Elk County Recycling/Solid Waste Coordinator, she successfully navigated an innovative recycling program to success, when so many others have struggled to do so.
The Member of the Year, posthumously, is Jan Hampton of Emporium, Cameron County. She was an advocate for conservation and youth outreach, working for 23 years in the Cameron County School District, and serving for 18 years as the Cameron County Conservation District manager. She was a former chair of the Pennsylvania Wilds Planning Team, and endeared so many with her testimonial that “The Pennsylvania Wilds is a gentle sharing of the things we hold most dear.” During her time as Conservation District Manager, she expanded both environmental stewardship programs and staff.
The Best Brand Ambassador award winner is Katie Weidenboerner of Elk County for her work to promote and develop the Pennsylvania Wilds brand through written and visual storytelling, and place name recognition. A journalist and assistant editor at the Courier-Express & Tri-County Sunday in DuBois, she is a regular contributor to the Pennsylvania Wilds blog, helping to tell the stories of the region and our incredible assets, inspiring regional pride and encouraging visitors to come explore. A long-time contributor and supporter of the Pennsylvania Wilds mission, Weidenboerner traveled thousands of miles last year to photograph 22 artists in their creative spaces for the Wilds Cooperative of Pennsylvania’s Creative Makers Exhibit, a traveling art show that has now been on display in three galleries so far across the region. This photojournalism exhibit will be on display at the State Capitol Building East Wing in 2019.
