State College, PA (April 25) – ClearWater Conservancy met with legislators, their representatives, and organization leaders at the organization’s Spring Creek property to share plans for the future ClearWater Community Conservation Center.
The property, purchased by ClearWater in 2022, is located in Houserville on Spring Creek, in the heart of the watershed whose protection was the very reason ClearWater was formed in 1980. Guests included founders Barbara Fisher and Doug Wion and former board members Carolyn Hatley, Pat Morse, Ford Stryker, and Dan Crust. Former Executive Director, Jennifer Shuey, who currently serves on the board for the Hamer Foundation along with Dan Crust and Pat Morse, was recognized for her early efforts in bringing ClearWater to this point of expansion.
Speakers included ClearWater’s Interim Executive Director, Donnan Stoicovy; Architect Allen Kachel from Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, the architectural firm taking lead on the project; College Township Assistant Manager Mike Bloom; Hamer Foundation Trustee Pat Morse; Deputy Secretary Claire Jantz of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources; and ClearWater’s new Executive Director, Elizabeth Crisfield.
Stoicovy explained how the work and leadership of ClearWater’s former Executive Director Deb Nardone furthered the organization’s ability to help the waterways and communities of Central Pennsylvania. “A strategic planning process in Deb’s early years had created our current Compass with its points of Connect, Protect, Restore, and Steward that continue to guide the good work of ClearWater,” said Stoicovy. “Having a new home will allow us to continue to grow.”
Architectural plans were explained by Kachel, showcasing use of the existing barn structure and plans to use energy efficient systems such as solar panels and geothermal energy.
At the event, ClearWater accepted a check for $40,000 from Joel Morrison and Barbara Robuck representing the West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund (WPPSEF) to support the purchase of the solar panels.
ClearWater’s Community Conservation Center will allow staff to thrive and have a well-functioning workspace while utilizing clean energy systems, supporting ClearWater’s mission to create a healthy environment and community. The site will feature a space to showcase streamside planting and the different trees and shrubs that are used with riparian buffer work. The center will welcome community members and out of town visitors alike, with opportunities to discuss conservation easements and riparian buffer projects and to have a conservation educational space to collaborate with individuals and groups who share a vision for a healthy region.
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