Elk - Western Pennsylvania
 
March 15, 2002
 
Wilson Reports
 
1960 Lititz Pike
 
Lancaster, PA 17601-3806
 
717-569-2432
 
Fax: 717-569-2418
 
 
 
The Bennezette Community Center was filled to overflowing on March 14, 2002, as interested citizens gathered to witness the unveiling of a draft proposal for elk watching and other nature tourism in the area generally known as the elk range. 
 
On hand to present the proposal was Ted Lee Eubanks, Jr., president of Fermata, Inc. 
 
The company was contracted to analyze the current situation within the general confines of the elk range and to compose a report that offers suggestions detailing how to best progress with development of tourism resources. 
 
The meeting opened with township resident Burt Reis acting as master of ceremonies. 
 
Reis introduced the various agency representatives who were on hand to assist Eubanks with the presentation and to address questions that related specifically to their agencies. 
 
Those agencies were:
 
North Central Regional Planning and Development, represented by Bob Imhof;
 
the DCNR, represented by Mike Krempasky;
 
and the State Game Commission, represented by Barry Hambley. 
 
All the agencies are viewed as direct partners in the project. 
 
Also on hand was State Rep. Dan Surra, who briefly addressed the audience prior to the presentation. 
 
“We have a gold mine here.  I think Governor Ridge may have said it best when he said, ‘we have the lemons, now we need to make the lemonade.’” 
 
“Without question this is one of the most challenging projects I have ever done in my life,” Eubanks said. 
 
He then summed up the over-arching goal of the proposal as being the development of appropriate visitor services in the 835-square mile elk range. 
 
Eubanks gave a summary of trends in tourism. 
 
According to the report, 46% of vacationers enjoy some type of “soft adventure.” 
 
This type of recreation would include hiking, biking, canoeing, camping and wildlife watching. 
 
Among all these, the fastest growing category is bird watching. 
 
Eubanks theorized many people are seeking more tranquil vacations in areas that they perceive to be safe.
 
That was the good news regarding tourism.
 
Eubanks then went on to state that of the total state tourism industry, the elk range and Allegheny National Forest account for only 10%. 
 
“Something is out of skew there,” Eubanks said, making reference to the availability of recreational opportunities in the area and the large amount of public land creating comparatively little usage. 
 
According to Eubanks, the draft proposal would target two specific types of tourist: nature tourists and experienced tourists. 
 
As the system currently exists, the Bennezette area sees roughly 60,000 visitor days per year. 
 
“This does not mean that 60,000 different people visit.  It could be the same people visit multiple times, but each time they come to the area that counts as a visitor day.” 
 
Those visitor days account for approximately $1.7M in spending, or $28.00 per day, a figure Eubanks said was well below the national average. 
 
Compounding this is the fact that much of the money does not stay in the immediate Bennezette area. 
 
“Presently you have a high impact, low return situation here.  You have all the disadvantages and few of the rewards.  You must have the facilities or you will continue to get all of the impact and little of the revenue,” Eubanks concluded.
 
Copyright 2002 by Wilson Enterprises.
 
 
Additional recommended reading:
 
Nittany News
 
 
Pennsylvania Elk Watching Report - Scope of Work
 
 
Elk Watching Report
 
FermataInc
 
 
Conservation agencies, local planners examine tourism potential of elk
 
Resource, The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) News & Information
 
June 2001
 
 
DCNR, Game Commission launch elk effort 
 
(Note how they stop short of saying 'for future generations of PEOPLE': "By working together like this we will accomplish so much more, leaving a terrific wildlife legacy for future generations.")
 
Resource, The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) News & Information
 
November 2001

In recent weeks they have been photographed at a convention of state outdoors writers; celebrated at community festival; discussed at series of tourism promotion meetings; and hunted again in a historic season.

Elk are very much the conversation topic of the day in North central Pennsylvania.

Still, what one state park manager said late last month was strongly applauded by her audience of state agency officials, wildlife officers, and conservation and farm group members. All were drawn together by a will to improve elk habitat.

"Apparently the elk like what they are finding here because they are staying on the park grounds," said Sinnemahoning State Park Manager Lisa Bainey. "Almost every day on my way to the office, I have been seeing several cows and at least one nice bull."

What some of the herd are finding on the more than 1,900 acres of parkland in Cameron and Potter counties is the type food plot that formed the backdrop for an October 26 news conference. Standing on a wind-swept field, pelted by the season's first snowfall, attendees were issued a timely challenge:

Match the state's commitment of $600,000 over the next three years to undertake elk habitat improvement projects in North central Pennsylvania.

"Our goal is to nurture the growing elk herd on public lands," DCNR Secretary John C. Oliver told the gathering.

"By providing food plots and habitat for the elk on public lands, the elk are more likely to stay off privately-owned lands, thereby reducing conflicts."

Game Commission Executive Director Vernon Ross applauded both the funding effort and the work of food and cover work crews who "may not always have the manpower or the equipment, but always get the job done.

"When they create and maintain herbaceous openings on state game lands or state forest or park lands, they are helping us accomplish a major wildlife management goal," Ross said. "We want to make sure that we can keep the elk out in the wild, because that's where they should be."

DCNR and the Game Commission will each grant $100,000 a year over the next three years for the habitat improvements. Oliver and Ross also called upon sportsmen's groups, conservation organizations, businesses and individuals to match the state's funding commitment, to generate a combined investment of $1.2 million over the next three years.

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation already has pledged $50,000 a year and has agreed to spearhead efforts to raise an additional $150,000 a year from other contributors.

"Partnerships is what this effort is all about," said Dave Messics, director of northeast field operations for the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. "By working together like this we will accomplish so much more, leaving a terrific wildlife legacy for future generations."

Messics said three organizations already have pledged support to the effort: Dominion Resources, Pittsburgh, $15,000; Sinnemahoning Sportsman Club, Cameron County, $5,000; and Safari Club International, Lehigh Valley Chapter, Lehigh County, $5,000.

Other supporters of elk habitat acquisition and development include: Willamette Industries; Waste Management Inc.; Safari Club International; North Central Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission; National Wild Turkey Federation; Williams Gas Pipeline Co.; Pennsylvania Wildlife Habitat Unlimited; North central Pa. Conservancy; Western Pennsylvania Conservancy; Ruffed Grouse Society; and the Mosquito Creek Sportsmen's Club.

The habitat improvements are intended to direct and hold elk to specific corridors and public areas within the 835-square-mile elk range; reduce impacts to private property and elk-related conflicts; and enhance regional viability of elk watching and related outdoor tourism.

The improvements will be concentrated in Sproul, Moshannon and Elk state forests, and on a number of state game lands in portions of Cameron, Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk and Potter counties. Foresters and biologists will use areas of the forest already cleared through timbering, mining or for utility right-of-way, to plant grasses and leguminous cover desired by elk and other wildlife. The goal is to more than double the 1,100 acres of current habitat.

For more information on elk initiatives, visit the Fermata, Inc. Pennsylvania elk page http://www.fermatainc.com/pennelk/index.html or the Game Commission's web site http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/.

 
Public Comment Sought on Draft Plan for Increased Elk-Related Tourism
 
December 21, 2001
 
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
 
 
 

DCNR and partners release elk viewing, wildlife tourism Plan for NorthCentral counties

November 14, 2002

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania - On behalf of Governor Mark Schweiker, the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) today joined the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the North Central Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission (NCPRPDC) in releasing the findings of a 15-month study to better manage and promote elk viewing and other nature tourism in Pennsylvania's elk range.

Pennsylvania's primary elk range is a 835-square-mile area that includes portions of Elk, Cameron, Clinton, Clearfield, Centre and Potter counties. "Whether they come to hunt or fish, or to view elk or fall foliage, we know more people are visiting this area," DCNR Secretary John C. Oliver said. "This plan offers a formula to ensure we are prepared for them, that they find what they seek, and that they come back again and again."

The executive summary of the plan prepared by Fermata Inc. http://www.fermatainc.net, a Texas consulting firm specializing in wildlife watching and nature tourism, includes recommendations in three broad areas:

* Immediate action to minimize some of the problems caused by increased visitation to this rural part of the state;

* A strategy for facilities and services to accommodate tourists coming for the region's wildlife and natural beauty; and

* A program to promote the region as newly proposed facilities come on line to accommodate them.

"Now numbering nearly 800 animals, Pennsylvania's wild elk herd is among the largest in the Eastern United States, and has become a significant tourist attraction in North central Pennsylvania," said NCPRPDC Director Ronald Kuleck. "This plan shows how our tremendous conservation story can become an important economic opportunity for our local communities."

Kuleck hailed efforts of the state agencies and local officials who already have instituted recommendations of the plan to help minimize conflicts between visitors, residents and the elk. Most noteworthy include:

* A cooperative "Elk Patrol" and public education effort launched in August to improve wildlife-viewing experiences and lessen traffic and trespassing in some areas of the elk's prime range during the fall viewing season. The patrol is a joint effort of DCNR rangers, Game Commission wildlife conservation officers and the Pennsylvania State Police. PENNDOT is providing new directional signs to viewing areas and flashing message boards to alert visitors; and

* A public-private effort to improve habitat on public lands to minimize conflicts between elk and private landowners. DCNR and the Game Commission have partnered with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation to raise over $1.2 million in order to nearly double the amount of improved habitat in the elk range. To date, over $400,000 has been committed to the effort.

Game Commission Executive Director Vernon R. Ross hailed the cooperative spirit that recognizes the inherent value of elk as a regal big game animal to be hunted by some and viewed by all.

"To guarantee the long-range health of the elk herd and its habitat, hunting remains an essential management tool," Ross said. "The Fermata plan is in line with our goal to have continued big-game opportunities for hunters and outdoor viewing adventures for visitors throughout the elk range."

The partner agencies are moving forward with plan recommendations for infrastructure and visitor improvements including:

* A scenic highway route linking visitors with elk viewing areas and other significant natural assets. The roughly 120-mile route would link Route 120 -- Bucktail State Park Scenic Drive -- to I-80 at two locations. The western connector would begin at the Penfield Exit and include parts of routes 153, 255 and 555. The eastern connector would begin near the Snowshoe Exit and follow Route 144 north to Renovo. NCPRPDC has received TEA-21 grant from PENNDOT to designate, sign and promote this corridor to better direct and distribute visitors in the region;

* Development of two major interpretive facilities -- one at the western end of the elk range, at Winslow Hill in Elk County on State Game Lands 311, and one in the eastern range, at Sinnemahoning State Park in Cameron County. Both would serve as elk viewing destinations with an interpretive facility, staff and a system of trails and controlled observation points designed to manage visitors, limit direct interactions with the elk, and educate the visitor; and

* Development of additional viewing sites and overlooks along the scenic corridor on existing state park and forest lands with parking, interpretive signing and appropriate blinds or platforms. Recommended sites include Sinnemahoning and Kettle Creek State Parks, and five State Forest areas: Hick's Run; Fish Dam Run Overlook; Beaver Run; Two Run Overlook; and Old Hoover Farm. DCNR, with the help of PENNDOT and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, already has raised over $385,000 for construction of these areas.

The plan also includes recommendations to encourage residents to develop small businesses to service the expected visitors' needs for outfitters, guides and equipment rentals.

"We are very interested in the plan's suggestion of a nature tourism business incubator," Kuleck said. "We hope to support entrepreneurs in nature tourism with small loans, business planning and training."

The partners in the elk watching and nature tourism plan all agree that marketing the region and its assets cannot outstrip the area's ability and desire to respond.

The plan foresees a modest marketing strategy that targets specific recreational groups and specialized consumers and is geared to specific seasons. The goal is to first focus on a smaller group of visitors who are satisfied with the region's current offerings, and expand when more products and services become available over the next several years.

"Boosting promotion of an area without reciprocal product development accomplishes nothing," Kuleck said. "The keystone of this plan is to develop an array of nature-based outdoor recreation opportunities in conjunction with elk watching that are critical to promoting sustainable, profitable tourism in the region and, at the same time, maintain the unique character of the region."

Fermata's proposals are consistent with ongoing development of Pennsylvania's Lumber Heritage Region Management Action Plan.

Other project sponsors include the USDA Forest Service and Appalachian Regional Commission.

 
 
Natural Resources - Wildlife Resources
 
32-page report
 
 
The Business of Nature
 
August 2002
 
FermataInc Newsletter #22