Grand Reopening Photos

We have more grand reopening photos to share here.

Central Region Emergency Strike Team (CREST)

The Mount Nittany Conservancy hosted a grand reopening of Mt. Nittany's blue and white trails to celebrate installation of a new wayfinding system as well as a new trailhead map and brochures, purchased with a tourism grant through the Central Pennsylvania Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The Central Region Emergency Strike Team (CREST) was on hand at the grand reopening providing information to hikers. To learn more about CREST, go to their website:

http://www.teamcrest.org

CREST at the Grand Reopening Ribbon Cutting

Certified search and rescue personnel from CREST: From L to R - Eric Prescott and K-9 Shasta, Dr. Clifford Neal, DO, Rosemarie Stover, Tracy Reagan, Nikki Hamilton, Kathleen Neal, Jennifer Williams, Mark Milliron

CREST Information Booth and Vehicle

CREST Members meet and greet the public and show one of their rescue vehicles and equipment: In photo: Tracy Reagan, Megan Gilbert, Mark Milliron, Jennifer Williams, Kathleen Neal and Eric Prescott

Getting Information on Safety

Grand Reopening of Mt. Nittany - May 16, 2010

On an absolutely gorgeous spring day, the Mount Nittany Conservancy hosted a grand reopening of Mt. Nittany's blue and white trails to celebrate installation of a new wayfinding system as well as a new trailhead map and brochures, purchased with a tourism grant through the Central Pennsylvania Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The Central Region Emergency Strike Team (CREST) was on hand at the reopening providing information on hiking safey and much more.

MNC Secretary John Hook was on hand to provide a Welcome Tailgate for grand reopening visitors with hamburgers and hot dogs. MNC Board Member Jon Brooks trekked to the Mike Lynch Overlook and told the story of the Overlook to hikers. Jeff Deitrich, MNC Board Member, organized the ribbon cutting and with help from other MNC Board members in attendance (Erich May, John Mentzell, Tom Smyth, and Doug Wion) passed out free magnets, the new brochures, and answered questions about the Conservancy. Several MNC Director Emeritus were also on hand for the celebratory day (Ben Bronstein, Bill Jaffe, Ralph Mumma, and Ken Reeves).

The wayfinding system is a series of sign posts placed at key intersections to keep hikers from getting lost. Twelve wayfinding markers located at important intersections and additional signs will allow hikers to more easily see where they are and how to get back. Read more about the project and the people and groups involved here.

CentreDailiy.com and State College.com covered the event as well. Be sure to click the pictures on both sites to see pictures on the event and the new trail signs.

• Mt. Nittany - Grand Reopening

Grand Reopening Ribbon Cutting

Left-right: Jeff Deitrich, MNC Board Member, Cory Trimm, Penn State Circle K, Dave Fryer, College Township, Blake Gall, MNC Board Member, Willy Kogelmann, Mountain Neighbor, Gary, Gentzler, MNC Board Member, Nathaniel Gray, Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, Jon Brooks, MNC Board Member.
MIssing from the photo are MNC Board Members Bob Andronici, Bob Frick, Tim White as well as Eli Zigon from Phi Mu Delta fraternity.

Key Contributors to the Project

Left-right: Dave Fryer, College Township, Blake Gall, MNC Board Member, Willy Kogelmann, Mountain Neighbor, Gary, Gentzler, MNC Board Member.

Dedication by MNC President

MNC President, Vince Verbeke, dedicates the new wayfinding system, as well as new trailhead map and brochures for the Mount Nittany Conservancy at Grand Reopening of Mt. Nittany on May 16, 2010.

Here is the text of Pesident Verbeke's remarks:

In 1945, the Lion's Paw Alumni Association saved 525 acres from lumbering with a fundraising campaign among its few hundred members. However, encroachment on the Mountain continued. In 1981 , the Association formed the Mount Nittany Conservancy to acquire additional land. With community and alumni support, Mount Nittany Conservancy has obtained, through purchase or donation, more than 300 acres that faced detrimental uses. Today, the Conservancy manages both Lions Paw and Conservancy lands.

We continue to build and maintain trails and overlooks, conduct clean-up projects, and spray for gypsy moths when they threaten the trees of our beloved Mt. Nittany, most recently in 2008 and 2009.

To read from the mission of the Conservancy, we desire to acquire and conserve lands on and around Mount Nittany, a symbol of Penn State and the source of its legends. To benefit the public, the Mount Nittany Conservancy practices conservation, protection, and management of these lands as historic, scenic, recreational and environmental resources.

On Labor Day 2008 a State College woman and her three children - ages 6, 4, and 2 - were reported lost on Mt. Nittany at about 9 p.m. It was almost 2 a.m. on Tuesday by the time State College police, assisted by a search team from Central Region Emergency Strike Team (CREST) found them - uninjured but lost - on the backside of the Mountain and off the marked trails.

The Conservancy took this as a call to action. We want the Mountain to be safe and enjoyable for all.

We stand here today, May 16 2010, to dedicate twelve wayfinding markers located at important intersections along with additional signs that identify false trails to prevent the 2008 Labor Day incident as well.

One note about safety, don't underestimate Mt. Nittany. It's a tough mountain with a steep ascent to the Mike Lynch Overlook, know your physical limits. As with any hike, you should take have additional clothing, food, water, and if starting a hike at the end of the day, flashlights.

Finally, before there was a Conservancy, another body was steward of the mountain, and his name was Mike Lynch. A native of Somerset County, Mike was a student body president at Penn State. Mike was a frequent climber of Mount Nittany, even before Lion's Paw bought its tract in 1946. Later, Mike would serve as chair of Lions Paw's Mountain Committee. In that capacity-and he held the post for decades-Mike would organize mountain cleanups.

Mike was also a poet. To honor Mike (and I can feel him over our shoulders now smiling) I'd like to read his poem entitled Our Mountain.

Across the silent valley stands our Mountain old and strong,
Part of our college heritage in story and in song.

Through all the natural seasons, we watch her change her face,
Shedding the white of winter to green with gentle grace.

In the heat of the summer, she grows new leaves and wood,
In the golden glow of autumn, her beauty is understood.

What is it about this Mountain, with rugged rocks and rills,
That gives we Penn Staters a thousand prideful thrills.

It's a sense of belonging to a school that's part of us,
In the annals of our lives, we mark it as a plus.

Today, we pledge our loyalty to our Mountain and Old State,
By doing this, we join our founders, strong and great.

Today, walk the trails of Mt. Nittany as if for the first time. Enjoy Mt. Nittany and its vistas over these valleys. Treasure it. Help us to conserve it.

Why? Because, Mt. Nittany is OUR Mountain.

MNC_Brochure.pdf (3.1 Mb)

Grand Reopening of Mt. Nittany Set for May 16

Mount Nittany Conservancy will host a grand reopening of Mt. Nittany's blue and white trails to celebrate installation of a new wayfinding system on Sunday, May 16 from noon to 4 p.m. beginning at the trailhead on Mt. Nittany Road in Lemont.

The wayfinding system is a series of sign posts placed at key intersections to keep hikers from getting lost. About two years ago, several hikers did get lost on the mountain and were rescued well after dark, so the Conservancy decided to make the improvements. Twelve wayfinding markers located at important intersections and additional signs will allow hikers to more easily see where they are and how to get back.

A new trailhead map and brochures, purchased with a tourism grant through the Central Pennsylvania Convention and Visitors Bureau, will be in place as well. Both contain updated trail distances as well as GPS coordinates at twelve points along the trails.

The new signs, purchased in cooperation with the Central Region Emergency Strike Team (CREST), have been designed to blend in with the surrounding environment as much as possible to keep the landscape beautiful.

The event is on Penn State's graduation weekend, so students and family members in town are welcome to join the community to hike the trails. Students will have one last chance to check off a climb of Mt. Nittany from their to-do lists. A brief ribbon cutting ceremony will be held at noon, and volunteers will be stationed at several points along the trail to help explain the history of the mountain and the goals of the conservancy. The first 200 hikers will receive a free gift courtesy of the Mount Nittany Conservancy.

To learn more about the Conservancy (and see a trails map), download our brochure "A Symbol of our Pride" here:

MNC_Brochure.pdf (3.1 Mb)

November 2009 Mount Nittany News

Members and friends of the Conservancy recently received in the mail our Fall newsletter from the Conservancy. A link to the newsletter is below.

The following are excerpts from the Trail Signs and Maps to Help Hikers by MNC Director Jeff Deitrich.

Visitors to the Mountain this fall began to see the fruits of a long-awaited project that will help them navigate for years to come. MNC began installing a wayfinding system of trail signs at critical intersections and points on the paths.

While this project has been in mind for many years, reports of people becoming lost on the Mountain have increased in recent years. MNC decided it was time to move forward after it found new models of metal signs that are extremely resistant to vandalism.

November 2009 Mt Nittany News (PDF)

Please consider clicking the Support Us link and offering a donation as well in order that you too can receive future hard copy newsletters.

Penn State Circle K does Mountain Clean-up

On Sunday, Spetember 6, a group of student volunteers from Circle K spent the day doing some great work on the hiking trails of Mt. Nittany.

On May 7 - 9, MNC President Vince verbeke attended the 7th Annual Pennsylvania Land Conservation Conference/Confluence 2009 co-hosted by the Pennsylvania Land Trust Association and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

http://www.landandwater.org/conf09index.html

The conference them was Working Together to Protect Our Land, Water & Communities.

He reports that he is still trying to process everything that he heard and learned over the three days of the conference. He said, "This was my first true immersion into the preservation and conversation areas. It's amazing what others are doing across the Commonwealth."

Vince also reports that "Most importantly, I've met others who we can know reach out to and ask for help as we go forward with plans to work with our Mountain neighbors on conservation easements. For example, I had the chance to meet and talk with Bill Hilshey from Clearwater Conservancy and Norm Lathbury from the Centre County Farmland Trust.

I also met Paul Lumia and Rick Koval from the North Branch Land Trust as well, http://www.nblt.org/index.html. They have a long, and detailed, page on their site about easements, http://www.nblt.org/easements.html."

MNC also had an information table setup at the Conference as well.

State College City-Serve does Mountain Clean-up

Can we serve you now?

This is the rallying cry of a group of dedicated volunteers from the State College City-Serve project, http://www.sc-cityserve.org. On Sunday, April 27, a group of City-Serve volunteers spent the day picking up trash and removing debris from the hiking trails on Mt. Nittany.

The 17 volunteers split into 4 teams that covered all nine-miles of hiking trails and a couple miles of four-wheel drive roads on Mt. Nittany. They picked up garbage, re-blazed faded blue and white trail markings, and did trail maintenance such as cutting dead-falls that were the obstructing the trails. They also picked up trash from the parking lot and the upper part of road leading to Mt. Nittany hiking trail parking lot.

Matthew McKinney, the project team leader, sent us the following picture with this statement.

I've attached one photograph of the trash collected off the Mountain, 4-wheel drive road and parking lot. It's disconcerting and I wish there was a way to educate, enforce and regulate littering - but I am glad we live in a community that's fortunate enough to have such a great place for hiking! I will email some actual work photographs as they filter in to me and again, thank you for the opportunity to serve!

Trash Collected on the Mountain

Please, with the picture of the above garbage left on the Mountian in full view, if you do take the opportunity to use the Mountain, please note that we have a Carry in, Carry Out Trash Policy; NO trash receptacles are located along the trails!

Enjoy the trails. Leave What You Find! Take OUT what you bring in!

To learn more about City-Serve, please watch these promotional videos.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWuSzjyyGgU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmbHKueNO5c&NR=1

To see additional Trail Cleanup Pictures from City-Serve, click here.

November 2008 Mount Nittany News

Members and friend of the Conservancy recently received in the mail our Fall newsletter from the Conservancy. A link to the newsletter is below.

The following are excerpts from Vince Verbeke's Presidents message.

The MNC Board would like to thank everyone who supported our drive to pay for aerial spraying in Spring 2008 to combat the gypsy moths.

As we had hoped, the spray was effective in minimizing defoliation. A more detailed report on the current status of the Mountain can be found later in the newsletter. However, we do have areas on the Mountain that should be sprayed again in 2009.

So we ask that you renew your annual “Friends of Mt. Nittany” commitment once
again. We’d also like all of our Friends to tell one other person about the Conservancy and its goals.

November 2008 Mt Nittany News (PDF)

Please consider clicking the Support Us link and offering a donation as well in order that you too can receive future hard copy newsletters.

Follow Mt. Nittany Updates via Twitter

Do you Twitter? If yes, you can follow our MtNIttany Twitter account for news and notes from the Conservancy.

http://twitter.com/MtNittany

Need to learn more about Twitter? See Twitter in Plain English.

College Township has our Thanks and a Piece of the Mountain

When the Conservancy's 825 acres was included in the 2008 PA Bureau of Forestry spraying program, we needed time to raise the $13,005 to cover the cost.

College Township stepped up to advance the funds before the county payment deadline of mid-December until the Conservancy was able to raise the funds. The MNC Board of Directors would like to express our sincere appreciation for their generosity. After the successful completion of our Spring Challenge Grant Campaign, we were able to reimburse the College Township Council.

At the June 19, 2008 College Township Council meeting, the Conservancy presented David Fryer, Township Council Chair with a framed Mt. Nittany Life Estate deed in thanks for the support.

Left to right is Adam Brumbaugh, Township Manager/Secretary; David Fryer, Township Council Chair; MNC Board member Erich May; MNC Board member Jeff Dietrich.

Donors during the Spring Challenge Grant Campaign

The MNC Board of Directors would like to express our sincere appreciation for the $5,000 Challenge Grant from the Centre County Community Foundation www.centrecountycf.org and to report our success in meeting that challenge.

We were fortunate that the spraying was completed in mid-May for the entire mountain, and we are optimistic that the effectiveness of the spray will minimize defoliation. Since we were included in the County/State spraying program, our cost for spraying our 825 acres was $13,005. The $5,000 Challenge Grant provided by CCCF was a key part of MNC being able to meet that cost.

Overall, community and alumni interest in protecting the trees on Mt. Nittany from gypsy moth damage was very high. This level of interest was also reflected in media coverage about the Gypsy Moth threat, and Mt. Nittany provided a well-known reference that would perhaps host a "Perfect Storm" of damage by these insects. Our fundraising efforts focused on the need to keep our Mountain green by meeting the Challenge Grant from CCCF.

The "official" months to match the Challenge Grant were April and May. Thanks to the support of our Friends $6,630 was donated during these months.

The remaining funds have supported our communications efforts and have been designated to beginning a reserve fund for future preservation of the Mountain.

See the Honor Roll of Donors who have supported our efforts during the Challenge Grant. You can become a Friend of the Conservancy or purchase a deed at any time.

Blue & White Society and Circle K work on the Mountain

The Blue & White Society and the Circle K organization from Penn State's University Park campus worked on the Mountain on May 6, 2008. The group did an OUTSTANDING job. They repaired water bars and steps, and they positioned a very large new log seat at the popular Mike Lynch Overlook at the top of the Mountain.

Blue & White Society members included:

Circle K members included:

Challenge Grant Announced to benefit Mt. Nittany

The Centre County Community Foundation www.centrecountycf.org has announced a $5,000 Challenge Grant to the Mount Nittany Conservancy www.mtnittany.org to assist with short-term and long-term conservation efforts, including the spraying of naturally occurring bacteria for Gypsy Moths this spring. Spraying the Mountain in May is expected to cost $13,000, but the Conservancy is also preparing for spraying and continued conservation efforts in future years. The Challenge Grant will be dependent upon the Conservancy also raising $5,000 in donations during April and May, and the Conservancy is set to launch a fund raising campaign to meet the challenge.

Recent surveys have shown that Mt. Nittany is the region's most recognizable landmark. The Mount Nittany Conservancy was formed in 1981 to preserve and maintain 825 acres on Mt. Nittany, including the lands owned by the Lions Paw Alumni Association. The Centre County Community Foundation, founded in 1981 by Judge R. Paul Campbell, is a collection of over 125 individual endowments dedicated to improving the quality of life by their support of a variety of charitable objectives.

Tax-deductible donations to the Mount Nittany Conservancy may be made online at www.mtnittany.org, or checks made out to the Mount Nittany Conservancy may be mailed to their clearinghouse at P.O. Box 7007, Albert Lea, MN 56007-8007.

November 2007 Mount Nittany News - Nov 30, 2007

Members and friend of the Conservancy recently received in the mail our Fall newsletter from the Conservancy. A link to the newsletter is below.

The following is an excerpt from Ron Woodhead's Presidents message.

We are all very fortunate that concerned alumni and community members have worked to acquire and protect Mt. Nittany over the past 60 plus years. The Conservancy now asks your assistance to continue those efforts. We are asking everyone who has enjoyed viewing or hiking Mt. Nittany to please support the future of Mt. Nittany by:

• making a generous, tax-deductible donation,
• joining each year as a “Friend of Mt. Nittany,” and
• purchasing one or more Life Estate Deeds to honor family and friends.
  

Thank you for helping the Conservancy to keep Mt. Nittany green forever.

November 2007 Mt Nittamy News (PDF)

Please consider clicking the Support Us link and offering a donation as well in order that you too can receive future hard copy newsletters.