Taking a stop at the Tunkhannock Viaduct in Nicholson during a recent heritage sites tour were (from left) Kelly Rossiter, DCNR; Hillary Robinson and Ed Zygmunt, EMHR; Lorne Possinger, DCNR; David Buck and Annette Schultz, EMHR; Wyoming County Commissioner Judy Mead; Marion Sweet, EMHR; Christine Dettore, Michael Piaskowski, Diane Kripas, DCNR; and (not pictured) Rick Hiduk, EMHR.
The Endless Mountains Heritage Region (EMHR) has celebrated the progress and completion of numerous projects in recent years, garnering substantial attention from the public and the media, and managers of the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) have taken notice.
The 2016 River of the Year designation garnered EMHR its first television and radio coverage, and newspapers and websites across the region have been generous with their publication of EMHR events relative to their respective readerships.
On Oct. 25 and 26, five DCNR associates from Harrisburg and other points south visited the four-county region to see first-hand how DCNR’s portion of EMHR’s funding resources have benefited communities throughout the region. They also saw the potential of sites that have applied for future grants through EMHR.
Two-days of tours and meetings began at the Wyoming County Cultural Center in Tunkhannock and wound up the following afternoon at the Sullivan County Historical Society Museum in Laporte. In between, the group, which included EMHR board members, also visited heritage sites in Susquehanna and Bradford counties.
DCNR participants included partnership division chief Diane Kripas, chief landscape & educational services director Michael Piaskowski, Eastern Region recreation & conservation manager Lorne Possinger, regional DCNR liaison Christine Dettore, and rivers program specialist Kelly Rossiter.
EMHR executive director Annette Schultz lauded the visit as a great success and important recognition of the quality and uniqueness of the Heritage Region’s visitor attractions.
“Traveling along our scenic and historic byways that connect our visitor destinations and enjoying our beautiful working agricultural landscapes and rolling wooded hills is part of what the Region has to offer out-of-town visitors,” she stated. “I received great feedback from our DCNR representatives, who emphasized how impressed they were with the great support shown by our board and partners. They agreed that we have great potential to further develop a strong heritage tourism infrastructure.”
“The Department of Conservation and Natural resources is pleased to partner with the Endless Mountains Heritage Region, as it plays a vital role in developing the tourism economies of Bradford, Sullivan, Susquehanna, and Wyoming counties,” Piaskowski stated. “We look forward to our continued partnership with the EMHR as it works to enrich the lives of Pennsylvanians through the preservation and interpretation of the region’s natural resources.”
Under a cloudy sky that occasionally relented ice pellets and snow, the entourage moved on to the Tunkhannock Viaduct at Nicholson, the Clifford Township Historical Society Museum and Children’s Garden, the Howland Preserve on Vosburg Neck, and the Marie Antoinette Overlook in Wyalusing Township before checking in to their hotel in Wysox.
On Wednesday, the group traveled around Bradford and Sullivan counties, taking in sites as varied as the Home Textile & Tool Museum in Orwell Township and the Diahoga Trail at Riverfront Park at Sayre/Athens. Day two of the tour also included a stop at the Sayre Museum and Train Station. Time did not permit a visit to the Eagles Mere Historical Village, but representatives met the entourage in Laporte.
“We appreciated the opportunity to showcase some of the projects that EMHR has been involved with in partnership with local governments and other organizations,” EMHR board president Ed Zygmunt said afterwards. “More importantly, we look forward to building on the progress and relationships that we’ve made to promote the region and its heritage resources.”
“The Heritage Region’s proven history of cultivating synergistic partnerships with dedicated non-profits, government agencies and members of the private sector provides an impressive foundation from which it positively influences key natural and built assets that celebrate the meaningful culture and its bucolic landscape,” Piaskowski concurred.
In addition to Zygmunt, EMHR board and staff members who joined the DCNR reps for portions of the tour included David Buck, Rick Hiduk, Joyce Kerrick, Denise Lambert, Melanie Norton, Hillary Robinson, Erica Rogler, Marion Sweet, Lynnelle Welch, and Sandra Wilmot.
Also participating were Wyoming County Commissioner Judy Mead, Sullivan County Commissioner Wylie Norton, Rylan Coker of the North Branch Land Trust, Bob Veleker of the Home Textile & Tool Museum, Linda Politi of Futurescapes, Ken Bracken of the Sayre Historical Society, and Kay Wilson and Dennis Craig of the Eagles Mere Historic Village.
For more information about the Endless Mountains Heritage Region, visit www.endlessmountainsheritage.org or call 570-265-1528.
additional photos:
Wyoming County Cultural Center director Erica Rogler (above, center) shows DCNR representatives the marquee of the Dietrich Theater, which was upgraded to LED lighting through a EMHR/DCNR grant.
Clifford Township Historical Society president Sandra Wilmot (above, center) points out educational elements of the Clifford Children’s Garden.
Bob Veleker (center) welcomes DCNR and EMHR to the Home Tool & textile Museum in Orwell Township.
EMHR greenways coordinator David Buck (center) points to improvements in boating access at the Howland Preserve at Vosburg Neck.