Margie Ross fell in love with Pennsylvania’s elk country from horseback. She thinks others could connect with the natural beauty in their own ways, too, and hopes local residents will join her in her quest of preservation.
Ross said she is looking for volunteers and committee members for a Centre County chapter of the Keystone Elk Country Alliance, which is connected to the Elk Country Visitor Center in Benezette.
Elk and habitat preservation is serious business in the U.S. The elk, like many other wild animals, were nearly wiped out as European settlers moved across the continent. In places where there were still elk, they began to compete with cattle for grazing.
With eastern elk now extinct, wildlife organizations, hunters and activists have worked to reintroduce western elk into the eastern U.S. Just this year, wildlife officials reported the first elk was seen in South Carolina since the 1700s.
Centre County sits on the very edge of the Pennsylvania Wilds along the Interstate 80 frontier. In the heart of the Wilds is Benezette in Elk County, known for its elk herds, scenic views and tourist-friendly amenities.
It’s here the Keystone Elk Country Alliance got its start. The group raises private funds for elk habitat protection and has a vast network of education programs. These programs bring the elk to schools that may be too far away or cannot afford a trip to the visitor’s center in Elk County. KECA will even ship a trunk to the school containing an elk pelt, antlers, jaw and skull, as well as samples from other wildlife.
Most of these programs happen through Skype, where experts will cover topics such as “Recycle, Reduce, Reuse,” concerning the importance of recycling and reduced energy consumption. There is an insect indicators course where students will collect and examine macroinvertebrates from a local stream. These are just two of the 26 offered courses.
Ross is in the very beginning stages of organizing a local KECA chapter. The first event will be a horse trail ride at 11 a.m. Sunday at Thomas Farm, 402 Thomas Mountain Road in Pleasant Gap.
“If I can help make a difference I would like to be able to do that,” Ross said. “I just needed something that was going to get me outdoors and help the environment.”
She said as she’s worked less with her horse business in Aaronsburg she’s had more time to enjoy being outdoors, and Elk County has really drawn her in during the last five years. She said it’s special that there are pockets of elk thriving in Pennsylvania again.
“I think it’s very important to keep that going,” she said. “There’s so many things that get started and somebody drops the ball and it ends. The elk in Pennsylvania are very important to me. Any wildlife is.”
She said friends of hers have spotted elk right here in Centre County in the Snow Shoe area.
On Saturday, March 3, there will be a kickoff fundraiser at the Mountain View Country Club. A fundraiser is one of the required events of a new chapter, according to guidelines.
For more information, call Ross at (814) 349-5041.
