The PA Wilds Champion Awards are given out annually as part of the PA Wilds Conservation Landscape movement, a ground-breaking partnership that began in 2003 to grow the region's outdoors industry in a way that creates jobs, diversifies local economies, inspires stewardship and improves quality of life.
The Pennsylvania Wilds, one of the state's 11 official tourism regions, covers about a quarter of the Commonwealth and includes the counties of Warren, McKean, Potter, Tioga, Lycoming, Clinton, Cameron, Elk, Forest, Clarion, Jefferson, Clearfield and the northern part of Centre county.
The region is known for its more than 2 million acres of public land, and also boasts two National Wild & Scenic Rivers, some of the darkest skies in the country and the largest wild elk herd in the Northeast. Visitors spend an estimated $1.7 billion in the region each year, according to the most recent statistics.
This year's PA Wilds Champions hail from all corners of the region and their awards reflect values promoted through the landscape work: partnerships, creativity, stewardship, giving back, creating new opportunities and local leadership.
"The people and communities across the Pennsylvania Wilds contribute in many ways to this exciting Conservation Landscape Initiative," said Jim Weaver, Chair of the PA Wilds Planning Team, which organizes the awards. "By identifying and celebrating the wonderful work that is being done across the region the PA Wilds Team hopes to inspire others to catch and harness the enthusiasm that is the essence of our rural communities."
A full list of the 2016 PA Wilds Champion are BELOW. The awardees will be recognized at the PA Wilds Annual Dinner & Awards Banquet April 28 at the Red Fern in St. Marys, Pa.
Special guests at this year's dinner will include Cindy Dunn, Secretary of the PA Department of Conservation & Natural Resources; Dennis Davin, Secretary of the PA Dept. of Community & Economic Development; and PennDOT Deputy Secretary Toby Fauver. This year's theme is "Celebrating Our Public Lands," and will include a keynote by Marci Mowery, President of the PA Parks & Forest Foundation. West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund is this year's dinner sponsor. Networking will begin at 4 p.m., program starts promptly at 5 p.m.
2016 PA Wilds Champion Award Winners
Outstanding Leader Award- James H. and Shirley A. Maguire Family, Lock Haven, PA - Clinton County
"Success is just disguised hard work," says Jim Maguire,
patriarch to now four generations of Maguires who call Clinton County
home. From logger and land developer, to restaurant owner and operator,
to volunteers, the Maguire Family has made a significant mark on the
region, one that is founded on their love of the natural resources and
sense of community that make up the Pennsylvania Wilds.
The Maguires are probably best known in tourism circles for
Restless Oaks Restaurant, a white pine and oak building with
collectables on the walls that the family built in 1984. The restaurant
has served thousands of visitors with its rustic charm, down-home food
and warm service and was one of the first to start using the PA Wilds
logo, back in the early 2000s, placing it prominently on their business
sign along busy Route 220.
The Maguires have been staunch supporters and promoters of
tourism and economic development initiatives on the eastern side of the
region, including promoting the Pine Creek Rails-to-Trails system, local
chainsaw carving exhibitions, and various beautification and clean-up
projects. If they aren't the ones directly involved in a project, they
are always willing to help, lending everything from a place to meet and
discuss, to financial or volunteer support, to expertise learned from
their many business and community ventures over the past 50 years. The
family has a keen sense for business, a love of nature and history, and
the understanding that giving back to their community is important.
Great Places Award - City of Warren
Warren, PA - Warren County
The City of Warren is located at the confluence of two
recognized water trails, the National Wild & Scenic Allegheny River
and PA's 2015 River of the Year, Conewango Creek. It is also a gateway
to the Allegheny National Forest, another major attraction of the
Pennsylvania Wilds region, and a Route 6 Heritage community with a rich
oil and lumber history. In addition to having a river running through
it, downtown Warren boasts more than 600 historic structures in 25
architectural styles, including the Struthers Library Theatre, one of
the country's oldest theatrical venues. Several businesses display the
Pennsylvania Wilds logo or participate in the Wilds Cooperative of PA,
which helps visitors find locally-made products. The city itself
recently spearheaded an effort that saw dozens of PA Wilds and Route 6
flags hung from street lamps downtown. A new "Walkable Warren" project,
which includes interpretive kiosks, helps connect these many assets for
the walking and cycling public.
Warren also has a record for warm hospitality. In 2015, for
example, the City of Warren was selected through a competitive bid
process to host the statewide Greenway & Trails Summit. Many local
people and organizations came together to make the event a success. And a
success it was - the best attended in the event's history, according to
officials. While the Summit was a one-time event, people seemed ready
to return.
"Warren PA is my pick again," one attendee said. "There is a
lot of variety in the outdoor trail types. The PA Wilds and the National
Forest hiking were superb as was the motorized trail system. It might
be hard to beat that anywhere else in PA."
A downtown business owner said many attendees stopped into
his store. "They all mentioned the outstanding conference, and how
beautiful and nice Warren is. I was struck by how each ... was filled
with positive thoughts and interests for the future of our area."
Congrats, Warren.
Conservation Stewardship Organization Award - Bucktail Watershed Association
The Bucktail Watershed Association (BWA) is a group of citizens
united to promote wise watershed stewardship of property and stream
banks in the Driftwood Branch and First Fork of the Sinnemahoning Creek
watersheds.
This volunteer group has accomplished many projects,
including placing watershed educational signs and maps at state parks
and schools, planting streamside forest buffers and doing stream
restoration projects, organizing stream and roadside garbage cleanups,
and treating miles of stream banks and acres of forests for invasive
plants.
Currently, BWA is working to control invasive plant
species such as mile-a-minute vine, Japanese knotweed, tree of heaven,
Japanese barberry and buckthorn. Since 2009, the BWA has worked with
over 180 landowners in Potter and Cameron counties to treat 42 (gross)
miles of stream banks to control Japanese knotweed.
The BWA has also been very aggressive in treating mile-a-minute
vine on a site west of Emporium, and along the Driftwood Branch above
Sterling Run. The group has also been working with the PA Game
Commission and private landowners at the Elk-Cameron County line, to
control buckthorn, treating almost 1,000 acres of forest. The BWA has
also been working to eradicate small, scattered populations of tree of
heaven and Japanese barberry in the watershed.
Conservation Stewardship Individual Award - Jim Leonard
Weedville, PA -Elk County
Jim Leonard has done great work for the environment without
receiving one cent for his efforts. Leonard runs what is essentially a
one-man glass recycling operation in Elk County. He pays for the
dumpster out of his pocket and uses his own vehicles to get the glass
and other materials from the dumpster to their final destination, often
to Brockway Glass. The glass he gets from the local glass collection
center is often mixed together (even though the colors are clearly
marked). It is a mountain of work and it has been going on for decades!
The amount of recyclables he's kept out of landfills is absolutely
staggering. One photo shows a drum of crushed glass weighing more than
500 lbs. Another shows the full dumpster holding 80 barrels or 20 tons.
Leonard has inspired many local people and those in nursing homes to
recycle long before recycling was even thought of for communities.
Great Design Award - Subway New Bethlehem
New Bethlehem, PA - Clarion County
Tim Murray was the owner of six Subways in Armstrong and
Clarion counties when he decided to build a seventh store a few feet
from the popular Redbank Valley Trail, 2014's 'PA Trail of the Year,' in
New Bethlehem.
Murray contacted the PA Wilds early on in the project, noting
use of the PA Wilds Design Guide and his desire to tie into the
regional brand through outdoor interpretive signage at the site. Murray
built the new Subway different than traditional stores, with an open
ceiling plan, shake shingles to give it a rustic look, and solar panels
on the roof. The building's stone siding was sourced locally, as were
the construction crews. He hung a keystone over the store's entrance.
Murray is also planning to do outdoor seating to court Redbank Valley
Trail users, and also wants to do interpretive signage that explains how
the trail is part of the larger outdoor recreation destination of the
Pennsylvania Wilds.
It is tremendous to see businesses building to fit the
landscape like this. Too often we see chains do the minimum in terms of
design - a cement box or something along those lines. Communities can
ask for something more inspired, and often times will get it if they do.
As Murray has demonstrated, business owners can also spearhead more
inspired designs. And it makes business sense to do so: no doubt he is
going to have more trail customers because he did.
Murray and his Subway are now being considered as a case
study for the new edition of the PA Wilds Design Guide, slated to come
out this summer.
Member of the Year Award- Deborah Pontzer
Elk County
2016 PA Wilds Team Member of the Year is Deborah Pontzer.
Pontzer is chair of the PA Wilds Planning Team's Outreach Committee. As
anyone on the Team can tell you, this is one of the group's most active
committees, charged as it is with some of the most visible aspects of
the Wilds work - overseeing our annual dinner and awards banquet, our
online and print resources for communities, our community workshops and
the like.
Year in and year out, Pontzer has taken these massive
projects on with grace and gusto, always going the extra mile to get
great speakers, to involve as many partners as possible, and to seek out
the greatest skills and talents within our budgets so as to best serve
our communities.
Under Pontzer's leadership, the annual dinner has grown from
an afternoon luncheon to a sold-out evening event that attracts people
from around the region who share the vision and spirit of the Wilds
work. She has helped make this important regional networking event
sustainable by incorporating ticket sales and sponsorships to offset the
cost of putting it on. And she has helped launch, shape and grow the PA
Wilds Champion Awards, which have been critical to building
understanding and pride in the work being done by so many residents and
organizations across the region related to nature tourism. She has also
help guide and grow the business development component of the Wilds
work, sharing her insights, networks and time to advance many of the
Wilds' business development efforts and endeavors, be they grant
applications or strategic partnerships or approaches to complicated
projects.
Artisan of the Year - Steve Getz, Lock Haven, PA - Clinton County
Steve Getz is an accomplished artist, designer and arts
advocate who has championed arts efforts at the local and regional
level, including working on behalf of the PA Wilds.
An accomplished painter and designer whose work has earned
many recognitions and appeared in galleries, museums and other
collections, Getz is probably best known among the Wilds network as one
of the faces of the Station Gallery, which he and others on the Clinton
County Arts Council transformed from an abandoned train depot to a
stunning gallery that hosts thoughtful - and very well attended -- art
shows throughout the year. He has also been instrumental in organizing
arts events and festivals, such as Clinton County Arts Council's Harvest Days and the upcoming Lock Haven JAMS festival in August.
Perhaps lesser known is that behind the scenes, Getz
volunteers on behalf of the PA Wilds Artisan Trail and is a champion of
the Pennsylvania Wilds brand. The Artisan Trail has gone through
significant changes over the last few years, including a major strategic
planning process in 2015 that is repositioning the program for
long-term growth and under a new brand identity, the Wilds Cooperative
of Pennsylvania. Steve has been there at every turn to talk through
concepts and ideas, to host events, and to explain changes to current
and potential artisans, trail sites and partners. Steve has understood
from the beginning that a big regional arts-related business development
program doesn't just come out of the box fully formed. It has to be
built, brick by brick, and that it takes a lot of people contributing to
make that happen in a meaningful and sustainable way.
Business of the Year Award- Flickerwood Wine Cellars
Kane, PA - McKean County
Located near Kane, in McKean County, Flickerwood Wine Cellars
opened in 2000 and has pretty much been expanding ever since, adding
employees at both their main branch in Kane and at their Tasting Rooms
in Kennett Square and Oxford, Pa.
Flickerwood co-owner Ron Zampogna made wine his entire life.
After nearly four decades with the US Forest Service, he retired and his
kids convinced him and Mom they should go into business. The entire
family now works at the winery. Tourists make up a large part of their
foot traffic. In their neck of the woods, the historic Kinzua Viaduct at
Kinzua Bridge State Park are a major draw.
When a tornado ripped part of the historic Kinzua Viaduct
down in 2003, Flickerwood crafted a semi-sweet wine called "Tribute" and
donated a portion of sales, more than $3000 total, to the Kinzua Bridge
Foundation, a nonprofit. In 2013, Flickerwood created another called "Kinzua Journey," a semi-sweet white blend,
which also celebrated the Kinzua Viaduct and its history, and donated
more than $1000 in proceeds to their local visitor bureau to help
promote the state park and surrounding area.
Flickerwood Wine Cellars has also been very active in
promoting the Pennsylvania Wilds region and brand. The winery is part of
the Wilds Cooperative of Pennsylvania, and was one of the first
businesses in the region to put the Wilds logo on their business sign.
They were also one of the first to sign up to use the Wilds logo on a
saleable product, launching their semi-sweet PA Wilds-branded
"Wilderness Red" wine in 2012. A portion of proceeds on all sales of
Wilderness Red now go to support the PA Wilds Conservation Landscape
work, another great ongoing contribution.
Inspiring Youth Award - Marlene Lellock
Punxsutawney, PA - Jefferson County
Since she began her involvement, Marlene Lellock has taken
the Punxsutawney Weather Discovery Center to new heights and helped to
develop an educational and recreational attraction that is equal to
none. The Discovery Center now provides a mix of
interactive exhibits that are entertaining and educational for both
youths and adults from the PA Wilds region and across the country.
Marlene has a long history of work in and around her
community. She currently serves on the PA Great Outdoors board, and her
insights have provided the organization with many wonderful ideas to
help promote tourism within the counties of Cameron, Clarion, Jefferson,
Elk, and Forest. She also serves on the "Visit Punxsutawney" group that works to promote local tourism projects and visitation. Marlene
very rarely makes decisions based solely on her own interests or the
interests of the Weather Discovery Center, but rather on the interests
of the entire area. She is a prime example of someone who thinks on a
large scale and puts the interests of others before her own.
In the immediate sense, the Punxsutawney Weather Discovery
Center has provided employment and internship opportunities to many
individuals. It has become a destination of its own,
drawing people from the region who then also visit Punxsutawney's other
attractions. With Marlene's help, the Weather Discovery Center has
become a resource for Boy and Girl Scouts, a field trip destination for
schools in the region, and a prime tourist attraction, not just during
Groundhog Day, but also throughout the year.
Event of the Year Award - Ridgway Chainsaw Carvers Rendezvous Ridgway, PA - Elk County
The Ridgway Chainsaw Carvers Rendezvous has grown to be one
of the biggest attractions in the Pennsylvania Wilds during the month of
March. Chainsaw Carver Rick Boni and his wife Liz, the event organizers, attract
carvers from around the globe, which in turn brings visitors to the
event from all over the eastern U.S. In 2016, more than 45,000 people
came to Elk County to see chainsaw carvers in action and to attend the
auction at the end of the festival.
Various non-profits are given display space during the
Rendezvous for education and fund raising purposes, and the event gives
many tourism-related businesses an important boost during the shoulder
winter season. Hotels, B&B's, cabins, restaurants and retailers all
see increased business during this event, which has also sparked
community pride.
Best Brand Ambassador Award - Stephanie Distler
Johnsonburg, PA - Elk County
Before there was a 'Best Brand Ambassador' award, Stephanie
Distler was championing the Pennsylvania Wilds brand and pushing the
envelope on how private-sector partners could leverage it in the
marketplace.
A PA Wilds Juried Artisan and founding member of the PA Wilds
Artisan Trail, Stephanie was one of the first artisans to align her
hand-forged jewelry designs with our regional brand. She didn't stop
there. Stephanie was also the first Juried Artisan to create a line of
PA Wilds-branded products - a jewelry line. This was before there was a
PA Wilds Licensing Program to encourage this sort of thing. Indeed,
Stephanie's interest in developing her PA Wilds-branded jewelry line
helped fuel efforts to get a Licensing system off the ground for the PA
Wilds Conservation Landscape.
The Licensing Program, which officially launched last year,
is now an important component in our regional brand development strategy
-- and our sustainability strategy. Stephanie was one of the first to
sign up, and a portion of her sales from her PA Wilds branded jewelry
now go to support the Conservation Landscape effort.
Beyond this, Stephanie has opened her working studio and
shared her experiences in educational videos about the Wilds, helping to
underscore the importance of the effort to creative small businesses.
She continues to inspire and lead numerous promotional efforts, from PA
Wilds Pop-Up Shops to our PA Wilds Etsy Street Team to PA Wilds
campaigns across numerous social media platforms. On many weekends
throughout the year, you can follow Stephanie on social media traveling
the region with her family, visiting Artisans and Trail sites and
talking to other businesses about the Wilds and how they might get
involved. She does this on her own time and dime, and we love her for
it, for there is nothing better for a brand than authentic, genuine
interactions like this.
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