ClearWater Conservancy Receives $2M from Appalachian Regional Commission’s POWER Initiative – Technologist

Press release from PA Business Central on November 29, 2024

ClearWater Conservancy has been awarded $2,000,000 by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) for the Clear­Water Community Conservation Center Ecotourism, Agritourism, and Agribusi­ness Hub project.

The project includes construction of a new, 9,350-square-foot community center in Centre County, which will serve as a community space and hub for visitor information and local conservation efforts. This new center aims to foster community engagement and support local conservation, while contributing to economic growth by creating five new jobs and drawing thousands of visitors by 2029.

“ClearWater staff are so excited to move into this new, permanent home in the heart of the Spring Creek Watershed, where we can continue to grow in service to the community while building our volunteer base and providing a center for on-the-ground conservation education,” said ClearWater Conservancy Executive Director Elizabeth Crisfield.

The center will include a visitor informa­tion kiosk, training opportunities for busi­nesses in agritourism and conservation best practices, guided tours for visitors to local natural sites, mine land reclama­tion and acid mine drainage remediation efforts, and development of local trails through the Conservancy’s Rothrock Trail Alliance.

ClearWater Conservancy applied for the grant last summer with assistance from Dane Higbee, principal at Delta Devel­opment Group, Inc and Betsy Lockwood, director of project development and grants at SEDA-Council of Governments (SEDA-COG). The grant was awarded in October.

This award is part of a recently-announced $68.2 million award package supporting 65 projects in 188 coal-impacted counties through ARC’s POWER (Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization) Initiative, which directs federal resources to economic diversifica­tion projects in Appalachian communities affected by job losses in coal mining, coal power plant operations, and coal-related supply chain industries.