For the Mountain

Are you doing anything this Friday night between 6 and 9 p.m.?  I’ll wait while you check your schedule.

Nothing? Great! Then I have a suggestion for you.

Join me and other supporters of the Mount Nittany Conservancy as we celebrate our 7th Annual Mount Nittany Night. It will be a pleasant evening of conversation with friends and several short presentations. Casual dress, some wine and hors d’oeuvres. Arrive when you can, leave when you are ready. A beautiful view of the Mountain. Just a perfect way to spend a Friday evening in early June in Happy Valley.

And here are a few other reasons why you should join us.

The Mount Nittany Conservancy is an all-volunteer charity that was created in 1981 to acquire and conserve lands on and about the famed Nittany Mountain. The Conservancy is dedicated to conserving and protecting the land in its natural state as a historic, scenic and environmental resource for the benefit of everyone.

What that means in practice is our primary purpose is maintaining a network of 9 miles of trails that go up and around the top of the Mountain and are hiked daily by the outdoor lovers of Centre County and beyond. We estimate more than 50,000 people a year hike at least part of the Mountain. If you’ve ever driven up Mount Nittany Road on a football or graduation weekend and seen the mass of cars parked there, you might suggest that we are underestimating that number.

Which brings us to a small downside of being that popular… The most common hike on the Mountain is from the trailhead at the top of Mount Nittany Road up to the Lynch Overlook and back down. Depending on conditions most people can complete this hike in an hour, including spending time at the overlook taking in the scenic vista.

And it is scenic. The Lynch Overlook features a bird’s-eye view of the Penn State campus, including Beaver Stadium and the Bryce Jordan Center. Having your photo taken on the overlook with the valley in the background is a classic pose for local residents, tourists and returning alumni.

However, a landscape issue arises because the overlook is so steep that the soil runs off very quickly and leaves just rock – creating a large scree field which is not habitable for trees and vegetation. This results in a “hole” on the Mountain which was becoming visible from the valley below.

For 30 years the volunteers of the Conservancy have followed standard and well-respected trail maintenance procedures to stave off excess erosion. Rerouting trails, using downed trees and other found materials to create water bars and planting native species are all attempts we made to slow down or reverse this process.

But last year we finally came to grips with the reality that our volunteer efforts alone were not getting it done. Erosion at Mount Nittany’s most visited overlook was simply too big a job and professional assistance was needed.

Our “Mountain Committee” – Bob Andronici, Chad Bell and others — enlisted the help of our longtime supporters, Sweetland Engineering, to develop a strategy to address this problem. They drew up plans and made excellent suggestions regarding various options. The Conservancy’s guiding mantra has always been to use native materials when maintaining the trails on the Mountain and we wanted to follow that code if at all possible.

Once a plan of action was determined, Glenn O. Hawbaker, Inc. crafted a project schedule to turn that plan into reality and shore up the overlook to halt its deterioration. Natural materials were collected and used to divert water, build retaining walls and create a new, erosion-proof entry path to the overlook. All this was accomplished through the generosity of several land-owning neighbors who enabled workers to move heavy equipment and supplies to the site on the top of the Mountain.

Work on this project began in earnest early this year – during the slowest hiking season on the Mountain – and the primary construction phase was complete in about two months. If you have hiked up the Mountain recently you have seen the results of this work, which will continue through the year as we fine-tune the area. And here’s the money part – this necessary large-scale specialized repair by skilled craftsmen is the largest expense in the Mount Nittany Conservancy’s history at close to $100,000.

So there you have an outstanding reason to come join us – to celebrate this once-in-a-generation trail maintenance project.

In addition, the price of admission benefits a charity and helps us defray the cost of this project. It’s better to give than to receive and it always feels good when you support a wholesome and healthy cause with your hard earned dollars. And giving to the Mount Nittany Conservancy is a great way to feel good.

Also, Board members Elizabeth Fegert and Heidi Battista have spent countless hours planning this evening and you deserve to be treated to the outstanding quality of their efforts.

Lastly, I’ve been president of the Mount Nittany Conservancy since January 2011 – six-and-a-half years – and Friday evening will be my last official “act” as president. Eric Loop will take over the reins on July 1. It has been an honor and a pleasure serving with the other officers, Doug Wion, a stalwart as our secretary, the indefatigable Karl Shellenberger as vice-president and Blake Gall, our financial whiz as treasurer.  

The members of the board are as dedicated a group of volunteers as you’ll find anywhere, and two of our emeritus board members have been especially helpful to me. Bill Jaffe got me involved with this great organization and provided invaluable advice, and Vince Verbeke, my immediate predecessor as president, mentored me in all things Mountain.

In addition, there are several local groups and organizations who readily support the Conservancy with time, energy and money. College Township is a wonderful governmental body to work with (how often do you see the word “wonderful” modifying “government” in print?). Spraying for gypsy moths and finding solutions for parking issues are two of the larger efforts that would not have happened without them. The Centre County Convention and Visitors Bureau is ready to lend a hand, and a few dollars, when a specific need arises. Betsey Howell deserves kudos for her years of tireless work there. And the folks at the ClearWater Conservancy are always willing to help a fellow environmental charity, especially one run by volunteers with no office.

So, there you have it. Plenty of outstanding reasons to come out and join us this Friday. The details of the event and a link to purchase tickets are below. I hope to see you there!

For the Mountain. 

7th Annual Mount Nittany Night

Join us for an evening of joyful celebration of the Mountain. A selection of wines, non-alcoholic beverages, light refreshments and hors d’oeuvres will be served. A cash bar will be available for additional selections. All proceeds benefit the Mount Nittany Conservancy so bring your friends.

$40 per person

Friday, June 9

6-9 p.m.

Mountain View Country Club

100 Elks Club Road

Boalsburg, PA 16827

TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE HERE

A project to counter the effects of erosion at the Lynch Overlook on Mount Nittany is the largest maintenance project in Mount Nittany Conservancy’s history. Photo by Chad Bell.