The Beginning - A Mountain in Need
In November of 1945, Bill Ulerich was perusing the Centre Daily Times when he came across an ad offering to sell Mount Nittany, including timber rights! He called Russ Clark, then secretary of the alumni, who in turn called Army Armstrong, one of the owners. Armstrong said he and his partners in the Nittany Outing Club were about to sell the mountain to West Virginia Pulp and Paper and that logging would begin the next day. On the spot, Russ Clark bought an option to personally buy the mountain, and spent the whole $300 in the Lion's Paw treasury to do it. The entire purchase price of $2,000 would have to be raised from LP alumni.
At a special meeting of local alumni held November 20, 1945, it was decided that the 500-acre tract of land should be purchased in the name of Lion's Paw and that the purchase, financing and management of the tract should be kept within the Lion's Paw membership and that necessary steps should be taken to incorporate the Lion's Paw Alumni Association. By May 31, 1946, 189 Lion's Paw alumni contributed $2009 to purchase the land.
It was eventually discovered that there was actually no big hurry. Thirty years later, surviving members of the Nittany Outing Club revealed that the whole story about timbering the mountain was a ruse designed to motivate a purchaser, and to save the club from financial ruin. Regardless, Lion's Paw decided it was appropriate to form an organization that would work towards the continued preservation and purchasing of land on Mount Nittany. Thus, the Mount Nittany Conservancy was born.
At a special meeting of local alumni held November 20, 1945, it was decided that the 500-acre tract of land should be purchased in the name of Lion's Paw and that the purchase, financing and management of the tract should be kept within the Lion's Paw membership and that necessary steps should be taken to incorporate the Lion's Paw Alumni Association. By May 31, 1946, 189 Lion's Paw alumni contributed $2009 to purchase the land.
It was eventually discovered that there was actually no big hurry. Thirty years later, surviving members of the Nittany Outing Club revealed that the whole story about timbering the mountain was a ruse designed to motivate a purchaser, and to save the club from financial ruin. Regardless, Lion's Paw decided it was appropriate to form an organization that would work towards the continued preservation and purchasing of land on Mount Nittany. Thus, the Mount Nittany Conservancy was born.
The Continuing Preservation of Mount Nittany
The Mount Nittany Conservancy was established by the Lion's Paw Alumni Association Board of Directors in 1981 in order to enable the Association to expand its efforts to preserve Mount Nittany as a symbol for Penn State and as a historic, scenic, environmental, and recreational resource for the public.
The movement to form the Conservancy was triggered in 1975 when the Association was hit with a five-fold property tax increase as a reslut of a township reassesment program. At the same time, the Association Board knew that some owners of neighboring land or others who coveted it posed a new, perhaps even imminent threat of defacement from lumbering or residential development. In the years since 1945 when Lion's Paw first purchased 500 acres preserving the view from acmpus, the price had grown from about four dollars per acre to $1000. The Board realized that the inherently small number of Lion's Paw alumni would not be able to raise enough money among themselves to continue buying land, pay increasing taxes and carry out conservation activities.
In January 1981 the Mount Nittany Conservancy was born out of the hard work of Wayland F. Dunaway, III LP'33 and Benjamin A. Novak, LP'65. Since then, the Conservancy has been continually purchasing land, and has secured the entire mountain above the 1400-foot mark as viewed from campus.
The Conservancy continually organizes projects to raise awareness about Mount Nittany, and is run by a Board of Directors composed of Lion's Paw Alumni and Actives, an expert in the field of forest management, and Emeritus Board members who are elected after nine years of service
To learn more about the Mount Nittany Conservancy, and/or to get involved, visit their website at www.mtnittany.org.
The movement to form the Conservancy was triggered in 1975 when the Association was hit with a five-fold property tax increase as a reslut of a township reassesment program. At the same time, the Association Board knew that some owners of neighboring land or others who coveted it posed a new, perhaps even imminent threat of defacement from lumbering or residential development. In the years since 1945 when Lion's Paw first purchased 500 acres preserving the view from acmpus, the price had grown from about four dollars per acre to $1000. The Board realized that the inherently small number of Lion's Paw alumni would not be able to raise enough money among themselves to continue buying land, pay increasing taxes and carry out conservation activities.
In January 1981 the Mount Nittany Conservancy was born out of the hard work of Wayland F. Dunaway, III LP'33 and Benjamin A. Novak, LP'65. Since then, the Conservancy has been continually purchasing land, and has secured the entire mountain above the 1400-foot mark as viewed from campus.
The Conservancy continually organizes projects to raise awareness about Mount Nittany, and is run by a Board of Directors composed of Lion's Paw Alumni and Actives, an expert in the field of forest management, and Emeritus Board members who are elected after nine years of service
To learn more about the Mount Nittany Conservancy, and/or to get involved, visit their website at www.mtnittany.org.
