By VICTORIA BARONE (Reprinted with permission of
The Warren Times
Observer )
8/21/2006 - Staff Writer
When former State Rep. Jim Lynch proposed the idea of a hunting and
fishing museum in Forest County 12 years ago, a group of determined people
took the idea and ran with it.
On Saturday, the official groundbreaking for the Hunting and Fishing
Museum of Pennsylvania took place on the island in Tionesta where the
museum will stand. The museum will interpret hunting, fishing and trapping
as they relate to Pennsylvania’s history and the conservation of natural
resources.
During the groundbreaking ceremony, a number of people who have played a
role in the museum’s creation spoke.
Museum President Doug Carlson and Lynch, museum vice president, talked
about the museum’s history. Forty-seven acres of land (on one and a half
islands) were donated by Jack Sherman, owner of Tionesta Sand and Gravel,
for the museum, which will offer exhibits, educational programs, hands-on
and interactive opportunities for visitors, as well as research and
publications.
In 2003, Gov. Ed Rendell awarded $4 million in state funds for the
project. The original grant received was for $1.5 million. Howard Brush,
director of Rendell’s Northwest Regional Office, who also spoke, said the
balance will be forthcoming.
The grant money required matching funds, and nearly three quarters of that
match has been raised, through fundraising and the museum’s capitol
campaign. Carlson thanked the numerous individuals, businesses and
organizations that have made donations.
Northwest Savings Bank provided the bridge loan for construction of the
museum. Northwest Regional Planning Commission has also been a major
supporter of the project.
Congressman John Peterson talked about the importance of tourism to
Pennsylvania. Recent federal funds in the amount of $1.5 million have
modernized the Kinzua-Wolfe Run Marina, Peterson noted.
“That is part of building the base,” he said.
He also pointed to the Drake Well Museum in Titusville and the Lumber
Museum in Galeton as attractions bringing tourists into the area.
Peterson told those assembled that this area is “the western gate” which
tourists will travel through, and addressed the importance of the area
offering the necessary amenities, such as hotels, restaurants, and
attractions such as the museum.
State Rep. Kathy Rapp also spoke of the importance of tourism, and how
fishing and hunting are a part of this.
“It’s a great sport,” said Rapp, who told the audience she has learned to
fish in recent years. “You’re out there with nature, getting away from the
fast-paced, stressful world that we live in.”
Rapp talked about the importance of tourism and the Pennsylvania Wilds
Program created to promote it. She noted that the people working on the
museum have pulled together to make the museum a reality.
“The governor is putting more money into Pennsylvania Wilds,” Rapp said,
and added, “We’re hoping to bring even more money into our area.”
Forest County Commissioner Basil Huffman, Dave Morris, Northwest
Pennsylvania Great Outdoors Visitor’s Bureau, Capital Campaign Chairman
Dick Zimmerman, Daniel Habjanetz, museum secretary/treasurer, and Denise
McCloskey, Northwest Regional Planning Commission, also spoke.
Calling the museum “an awesome project,” Habjanetz told the crowd that
while much work has already been done, “We have an immense amount of money
to raise.”
While it’s a time to revel in what has been accomplished, Habjanetz said,
it is also a time to make sure that fundraising efforts continue, to keep
the project moving.
