Joins Golf Legend Arnold Palmer to Preserve 26 Acres for the Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve

UNITY TOWNSHIP, Pa., April 19 /PRNewswire/ -- With Earth Day only days away, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge today announced more than $30 million in grants for 340 recreation and conservation projects in 63 counties statewide -- to protect open space; to support community parks and recreation; to enhance greenways; and to convert rails-to-trails. The grants are made possible, in part, through Gov. Ridge's $650 million "Growing Greener" program -- the state's largest-ever environmental investment.

At an event just outside Latrobe, Gov. Ridge was joined by golf legend Arnold Palmer to announce one of the grants -- $500,000 to save 26 acres of open space from development by creating the Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve.

"What better way to celebrate Earth Day and the success of `Growing Greener' than by announcing these grants -- $30 million for about 9,000 acres of protected open-space and natural areas, 75 trail projects -- including 240 miles of water trails -- 160 new and improved parks, 55 playgrounds and 11 swimming pools," Gov. Ridge said. "We're making Pennsylvania even cleaner and greener. And we're making the quality of life for all Pennsylvanians even better -- with more and better places to enjoy nature, play ball, take your kids on their first hike, or ride a bike.

"Our Constitution gives Pennsylvanians the right to clean air, to pure water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic and esthetic values of the environment. We don't inherit the environment and these lands from our ancestors, we borrow them from our children."

The largest grants go to Philadelphia for $1 million to revitalize neighborhood parks and a recreation center, and the Nature Conservancy for $1 million to acquire 1,200 acres for Moosic Mountain, in Lackawanna County, to protect open space and critical habitat. Other grants include a plan for a whitewater-recreation park in Conemaugh Township, Somerset County; and a Meadville recreation complex employing "green" heating and cooling technology.

"Thanks to `Growing Greener,' we have an additional $8.2 million to fund more worthy Community Conservation Partnership Program projects -- like the Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve in Latrobe," Gov. Ridge said. "This historic, scenic open space shows why we fought for and won $650 million for `Growing Greener.' These 26 acres were in danger of development. Thanks to this grant, we'll protect this precious open space for public recreation and environmental education. That's what Winnie Palmer wanted, and that's why she -- and later her friends and family -- worked so hard to make it a reality.

"My good friend, Arnold Palmer, once told his former high-school classmates, `Your hometown is not where you're from. It's who you are.' That certainly was true about Winnie. This natural land and this scenic beauty meant so much to her -- it's who Winnie was. Through the new Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve, future generations will benefit from her legacy.

"The Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve is just one of hundreds of examples of how this $30 million in grants benefit our communities."

Arnold Palmer said his wife, Winnie, had a vision to preserve this land and save the sweeping vista across the valley to the basilica and campus of Saint Vincent College and Archabbey, which she loved and served as a member of the college Board of Directors. She did not want to see the land become developed, or the view blocked. She wanted to turn the land into a park-like setting dedicated to useful purposes and the enjoyment of local residents and the college -- an environmental, educational and recreational area funded and protected for all time. Winnie Palmer passed away in November 1999.

"Today, Winnie's dream comes true," Arnold Palmer said. "Winnie would be very pleased with what we have accomplished together. I have spent quite a bit of time on the `green' over the years, but I want to thank Gov. Ridge for helping my hometown of Latrobe to be `Growing Greener' than ever. This grant will help make not only Winnie's dream come true, but also the dreams of the young people and families who will have a natural park to call their own."

The Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve is in a heavily developed area adjacent to Saint Vincent College. This 26-acre site was crossed by the British army in the Revolutionary War. An historic blockhouse still sits among the trees and the brush beside the Monastery Run creek. Many roads, railroads and utility right-of-ways have fragmented the once-rural landscape. To protect this area from development, members of the community formed the Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve Corp. The corporation will provide matching funds for the project, valued at $1 million; work to raise $6 million for land acquisition and development; and create a trust that will provide for maintenance in perpetuity.

The Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve Corp. Board of Trustees, under the direction of Arnold Palmer and David M. Roderick, retired Chairman of USX, worked with the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy to acquire, improve and permanently maintain the property and additional adjacent land from Saint Vincent, whose leaders recognize the many benefits the Nature Reserve will bring to the community.

The Reserve's mission will be to "engage in educational activities intended to increase awareness and understanding of ecological concerns and challenges facing our natural environment." The Reserve will carry out this mission by providing and improving land and facilities that will be open for hiking and recreation. The land also will be used by Saint Vincent College for conservation and environmental education.

Gov. Ridge and Arnold Palmer today were joined by U.S. Rep. John P. Murtha Jr. (D-12); state Secretary of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources John C. Oliver; Cynthia Carrow, Executive Vice President of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy; Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve trustees Amy Palmer Saunders, Roderick, the Right Rev. Douglas R. Nowicki O.S.B. -- Archabbot of Saint Vincent Archabbey and the Chancellor of Saint Vincent College, Richmond Ferguson, and Donald W. Giffin; and Saint Vincent College students.

DCNR Secretary Oliver said demand for the grants announced today reached its all-time high this year, proving more communities are understanding the value of incorporating green spaces and recreation areas into the daily lives of Pennsylvania's citizens.

DCNR reviewed projects for consistency with local or regional planning to meet objectives set under the Ridge Administration's new "Growing Smarter" land-use program.

The grants are funded through the Community Conservation Partnership Program, administered by DCNR; "Growing Greener"; the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund; and the Pennsylvania Recreational Trails Fund.

Grants help fund planning, acquisition and development of community recreation, greenways and trails, natural-area and open-space protection, and rivers-conservation projects.

Gov. Ridge's new state budget proposal continues his Administration's historic commitment to Pennsylvania's environment, directing nearly $140 million to implement the third year of the five-year "Growing Greener." Gov. Ridge also proposed $4.6 million for the first full year of "Growing Smarter."