ARPA money funds Merrill W. Linn Land and Waterways Conservancy programming, trail restoration

Oct. 5—LEWISBURG — The sound of distant owl hoots echoed off the forest at the Dale's Ridge Trail on Tuesday as 17 adults and children listened with bated breath.

The Owl Prowl, held at the Dale-Engle-Walker Property, 1471 Strawbridge Road, Lewisburg, is one of 30 programs from the Merrill W. Linn Land and Waterways Conservancy this fall that is funded through American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money. Adventure coordinator Becky Stugart, whose position is also funded through a combination of ARPA money and private donations, led a two-hour hike through the property to observe the local owl population and learn about their unique calls.

"This was really amazing," said Joanna Nelson, of Winfield. "At the beginning, when we heard two different kinds of owls calling across the field, it was really, really neat."

Joanna and her husband, Kurt Nelson, brought their two children, Elliott, 6, and Lillian, 11. While Lillian is a self-proclaimed bird enthusiast, Elliott owns 12 stuffed owls.

"It was super fun to be outside," said Kurt Nelson. "The kids really appreciated being outside on such a lovely night."

The Merrill W. Linn Land and Waterways Conservancy, headquartered at 589 Fairground Road in Lewisburg, was awarded $110,000 from Union County in ARPA funds last year to use toward repairing and maintaining public trails, restoring land and waterways and the creation of an outdoor programming coordinator position. The adventure coordinator position was created in September 2022 with the ARPA money, but then fully funded through 2025 through a private donation.

"All the programs we do encourage people to find new ways to experience the outdoors, whether it's foraging for mushrooms, identifying trees or finding macro-invertebrates, all those things show them it's not just a place to go hiking, there's so much more to experience," said Stugart.

Tuesday's event started with Stugart discussing local owl species, including the great horned owl, barn owls and screech owls, and showing off owl feathers and wings. She also used an electronic device to demonstrate owl sounds and attract the local owls.

Dan and Kay Eisley, of Milton, attended the event with their children: Naomi, 4, Andrew 6, and Robert, 8. The family has done owl prowls and nature walks together.

"I heard the one owl that just kept calling right after, after every single call she did," said Robert. "That was actually pretty amazing. Normally owls don't do that."

One of 25

The Merrill W. Linn Land and Waterways Conservancy was founded in April 1988 in memory of Merrill W. Linn, a local attorney and avid outdoorsman who spent much of his life exploring the woods, streams, fields, and byways surrounding his native Lewisburg, and sharing that experience and knowledge with others. It is one of 25 local municipalities, organizations and projects awarded a portion of $7,713,326 in ARPA funds from Union County in October 2022.

Union County received $9 million of the $6.15 billion federal funds allocated to Pennsylvania. The county has more than $1.2 million that has not been allocated.

The mission of the Merrill Linn Conservancy is to preserve and protect significant ecological sites in Union, upper Northumberland, and neighboring counties and to engage the public on conservation issues critical to the health of the environment. It has 1,587 acres as part of conservation easements, 44 acres owned by the conservancy and 118 acres transferred back to state parks. Turtle Creek Park in East Buffalo Township is the organization's newest easement at 78 acres.

The ARPA funding allowed the conservancy to "increase our capacity to service our community in terms of protecting our land and offering the programming while also repairing and restoring the properties that were greatly used in a time when people were using them," said Conservancy Operations Manager Chad North. "If we did not have the ARPA grant, we would be soliciting private donors. It would have taken longer, and been more challenging. The grant allowed us to do these things much more quickly and better. We're very fortunate to receive the grant."

The majority of the conservancy's funding comes through grants but is also funded through private donations from the community and its 800 members.

Increase in trail users

When the pandemic started in 2020, North said outdoor recreation became "essential." The conservancy's trails, including the popular Dale Ridge Trail on the Dale-Engle-Walker property, were "inundated with people hiking with their families," said North.

"We needed to repair the trails and improve the natural beauty of the properties," North said. "They became worn and run down. Two to three years of the pandemic greatly aged the trail. Recreation leads to conservation. If you can't offer a great experience on the trail, people are less likely to want to conserve the land."

The conservancy is working with the SEDA-Council of Governments in Lewisburg to get a report on how usage of the trail system increased. SEDA-COG placed a trail counter on the property for a year and will be reviewing the data with the conservancy, North said.

The conservancy also planted trees along the stream banks at the Dale-Engle Trail and the Koons Trail in Mifflinburg.

Stugart said the conservancy also saw how critical the need for outdoor programming was. The ARPA funding supports bird watching, hiking, foraging, plant identification, conservation camps and fossil digs.

'Fantastic environment'

The Union County Commissioners said they are impressed with how the ARPA money is being used by the conservancy.

"Part of what makes Union County so special is the fantastic environment we have," said Commissioner Chair Jeff Reber. "The Merrill Linn Conservancy does a good job at promoting conservation as well as education. It gives everybody a chance to experience nature in a way you don't get to in a lot of places."

Commissioner Stacy Richards said she read the conservancy's newsletter recently.

"I was pretty bowled over with amazement with all the programs they have for all sorts of kids and adults at all sorts of places," said Richards. "The money was used for a very good purpose and has benefitted a lot of people."

A full list of programs can be found on the conservancy's website at www.linnconservancy.org. Registration is free for most of the programs. Donations are requested.