Lumber Heritage Region / PA Wilds Center 2017 Mini-Grant Announcement

The Lumber Heritage Region of Pennsylvania Inc.(LHR) and the PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship, Inc. (PA Wilds Center) are pleased to announce the region’s 2017 Mini-Grant Program.

The Lumber Heritage Region is one of Pennsylvania’s 12 Heritage Areas covering 15 Counties.

LHR provides:

• Technical, educational, and financial assistance to communities, local governments, business institutions, and the general public.
• Coordinates programs which interpret the region’s unique lumber history, celebrates its living heritage, and fosters a greater understanding of the contemporary lumber and forest products industry.
• Works to enhance the region’s economy by providing forest management education; conserving and interpreting historic, natural, and recreational resources; and enhancing tourism in cooperation with local communities to make the region a better place to live, work, and visit.

The Lumber Heritage Region has funded and created some exciting projects throughout the Region. These projects are connecting communities, telling stories, creating opportunities, exploring economic development and much more. They represent more than $3 million dollars in public and private investments in the communities of the Region.

PA Wilds Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to integrate conservation and economic development in a way that strengthens and inspires communities in the Pennsylvania Wilds. PA Wilds Center, in coordination with its many partners, offers programs and services that help grow the nature and heritage tourism industry across the 12 ½ counties of the Pennsylvania Wilds region. This work is helping create jobs, diversify local economies, inspire stewardship and improve quality of life. Learn more at www.pawildscenter.org.

LHR and PA Wilds Center in partnership with  the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), has funding available to support projects totaling $60,000 with a maximum award of $5,000 per application. The grant amount must be matched dollar for dollar with funds from other sources. Projects must be completed and funds must be expended by May 1, 2018.

The type of grants considered will be projects that implement recommendations of the LHR Management Action Plan, PA Wilds Planning Team Strategic Plan, and Pennsylvania Wilds Design Guide and strategic priorities as outlined below. Highest priority will be given to projects focusing on the use of technology in promoting the heritage of the area, eligible project activities would include but not limited to:

• Educational pieces that promote the forest products industry and the heritage of the region.
• Media pieces that highlight the history, heritage, and/or recreational opportunities in the Region.
• Packaged itineraries and products associated with those itineraries.
• Elements from existing plans including but not limited to trails, watershed, greenway or heritage community plans.
• Projects that lead to more woods-related craftspeople joining The Wilds Cooperative of PA network (artisan wood workers, maple producers – learn more at pawildsartisans.com);
• Projects that create short high-quality videos (up to 2 minutes) about one or more lumber assets in the region that can be used on the regional visitor site pawilds.com and LHR’s website (as well as for the applicant’s uses); or short videos that help tell the story that the Wilds is a working forest and highlights the high performance sustainable forestry practices being done here.
• Projects that create high-quality digital stories (pictures and copy) about the region’s lumber assets (brick and mortar, events, history, artisan woodworkers in The Wilds Cooperative of PA) that can be used for pawilds.com, LHR’s website, both organization’s social media channels, as well as for the applicant’s uses.
• Projects that promote use of or principles in the PA Wilds Design Guide for Community Character Stewardship.

Eligible applicants for the program would include non-profit 501(c)3 organizations, Municipalities, Conservation Districts, Educational Institutions, Housing and Development Authorities. The project must be located within the boundaries of the Lumber Heritage Region/Pennsylvania Wilds Region.

Details and application packets are available on the LHR Website at www.lumberheritage.org or by calling the LHR at 814-486-0213.

Funding for the Lumber Heritage Region/ PA Wilds Center 2017 Mini-Grant Program is provided through the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Bureau of Recreation and Conservation (BRC).

The Pennsylvania Wilds region includes the counties of: Warren, McKean, Potter, Tioga, Forest, Elk, Cameron, Clinton, Clarion, Jefferson, Clearfield, Lycoming and northern Centre. Lumber Heritage Region includes all those counties plus Indiana and Cambria.