New tool to help rural communities build outdoor recreation economies highlights regional PA Wilds strategy

New tool to help rural communities build outdoor recreation economies highlights regional PA Wilds strategy A new toolkit has been developed and released nationally to help rural communities grow their outdoor recreation industries.  Developed by the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) in partnership with Oregon State University’s Outdoor Recreation Economy Initiative and the National Governors Association Outdoor…

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New report: PA Wilds region hits record high in traveler spending in 2018

New report: PA Wilds region hits record high in traveler spending in 2018 Travelers to the Pennsylvania Wilds in 2018 spent more money than ever before, breaking previous records for the 12-county region in rural north-central Pennsylvania, according to a new report. “Travelers spent more than $1.8 billion in the Pennsylvania Wilds region in 2018…

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2019 Champions of the Pennsylvania Wilds Award Winners Announced

For Immediate Release September 25, 2019 2019 Champions of the Pennsylvania Wilds Award Winners Announced Winners to be recognized at November 7 PA Wilds Annual Dinner & Awards in DuBois Each year, the PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship, Inc. (PA Wilds Center) recognizes outstanding individuals, organizations, programs, communities and places that exemplify the great work…

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Goodbye, Sweet 2016

The PA Wilds Center is off to a roaring 2017, rebooting regional marketing, expanding our gift shops, bringing more creative entrepreneurs into our ranks, pushing for mini grants for our communities and businesses. But before we get into all that, we wanted to give 2016 its due. It was, after all, an amazing year, too!…

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PA Wilds Center receives ARC grant for tourism

[heading size=”2″ color=”e.g. #000″]PA Wilds Center receives ARC grant for tourism[/heading] The PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship, Inc. (PA Wilds Center) has received a three-year, $500,000 grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission through the POWER Initiative to assist with nature tourism cluster development in the Pennsylvania Wilds. The award announcement was made Wednesday in West…

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Partners create branding for Wilds Cooperative

[heading size=”2″ color=”e.g. #000″]Partners create branding for Wilds Cooperative[/heading] We’ve deemed Fridays as gratitude day here at the PA Wilds Center, and this week’s love letter goes to the North Central PA PREP partnership, which is a group we meet with regularly that includes economic development types and small business service providers that help entrepreneurs…

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Place-based tourism: a growth industry in rural PA

[heading size=”2″ color=”#000″]Place-based tourism: a growth industry in rural PA[/heading] Last month we held a workshop for county commissioners from the Pennsylvania Wilds before our big annual awards dinner. Speakers from state and federal agencies that serve the region’s rural communities highlighted their funding programs. I was asked to do a 15-minute overview of the…

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PA Wilds Annual Dinner & Awards Recap

[heading size=”2″ color=”#000″] PA Wilds Annual Dinner & Awards Recap [/heading] During the Pennsylvania Wilds Annual Dinner last week 11 individuals and organizations were honored with PA Wilds Champion Awards for their outstanding efforts to grow nature and heritage tourism in rural PA. The event was attended by a full house of more than 200 people. Guests included DCNR Secretary Cindy Dunn who…

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