A MOTIF WITH MEANING
The PA Wilds Center nods to the long-term generational work of the Pennsylvania Wilds effort through its Wilds Are Working Initiative, which describes a motif that is woven throughout various communications and projects.
Projects that tie into the Wilds Are Working Initiative seek to:
- demonstrate the grit and creative entrepreneurship of rural Pennsylvania
- showcase how the PA Wilds effort has successfully helped to create jobs, diversify local economies, and inspire stewardship in communities across the region.
- highlight collaborative efforts around stewardship, community revitalization, and creative entrepreneurship
PA Wilds Center has utilized the Wilds Are Working Initiative concept in branding the Center’s own news channels and other campaigns designed to spotlight the Center’s work as well as the efforts of key public and private sector partners.
PA Wilds Center Monthly Newsletter Update
The PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship sends out a monthly newsletter, typically on the second Thursday, detailing recent activities and upcoming opportunities.
Recreation + Technology in Rural PA
This initiative included the two unique programs that highlighted technology and innovation in rural PA through the PA Wilds Big Idea Contest and the Remote Worker program.
Facebook Live Video Series Launched at Height of COVID-19
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, this series of live videos aired on Facebook and featured entrepreneurs and community members reflecting on how they pivoted amid the health crisis.
Video Series Highlighting Outdoor Jobs, New Projects
Series of videos showcase outdoor recreation career paths for youth and environmentally conscious building rehabilitation projects taking place in the Pennsylvania Wilds region.
Wilds Are Working: Recreation and Technology in Rural PA
The Wilds Are Working: Recreation and Technology in Rural PA project included two core sub-projects: the PA Wilds Big Idea Contest Series and the Remote Lifestyle Experience.
These projects, which took place between 2022-2024, were made possible thanks to a partnership with Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Central and Northern PA and funding from the Appalachian Regional Commission.
PA Wilds Big Idea Contest Series
This contest series built on programs already offered by Ben Franklin Technology Partners while leveraging the recognition of the Pennsylvania Wilds brand and building a strong partner network to support implementation.
Each year, the contest was offered in a different portion of the PA Wilds region and innovators had a chance to apply and pitch to win up to $50,000 in grand prize money. In addition, participants had a chance to win additional funding through the People's Choice Award and gained access to a large network of technical assistance providers.
The 2022 contest accepted applications from the I-80 Frontier landscape, including Centre, Clarion, Clearfield and Jefferson Counties. Two entrepreneurs split the grand prize: Jeff Billett of Billett Electric Co. (Jefferson County) for his electrical grounding system concept and Espo Wilcox of PA Mushroom Company (Clarion County) for his innovative research and production plan related to mycology in the PA Wilds.
The 2023 contest accepted applications from counties in the Allegheny National Forest landscape, including Cameron, Elk, Forest, McKean and Warren Counties. irst place, $25,000, was awarded to Kafferlin Strategies / CiviLink of Warren for their civil government software platform. Second place, $15,000, went to White Cane Coffee Company of Warren for their innovative prepackaged and biodegradable coffee system. Third place, $10,000, was awarded to Julie Mader of Smethport with The Caregiver’s Artbox, a subscription art box specifically designed for senior facilities.
The 2024 contest from the Dark Skies and Pine Creek Valley landscapes, including Cameron, Clinton, Lycoming, Potter and Tioga Counties. Two entrepreneurs split the grand prize: Katie Caputo of Roambler (Lycoming County) to help develop the online marketplace platform for experiences in PA and Tim Emerick Jr. of Otzzy (Clinton County) to expand his interactive tap-to-play interface app for keepsake gifts.
A Remote Lifestyle Experience
The Wilds Are Working: A Remote Lifestyle Experience campaign seeks to raise awareness about the PA Wilds being a great place for remote and non-remote workers to live, work, and play.
With an eye toward tackling the challenges that come with outmigration and a dwindling tax base, the Wilds Are Working campaign seeks to empowered workers to try out living, working, and giving in the PA Wilds communities for 2-4 weeks with a hope that some of those participants will decide to work in the region full-time and communities would get helpful feedback on how to continue to be a destination for the modern workforce.
HOST COMMUNITIES
2022 - Bellefonte (Centre County) and Kane (McKean County)
2023 - Emporium (Cameron County) and Warren (Warren County)
2024 - Saint Marys (Elk County) and Williamsport (Lycoming County)
The rise of remote work across the United States has allowed rural communities to welcome new residents seeking a different kind of lifestyle — that slower-paced lifestyle that can be found in the Pennsylvania Wilds. According to a January 2022 Pew Research Center survey, about 59% of U.S. workers who say their jobs can mainly be done remotely are working from home all or most of the time.
Many communities in the PA Wilds region are well-suited to become long-term homes for workers with flexible jobs, and a program designed to give those individuals and their families a “test run” of life in that community could help to attract and retain them.
The Wilds Are Working: Rural Entrepreneurship in Uncharted Times
In the summer of 2020, the PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship launched a Facebook Live video series for small businesses in the Wilds Cooperative to share how they were pivoting to survive the coronavirus crisis.
The goal of the series was to:
- Cross-pollinate ideas, approaches and resources that small businesses and entrepreneurs in the PA Wilds are using to get their companies through the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Invest in the sense of community among rural entrepreneurs in the PA Wilds during this challenging time.
- Raise awareness about the role small businesses play in the region’s rural economy, the challenges these companies face with the pandemic, and ways communities and customers can help.
The videos were also transcribed and published as articles to broaden accessibility. Find the articles here.
The Wilds Are Working Video Series
Between 2019 and 2023, The PA Wilds Center developed a video series under the Wilds Are Working motif to help tell the stories of the many stakeholders working together on the Pennsylvania Wilds initiative. The series included four videos.
Welcome to the Pennsylvania Wilds
The Wilds Are Working: The PA Outdoor Corps
The Wilds Are Working: Rehabilitating the PA Wilds Media Lab
New Energy Ideas Helping to Revitalize Rural Communities
Videos were produced by Tracy Smith at Sixty Foot Films, a professional juried artisan member of the Wilds Cooperative of Pennsylvania.
Major funding for this project included grants from the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and the West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund (WPPSEF).