Nittany Valley Environmental Coalition
Donation protected
Protecting Our World Starts at Home
The headlines are dire. Deforestation. Species Extinction. Rising Carbon Levels. Burning forests out West. The novel pandemic.
But there is so much you can do, right here in Central Pennsylvania. What's the antidote to despair? Action. Where can you often be most effective? Locally. What's better than one person? A group of people like you--who care, and will act.
The Nittany Valley Environmental Coalition asks for your support.
We're fighting to save Pine Hall Forest, and doing other great things around Nittany Valley, too. Polls show our region's top concerns as
1. “Managing growth",
2. “Growth with loss of farmland” and
3. “Protecting open space and managing new developments". NVEC has been addressing this.
As a result of our members' relentless activism against the Toll Brothers “Yards”, Penn State has preserved hundreds of acres of PSU land south of the Toll “Yards,” over to Rt. 45, and alongside Musser Gap up to Tussey Ridge. NVEC must continue to help keep PSU to its promises on this.
On the Musser to Valleylands trail
NVEC efforts in Spring Twp. pushed Nestlé away. Our members are now working with the Spring Creek Watershed Commission on a “One Water” watershed protection plan.
NVEC members blew the whistle on a downtown State College air pollution hot spot, persuading PSU to build somewhat higher stacks and close a small West Campus Steam Plant boiler. Air quality monitoring will be paid for by the high-rise developer across Atherton Street.
NVEC has taken the lead in advocating for an Act 315 qualified local Public Health Department to enhance municipal authority to deal with the pandemic now — and other safety and health issues going forward.
What's Pine Hall Forest, and Why Does It Matter?
Pine Hall Forest is a stunning forest in Ferguson Township. It's filled with birds and wildlife. Its green canopy purifies our air, and its roots filter and cool our drinking water. It stores away tons of carbon yearly. It's in the middle of our State College community, right next to homes and businesses.
State College hikers, birders and cyclists have enjoyed it for decades. Since AccuWeather located its world HQ next to it, bike groups even call it AccuWeather Woods!
NVEC’s Land Use Appeal was filed in September 2019, less than 30 days after Ferguson approved the Pine Hall Traditional Town Development (TTD) plan. Our appeal asks Ferguson to require “smart” growth—the kind that allows development, while preserving what we love about our area. Success in our appeal can help strengthen Pennsylvania's laws for protection of our forests: Penn's Woods.
Update:
Presently we are completing court-ordered mediation with the Pine Hall and Circleville developers in order to achieve a smarter, nature-respecting solution. As a result of our lawsuit, at least 20 acres of the Pine Hall forest will be preserved and managed by a third-party trust. This is 17 acres more than that preserved under the original development plan. Other protections for neighboring residents are to be assured.
What Else Are We Working On?
We're meeting with local municipal officials and staff, for proactive zoning that's fair to everyone. We're partnering with communities and nonprofits. We're reaching out and educating, doing painstaking work that has impact locally and beyond.
How will your donation go to work?
Donating now will help finalize our Land Use Appeal to save as much of Pine Hall Forest as we can. As NVEC continues to grow, we will require additional funds to keep protecting what we all want: clean water, pure air, and the natural beauty of our open spaces.
Please consider making a generous donation to jumpstart our future work right now.
Due to our 501(c)4 nonprofit status, your contribution cannot be tax deductible. Why? Because under current law, citizen 501(c)4 organizations can help level the playing field against special interests in ways that tax deductible organizations cannot. For instance, we maintain an ongoing working relationship with lawyers at the formidable Curtin law firm based in Doylestown, PA.
If you'd like to know more, contact us at [email redacted].
Who we are:
We're the Nittany Valley Environmental Coalition. Our mission is to protect our constitutionally-
guaranteed environmental rights as Pennsylvania citizens.
NVEC is the Happy Valley leader in harnessing the volunteer energy of residents to protect our families' pure water, clean air and open space. We include experts in the fields of land use, and air and water quality.
Our home is State College, Pennsylvania, by Penn State University's flagship campus. NVEC serves surrounding communities in Centre County.
We stand for truly smart growth: development that lets people flourish alongside the natural systems that support us all.
We need the help of nature-loving local residents like you to keep our beautiful valley green, our air and water clean, local agriculture viable, and our rural landscapes free of sprawl.
Thank you.
Nittanyvalley-eco.org
The headlines are dire. Deforestation. Species Extinction. Rising Carbon Levels. Burning forests out West. The novel pandemic.
But there is so much you can do, right here in Central Pennsylvania. What's the antidote to despair? Action. Where can you often be most effective? Locally. What's better than one person? A group of people like you--who care, and will act.
The Nittany Valley Environmental Coalition asks for your support.
We're fighting to save Pine Hall Forest, and doing other great things around Nittany Valley, too. Polls show our region's top concerns as
1. “Managing growth",
2. “Growth with loss of farmland” and
3. “Protecting open space and managing new developments". NVEC has been addressing this.
As a result of our members' relentless activism against the Toll Brothers “Yards”, Penn State has preserved hundreds of acres of PSU land south of the Toll “Yards,” over to Rt. 45, and alongside Musser Gap up to Tussey Ridge. NVEC must continue to help keep PSU to its promises on this.
On the Musser to Valleylands trailNVEC efforts in Spring Twp. pushed Nestlé away. Our members are now working with the Spring Creek Watershed Commission on a “One Water” watershed protection plan.
NVEC members blew the whistle on a downtown State College air pollution hot spot, persuading PSU to build somewhat higher stacks and close a small West Campus Steam Plant boiler. Air quality monitoring will be paid for by the high-rise developer across Atherton Street.
NVEC has taken the lead in advocating for an Act 315 qualified local Public Health Department to enhance municipal authority to deal with the pandemic now — and other safety and health issues going forward.
What's Pine Hall Forest, and Why Does It Matter?
Pine Hall Forest is a stunning forest in Ferguson Township. It's filled with birds and wildlife. Its green canopy purifies our air, and its roots filter and cool our drinking water. It stores away tons of carbon yearly. It's in the middle of our State College community, right next to homes and businesses.
State College hikers, birders and cyclists have enjoyed it for decades. Since AccuWeather located its world HQ next to it, bike groups even call it AccuWeather Woods!
NVEC’s Land Use Appeal was filed in September 2019, less than 30 days after Ferguson approved the Pine Hall Traditional Town Development (TTD) plan. Our appeal asks Ferguson to require “smart” growth—the kind that allows development, while preserving what we love about our area. Success in our appeal can help strengthen Pennsylvania's laws for protection of our forests: Penn's Woods.
Update:
Presently we are completing court-ordered mediation with the Pine Hall and Circleville developers in order to achieve a smarter, nature-respecting solution. As a result of our lawsuit, at least 20 acres of the Pine Hall forest will be preserved and managed by a third-party trust. This is 17 acres more than that preserved under the original development plan. Other protections for neighboring residents are to be assured.
What Else Are We Working On?
We're meeting with local municipal officials and staff, for proactive zoning that's fair to everyone. We're partnering with communities and nonprofits. We're reaching out and educating, doing painstaking work that has impact locally and beyond.
How will your donation go to work?
Donating now will help finalize our Land Use Appeal to save as much of Pine Hall Forest as we can. As NVEC continues to grow, we will require additional funds to keep protecting what we all want: clean water, pure air, and the natural beauty of our open spaces.
Please consider making a generous donation to jumpstart our future work right now.
Due to our 501(c)4 nonprofit status, your contribution cannot be tax deductible. Why? Because under current law, citizen 501(c)4 organizations can help level the playing field against special interests in ways that tax deductible organizations cannot. For instance, we maintain an ongoing working relationship with lawyers at the formidable Curtin law firm based in Doylestown, PA.
If you'd like to know more, contact us at [email redacted].
Who we are:
We're the Nittany Valley Environmental Coalition. Our mission is to protect our constitutionally-
guaranteed environmental rights as Pennsylvania citizens.
NVEC is the Happy Valley leader in harnessing the volunteer energy of residents to protect our families' pure water, clean air and open space. We include experts in the fields of land use, and air and water quality.
Our home is State College, Pennsylvania, by Penn State University's flagship campus. NVEC serves surrounding communities in Centre County.
We stand for truly smart growth: development that lets people flourish alongside the natural systems that support us all.
We need the help of nature-loving local residents like you to keep our beautiful valley green, our air and water clean, local agriculture viable, and our rural landscapes free of sprawl.
Thank you.
Nittanyvalley-eco.org
Organiser
David Stone
Organiser
State College, PA