A coalition of a dozen central Pennsylvania organizations is calling on state leaders to involve the public in deciding the future of Rockview prison lands, saying conservation, public access and sustainability should be priorities.
Pennsylvania recently shut down the State Correctional Institution at Rockview in Benner Township, Centre County. In a March letter to Gov. Josh Shapiro, a dozen environmental, agricultural and recreation groups say the process for deciding what happens to that nearly 5,800 acres of land should be transparent. And, they go on to say, the groups behind the letter can offer local expertise when it comes to deciding what should happen to the land.
"It kind of defines the landscape that we drive through," said Elizabeth Crisfield, executive director of ClearWater Conservancy, referring to the drives between Bellefonte and State College on either Interstate 99 or state Route 150. "It has such amazing views of the mountain and it's adjacent to the Spring Creek Canyon, so it's just such an iconic property. That's why I think ever since the announcement of it closing, in addition to the impact on the people that worked there and the economy of the area, many people turned their attention to: what will happen there? What what will the future of that land be?"
Crisfield said the property has a mix of forested area key to wildlife and prime agricultural land and is important environmentally.
“The entire property, both the ag and the forest, has a very high recharge potential. So that means that when it rains or snows, the water is infiltrating across that entire property and feeding the aquifer that feeds Spring Creek with its cold water. That's what makes Spring Creek a high-quality cold water fishery. So protecting recharge throughout the Spring Creek watershed is a high priority for anyone who loves the creek. ”
Dan Kniffen, president of the Centre County Farm Bureau and one of the people who signed the letter, said the question of what will happen to the Rockview property comes as farmland will be lost as part of the state’s plans for a section of U.S. Route 322.
“From a county perspective and from a resident perspective, you know it would be nice to at least hang on to what we can," he said.
Crisfield said there are many people in the community who have ideas about the land, and the group of people who signed the letter “just wants to get the conversation started.”
Stakeholders who signed the letter to Shapiro:
Daniel M. Kniffen, President, Centre County Farm Bureau
Dan Guss, President, Centre County Farmland Trust
Mary Sorensen, Executive Director, Centre County Historical Society
Bill Smith, Centre County Pennsylvania Senior Environmental Corps
Elizabeth Crisfield, Executive Director, ClearWater Conservancy
Bob Vierck, Chairman, Keystone Water Resources Center
Catherine Cohan, Lemont Village Association
Chris Buchignani, Vice President, Mount Nittany Conservancy
Kelly Forest, Chair, Sierra Club Moshannon Group
Zach Quinby, President, Spring Creek Chapter, Trout Unlimited
Tony Gehman, Owner, TCO Fly Fishing
Judy Onufrak, Interim Executive Director, Wildlife For Everyone
