By Karen Melton
In a remarkable turn of fortune, a 110-acre invasives-overrun property where the hides of slaughtered animals once arrived by the railroad carload for tanning, is being restored to a forest of native trees with some help from a Sierra Club Huplits Wildlife Grant. It is becoming a place that supports both wildlife and veterans seeking to engage with nature.
Camp Elk Tannery is the site of an abandoned 19th century tannery that was later purchased by the grandfather of current owner Lamont Kapec (known as Monte), who is the driver behind this transformation. After 23 years as a commissioned army officer, followed by 8 years as an Army Civilian, bringing the property back to life seemed a fitting retirement project, and one that would honor the legacy of a grandfather who had himself been a pioneer in land preservation, with ties to Gifford Pinchot, the first Chief of the U.S. Forest Service and a two-term Governor of Pennsylvania. In addition, Monte saw an opportunity to create a camp where veterans could engage with the outdoors.
Night Sky at Camp Elk Tannery | By: E. Bryan Crenshaw, III
Since starting the project in 2014, many improvements have been made, partnerships formed, and sources of expertise and funding scrapped together. Some of the implemented conservation programs and technical supports have come through farm bill programs, including an early professional forest management plan. Many hundreds of trees have been planted, including 270 over just one recent weekend and acres of invasive Japanese Barberry have been ripped out. Partnerships have also been formed with PA’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, which looks to PA to help create and maintain riparian buffers along tributaries feeding into the Chesapeake.
Some of the labor has been provided by vet groups during weekend outings and youth from the nearby Red Rock Job Corps program. In return, they learn about sustainable forest management practices and about species native to the region.
In 2015 Monte connected with the SE PA Sierra Club. The chapter was already providing environmental education programs at the Philadelphia Multi-Service Center and had contact with many veterans, including many older Vietnam vets, some indigent, some with limited mobility. A program of 3 or 4 weekend outings during summer and fall months was developed and continues to this day. Local Sierra Club volunteer and veteran George Edwards became an avid supporter of the program, often driving the van of Philadelphia vets the nearly 3 hour ride to the camp in Northeast PA. Another local Sierra Club volunteer, Bryan Crenshaw, also become an ongoing supporter of the program, serving as Outings Coordinator, and joining the board of a nonprofit set up to support Camp operations, Vets in the Valley Foundation, Inc.
Some vets have participated from the beginning, such as Clifton Bennett, a Vietnam veteran from Philadelphia who talks about the shared activities such as hiking, fishing and archery, and the serenity of just looking at the mountains and the stars.
In spring of 2018 Monte and Bryan applied for and received a Huplits Wildlife Grant from Sierra Club to help support work that would take place over the next two years. The work includes remediating a 10-acre riparian zone and converting a portion of the property into a Forest Heritage Center. The Center will support education about native plant and tree species, sustainable forest practices, and the preservation of wildlife habitat. The local forests are a nesting area for the Golden Winged Warbler, a threatened species. The status of the Warbler and pollinator populations at Elk Tannery is being monitored through a program out of Indiana University. In addition, the project continues support of outreach to veterans and at-risk youth by adding additional outings and environmental education to the schedule.
This is one in a series of articles about projects supported by 2018-19 Huplits wildlife grants. The annual grants are awarded and administered by the Sierra Club Allegheny Group with funding provided by the Huplits Foundation for projects involving public education, litigation, land acquisition or research directly focused on protecting PA wildlife, its habitats, and preventing cruelty to animals. To see more articles from the Spring Sylvanian click here.