On an absolutely gorgeous spring day, the Mount Nittany Conservancy hosted a grand reopening of Mt. Nittany’s blue and white trails to celebrate installation of a new wayfinding system as well as a new trailhead map and brochures, purchased with a tourism grant through the Central Pennsylvania Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The Central Region Emergency Strike Team (CREST) was on hand at the reopening providing information on hiking safey and much more.

MNC Secretary John Hook was on hand to provide a Welcome Tailgate for grand reopening visitors with hamburgers and hot dogs. MNC Board Member Jon Brooks trekked to the Mike Lynch Overlook and told the story of the Overlook to hikers. Jeff Deitrich, MNC Board Member, organized the ribbon cutting and with help from other MNC Board members in attendance (Erich May, John Mentzell, Tom Smyth, and Doug Wion) passed out free magnets, the new brochures, and answered questions about the Conservancy. Several MNC Director Emeritus were also on hand for the celebratory day (Ben Bronstein, Bill Jaffe, Ralph Mumma, and Ken Reeves).

The wayfinding system is a series of sign posts placed at key intersections to keep hikers from getting lost. Twelve wayfinding markers located at important intersections and additional signs will allow hikers to more easily see where they are and how to get back. Read more about the project and the people and groups involved here.

CentreDailiy.com and State College.com covered the event as well. Be sure to click the pictures on both sites to see pictures on the event and the new trail signs.

• New Mount Nittany trail signs guide the way (Centre Daily Times)
• Mount Nittany Conservancy Reopens Mountain Trails (State College.com)

MNC Board Member Jon Brooks has pictures on Picasa. A reporter from WJAC-TV was there to cover the event. You see her filming hikers looking over one of the new wayfinder signs.

Grand Reopening Ribbon Cutting. Left-right: Jeff Deitrich, MNC Board Member, Cory Trimm, Penn State Circle K, Dave Fryer, College Township, Blake Gall, MNC Board Member, Willy Kogelmann, Mountain Neighbor, Gary, Gentzler, MNC Board Member, Nathaniel Gray, Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, Jon Brooks, MNC Board Member. Missing from the photo are MNC Board Members Bob Andronici, Bob Frick, Tim White as well as Eli Zigon from Phi Mu Delta fraternity.

Key Contributors to the Project Left-right: Dave Fryer, College Township, Blake Gall, MNC Board Member, Willy Kogelmann, Mountain Neighbor, Gary, Gentzler, MNC Board Member.

Vince being presidential. Left-right: Vince Verbeke, MNC President, Jeff Deitrich, MNC Board Member, Dave Fryer, College Township, Blake Gall, MNC Board Member, Willy Kogelmann, Mountain Neighbor, Gary, Gentzler, MNC Board Member.

Ready, Set, Welcome! Left-right: Dave Fryer, College Township, Blake Gall, MNC Board Member, Willy Kogelmann, Mountain Neighbor, Gary, Gentzler, MNC Board Member, Nathaniel Gray, Phi Gamma Delta fraternity.

We love our volunteers. Left-right: Gary, Gentzler, MNC Board Member. Erich May, MNC Board Member, John Mentzell, MNC Board Member.

Enjoying a great day. Hikers getting ready to head up the Mountain.

The Man. John Hook, MNC Board Member, directs the tailgate / information booth.

Folks who helped make it happen. Left-right: Cory Trimm, Penn State Circle K, Dave Fryer, College Township, Blake Gall, MNC Board Member, Willy Kogelmann, Mountain Neighbor, Gary, Gentzler, MNC Board Member, Nathaniel Gray, Phi Gamma Delta fraternity.

Why do you love Mt. Nittany? Left-right: Cory Trimm, Penn State Circle K, Jon Brooks, MNC Board Member.

MNC President, Vince Verbeke, dedicates the new wayfinding system, as well as new trailhead map and brochures for the Mount Nittany Conservancy at Grand Reopening of Mt. Nittany on May 16, 2010.

Here is the text of Pesident Verbeke’s remarks:

In 1945, the Lion’s Paw Alumni Association saved 525 acres from lumbering with a fundraising campaign among its few hundred members. However, encroachment on the Mountain continued. In 1981 , the Association formed the Mount Nittany Conservancy to acquire additional land. With community and alumni support, Mount Nittany Conservancy has obtained, through purchase or donation, more than 300 acres that faced detrimental uses. Today, the Conservancy manages both Lions Paw and Conservancy lands.

We continue to build and maintain trails and overlooks, conduct clean-up projects, and spray for gypsy moths when they threaten the trees of our beloved Mt. Nittany, most recently in 2008 and 2009.

To read from the mission of the Conservancy, we desire to acquire and conserve lands on and around Mount Nittany, a symbol of Penn State and the source of its legends. To benefit the public, the Mount Nittany Conservancy practices conservation, protection, and management of these lands as historic, scenic, recreational and environmental resources.

On Labor Day 2008 a State College woman and her three children – ages 6, 4, and 2 – were reported lost on Mt. Nittany at about 9 p.m. It was almost 2 a.m. on Tuesday by the time State College police, assisted by a search team from Central Region Emergency Strike Team (CREST) found them – uninjured but lost – on the backside of the Mountain and off the marked trails.

The Conservancy took this as a call to action. We want the Mountain to be safe and enjoyable for all.

We stand here today, May 16 2010, to dedicate twelve wayfinding markers located at important intersections along with additional signs that identify false trails to prevent the 2008 Labor Day incident as well.

One note about safety, don’t underestimate Mt. Nittany. It’s a tough mountain with a steep ascent to the Mike Lynch Overlook, know your physical limits. As with any hike, you should take have additional clothing, food, water, and if starting a hike at the end of the day, flashlights.

Finally, before there was a Conservancy, another body was steward of the mountain, and his name was Mike Lynch. A native of Somerset County, Mike was a student body president at Penn State. Mike was a frequent climber of Mount Nittany, even before Lion’s Paw bought its tract in 1946. Later, Mike would serve as chair of Lions Paw’s Mountain Committee. In that capacity-and he held the post for decades-Mike would organize mountain cleanups.

Mike was also a poet. To honor Mike (and I can feel him over our shoulders now smiling) I’d like to read his poem entitled Our Mountain.

Across the silent valley stands our Mountain old and strong,
Part of our college heritage in story and in song.

Through all the natural seasons, we watch her change her face,
Shedding the white of winter to green with gentle grace.

In the heat of the summer, she grows new leaves and wood,
In the golden glow of autumn, her beauty is understood.

What is it about this Mountain, with rugged rocks and rills,
That gives we Penn Staters a thousand prideful thrills.

It’s a sense of belonging to a school that’s part of us,
In the annals of our lives, we mark it as a plus.

Today, we pledge our loyalty to our Mountain and Old State,
By doing this, we join our founders, strong and great.

Today, walk the trails of Mt. Nittany as if for the first time. Enjoy Mt. Nittany and its vistas over these valleys. Treasure it. Help us to conserve it.

Why? Because, Mt. Nittany is OUR Mountain.

In the summer of 2009 the Mount Nittany Conservancy (MNC) began installing a wayfinding system of trail signs at critical intersections and points on the paths. In total, we have placed 19 signs on the Blue and White trails to help guide our visitors on the Mountain.

Several directors were instrumental in advancing the project, and, with the help of a grant from the Centre County Community Foundation, the signs were purchased this summer. Bob Andronici, chair of the Mountain Committee, led the charge, and Gary Gentzler researched and recommended the type of signs to use. The project was completed with tremendous help from MNC directors Vince Verbeke, Tim White, Bob Frick, and Blake Gall, who also donated use of his four-wheeler to haul cement and other materials up the mountain. MNC was granted access through the property of neighbor Wilhelm Kogelmann. Andronici said the project would have taken two years to complete without the ability to get heavy materials to the top and Mr. Kogelmann’s granted access.

Likewise, the project would not have happened without the help of many Penn State groups who volunteered. Circle K, Phi Gamma Delta and Phi Mu Delta fraternities, and the Blue and White Society spent significant time digging holes through mountain rock and erecting the signs in deep cement footers. In addition, these groups helped clear the trails of a significant number of trees that came down during the freak 2009 Homecoming snow storm in mid October.

Many thanks go to those organizations for hours upon hours of hard labor. To see images frm the project, click here: Wayfinder Images

Concurrent with this project, MNC has developed a new map. The map includes distances between major points on the trails and numbered markers where the new trail signs are and will be erected, including GPS coordinates for those locations. MNC would like to thank Michael Hermann of Purple Lizard Maps for completing the map project.

Station Signs

Notice: Traveling in the back country can be hazardous. You are responsible for informing yourself about these hazards and taking necessary precautions. Information on this web site may contain errors or omissions. Please use common sense when hiking, and follow all rules & regulations as well as Leave No Trace principles when recreating in the out of doors. The Mount Nittany Conservancy takes NO responsibility for any injuries, accidents, mishaps, etc. that might take place on the grounds of the Conservancy.