Lycoming College receives $4,500 to support the Waterdale Environmental Education Center

Lycoming College is the recipient of a $4,500 donation from C&N to support the Waterdale Environmental Education Center (WEEC), a joint effort between Lycoming College’s Clean Water Institute (CWI) and the Williamsport Municipal Water Authority (WMWA). The gift has been made through the Pennsylvania Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program (EITC), of which the WEEC is a qualifying educational program. The EITC program offers businesses a credit to lower their tax liability through donations to educational enrichments initiatives such as the WEEC. C&N is committed to investing in local educational programs to champion a strong and prosperous community by creating more opportunities for children to thrive.

“C&N employs almost a dozen proud Lycoming alumni locally. Myself, along with many of my colleagues, were excited to have the opportunity to support our alma mater and their efforts to bring such an interesting program to our youth,” said Rachael Clark ’08, vice president, regional retail market leader at C&N. “Our hope is that they not only get the opportunity to learn about science and our natural resources, but also about Lycoming College and the hands-on educational experience it provides to students. We are fortunate to have the College and all it has to offer in our community.”

The WEEC, located in the pristine and beautiful mountain valley of the Mosquito Creek Watershed near the WMWA Filtration Plant, provides a cooperative collaboration of public water supply utilities, academic resources, and local and state conservation agencies and organizations. This partnership provides opportunities for community education and outreach programs that emphasize the science and importance of good stewardship and protection of our natural resources and public water supply sources.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the WEEC offered educational outreach programming to approximately 600 K-12 students annually from nearby school districts, including Loyalsock, Montoursville, Montgomery, and East Lycoming, as well as Bishop Newman and the West Branch School. With pandemic restrictions eased, the WEEC is once again offering programming, most recently with a two-day program held May 12-13 for sixth-grade students from Loyalsock Middle School.

“The students rotated between four stations supervised by Lycoming College’s Clean Water Institute, the Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy, the Williamsport Municipal Water Authority, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the Susquehanna Valley Audubon Society,” said Mel Zimmerman, Ph.D., CWI director and professor emeritus. The students had the opportunity to plant seedling/saplings along the creek for a riparian buffer, learning how buffers help reinforce the banks of a stream and reduce runoff and erosion. Students also toured the WMWA Filtration Plant and learned about the state amphibian, the hellbender.

“The ability to offer these programs to local students is important because the center at Waterdale provides an outdoor hands-on opportunity for a variety of aged youth to participate in learning about ecological/conservation topics,” said Zimmerman. “We are incredibly appreciative for C&N’s contribution to the Waterdale Environmental Education Center, which will greatly enhance our program outreach opportunities.”

“We are very appreciative of the team at Lycoming College for providing hands-on learning programs that successfully engage kids and make them enthusiastic about learning,” said Tom Rudy, regional president of C&N. “At C&N, we are proud to support programs and businesses such as these that keep our local communities strong for years to come.”