Renovations include an enhanced visitor’s center, including the updated Liztinger Herpetology Center in the Litzinger Discovery Room; approximately 3,000-square feet of new technology-enhanced classroom space between three classrooms; new administrative and staff office space; and new raptor enclosures that will accommodate the 18 birds that live at Shaver’s Creek.
The center will also host a re-opening celebration beginning at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 1.
Shaver’s Creek, which was founded in 1976, closed its doors in September 2016 to update its buildings and infrastructure with significant improvements for the first time. The original building at Shaver’s Creek was built in 1938 as a forestry lodge for group functions and warm-weather instruction.
McLaughlin says the improvements will benefit all those who come to Shaver’s Creek, including families and children, schoolchildren of all ages, and Penn State students, instructors and staff.
“Shaver’s Creek will be able to serve as a nationwide model for environmental centers and university field labs, allowing us to enrich the educational experience,” McLaughlin said. “We’ll now be able to build the future of environmental education and help prepare future generations to make informed decisions and choices that affect the natural world.”
The upgrades will help accommodate the more than 1,400 Penn State students, 50,000 non-credit program attendees and nearly 10,000 visitors who use Shaver’s Creek during the year. For Penn State, Shaver’s Creek is home to more than 35 credit-bearing courses in six colleges and nine departments.
The center also provides programming to the community and schoolchildren through public festivals, summer camps and Outdoor School, which twice a year welcomes elementary students from Centre, Huntingdon, Mifflin and surrounding counties for a four-day residential program.
Visit the Shaver’s Creek website for more information on how the environmental center provides resources for Penn State and the community.