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It’s “Staycation Destinations” on Family Life

Keystone Elk Country Visitors Center – the PA Wilds

North Central Pennsylvania is gearing up for a massive influx of tourism, as we move past Labor Day Weekend.

The Elk Country Visitors Center at Benezette, Pennsylvania, sees 400,000 guests annually. Add in the people who go elk watching each fall in the public lands without stopping by the visitors center, and you’ll know why this interaction with nature’s unique wildlife is such a big deal.

Ben Porkolab is the Conservation Education Coordinator for the Keystone Elk Country Alliance. In this Family Life News Feature, he offers our listeners a radio tour of the Pennsylvania Wilds, one of only two regions in the U.S. where Elk are this numerous.

You will hear about the Pennsylvania elk herd, plus what makes these huge animals so unique. He talks about why Elk County and the surrounding regions captures the imaginations of so many people. It draws crowds from through the local area and throughout the world. (Porkolab gives the example of one couple who came half way around the world, with three specific tourism goals.)

Porkolab also gives insights into how this kind of Wildlife Tourism is so significant to the region.

 

Check out the Elk Country website for full details, recommendations for your visit, and live cameras and recorded videos to “take you there” (even if you can’t visit in person).

In addition to this Staycation podcast, we also have web-only BONUS CONTENT with elk viewing and elk-viewing safety tips for you and your family. Check it out as well.

 

 

Staycation Destinations is a weekly summer feature presented by Family Life News. Even as we arrive at the end of Summer 2024, your radio travels don’t have to end. All of Greg Gillispie’s features are available from your “Family Life News” podcast feed or through the NEWS tab at www.FamilyLife.org. You can visit — or revisit — these unique places in New York State and Pennsylvania by listening to or downloading our audio.You can also scroll through our Staycation archives from previous summers.

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