PAUPACK TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- An environmental center in Wayne County has a new home for its educational efforts.
At Lacawac Sanctuary near Hawley, they're paving the way for a new facility to assist in the mission to help kids learn about science, the environment, and more.
"We've got all of the science here. We've got 500 acres as a living laboratory, and we have the research end of it," Jamie Reeger said.
But what Jamie Reeger says Lacawac didn't have until now is a place to put students during field trips, especially if it rains.
"We have schools coming every day. If we have rain, we're cramped for indoor space."
So, a matching grant of roughly $110,000 from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources helped buy a house: the new Environmental STEAM Education Center. STEAM stands for science, technology, engineering, art, and math.
"It's that piece that's missing in the link right now. We're trying to catch up with educators," Craig Lukatch said.
Now that Lacawac Sanctuary owns the property for its Environmental STEAM Education Center, it will raise upwards of $500,000 to add to it for a larger facility that can hold larger events.
But first, the new center needs some upgrades including new bathrooms and parking for school buses. Then students can explore, research, and monitor the water quality at one of the only environmental centers of its kind in our area.