STROUD TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- What was once a golf course clubhouse has been transformed into a heritage center in the Poconos.
The new place is being built at the former Evergreen Golf Course on Cherry Lane Road near Stroudsburg.
The building will soon be home to the Brodhead Watershed Association and Pocono Heritage Land Trust.
The Brodhead Creek Heritage Center will not only create more office space for both organizations, but it will also be used as an educational resource for visitors.
The new center is a place where people like Ed Zalinkanskas from Henryville can go and learn about nature.
"I'm surprised they did it. I never heard of so many golf courses going out of business. Around here they do which is good because I'd rather see it this way, back to nature," Zalinkanskas said.
The Brodhead Creek Heritage Center will be owned by Stroud Township but will be home to the Brodhead Watershed Association and the Pocono Heritage Land Trust.
"It's exciting," said township supervisor Ed Cramer. "I think it will give them the ability, make them more visible and allow them to grow their organizations. They are a little bit different. The watershed does water protection and the land trust preserves and protects land, so it's a good partnership."
Inside the building will be office space for both organizations, fly fishing museums, exhibits for kids, and a live eagle cam.
The heritage center sits on 40 acres of open space and this land will be used for outdoor education and recreation.
"They will be able to talk about invasives, rain gardens, native plants and all kinds of good stuff," Cramer said.
Construction will cost about $600,000 and was made possible through grants, fundraisers, and donations.
People we spoke to say they are glad to see this space will be preserved.
"Otherwise, this would probably be a housing development and we don't need no more of them, as far as I am concerned," Zalinkanskas added.
Township officials say the plan is to have construction complete by the end of August and a ribbon cutting sometime in September.