Photo submitted by Rawley Cogan
Elk pass through a field near the Elk Country Visitor Center. The Keystone Elk Country Alliance was recently formed to work with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) in an effort to teach visitors about elk, other wildlife and conservation. 

By Becky Polaski

Staff Writer

The recently formed Keystone Elk Country Alliance is partnering with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) on the Elk Country Visitor Center that is currently under construction in Benezette.
After the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation terminated their agreement with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on the Visitor Center last August, the Keystone Elk Country Alliance was formed to help fill the void left by the organization’s departure from the project. The Alliance was officially formed in December 2009. Based in Pennsylvania, all of the money the organization raises is used specifically for projects within the state.
According to Rawley Cogan, a member of the Keystone Elk Country Alliance and a consultant under contract with the PA Parks and Forests Foundation as a Project Manager for the Visitor Center, both Gov. Ed Rendell and DCNR Secretary John Quigley are supporting the Alliance’s efforts.
“We’ve been working really hard to get our banquet program up and running, developing a Web site, developing marking tools like a logo and that kind of thing, and working with vendors to come up with our own merchandise,” Cogan said.
Membership in the Keystone Elk Country Alliance is open to individuals of all ages and there are several chapters throughout the state.
“We have a youth membership, which is kind of cool. One of the reasons we did that was because of our tie in to the Visitor Center,” Cogan said. “We want to educate the public, but particularly we want to educate young people because they are the future of conservation. We thought if we had a very modest membership fee for a youth we could possibly attract them in to be part of the Alliance  and then remain a part of this through their adult life helping us be successful and therefore being successful in protecting and serving elk country.”
More information, including how to join the Alliance, can be found on the organization’s Web site at www.experienceelkcountry.com.