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HUNTINGDON -- Juniata College has received a large donation designated for furthering the development of its environmental science departments off-campus facilities.
The $5 million donation was made anonymously, and was designated for use at sites like Juniata's Raystown Field Station.
Juniata College President James Troha said the gift will be put toward investing in equipment and infrastructure related to the Raystown Field Station as well as other external properties.
"This transformative gift is both a dual investment in supporting our commitment to environmental sustainability and fostering our ability to be a leader in environmental science, innovation and instruction. The donor who provided this gift would regularly remark about the importance of sustaining our natural resources and studying the world around us," Troha said.
The Raystown Field Station is located near the James Creek Boat Launch. It was developed by the college in collaboration with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the mid-1970s. The field station was meant to establish environmental research opportunities for Juniata students. The field station is the host for the college's study away program for students studying environmental science and biology.
Juniata College environmental science instructor and Raystown Field Station executive director Dr. Chuck Yohn said the gift represents a tremendous opportunity to advance Juniata College's environmental studies opportunities at all of its off-campus sites.
"Our unique approach to residential semesters at the station has been highly successful and is now considered a national model for field stations. Whether it is studying water quality, fisheries management or monitoring threatened species populations, it is no surprise that the hands-on lakeside classroom has become a keystone in recruiting students and I look forward to leveraging these opportunities to further strengthen Juniata College," said Yohn.
The field station also operates a bird banding center, water quality analysis lab and partners with local K-12 schools on developing curricula around lake ecology, wetlands ecology and forest ecology.
"The donor spent time enjoying Huntingdon County's beautiful outdoors and wanted to ensure the college did what it could to continue supporting environmental research and education," said Juniata College vice president of advancement Jim Watt.