Stewarding Sanctuary
Posted on in On the Mountain by Jeff Weil, Hawk Mountain Board Member
“There's no landscape like the landscape of your childhood.”
And for third-generation member, board member, and long-time friend Jeff Weil, that landscape has always been Hawk Mountain Sanctuary.
“I remember visiting the Sanctuary and hiking the trails as early as 1956, when I was five. And I have vivid memories because we would go to see the first curator, Maurice (Broun), who lived in Schaumbach’s with his wife, Irma. And he had a very large great dane called Comanche. I still remember that vividly, because the dog was as big as I was!”
His connection to the place that first sparked his love for nature has remained strong, in part because the Sanctuary has stayed largely unchanged thanks to the dedication of staff, volunteers, and the Hawk Mountain community.
“If you go up now and sit on the rocks at North Lookout, you will see, essentially, the same landscape from 70 years ago, the same landscape that I saw in the mid 1950s—and I have the home movies to prove it!”
Peer into a moment of Hawk Mountain history and Jeff's childhood on YouTube.
“It’s a testament to the organization. The landscape and the scenery that is so enriching to visitors of the Mountain is because of the care that Hawk Mountain Sanctuary took, not only for the birds, but for the land. The stewardship which Hawk Mountain has shown is important not only to the immediately surrounding area near Kempton, Pennsylvania, but in many ways, we have created a national legacy—after all, Hawk Mountain is the country’s first preserve dedicated to the conservation and study of raptors. It has become, for many people, a sacred place.”
Since Hawk Mountain’s inception in 1934, over 2,600 acres have been put under protection to preserve Pennsylvania’s wildlands and to provide a haven for nature enthusiasts. In recent years, the Sanctuary has welcomed up to 65,000 visitors annually. Many, like Jeff, return because of deep, multigenerational ties and a desire to connect with nature.
“The more you read about nature and its effect on your emotional health, even your spiritual feelings, you appreciate how important connection to nature is. And west of the Mississippi, you have grand vistas, like the Grand Canyon, or Yellowstone, or Yosemite. But east of the Mississippi, I venture to say that Hawk Mountain is one of those very special, spiritual, almost sacred places where you can go and see the landscape the way it was 75-100 years ago.”
“It's so important for people to understand that nature and ‘we’ are not separate. We are part of nature. And for thousands of years, people have depended upon the Earth to take care of them and to feed them. And in turn, people should take care of the Earth, because if you take care of the Earth, it takes care of you.”
Support for Hawk Mountain’s Annual Fund ensures that Hawk Mountain can continue to serve as a connection to nature for so many. When you make a year-end gift, you are supporting continued trail maintenance, forest restoration work, ecosystem monitoring, and so much more.