TIONESTA, PA. Governor releases state matching money for hunting museum

The project is expected to cost $9.2 million.
TIONESTA, Pa. (AP) -- Northwestern Pennsylvania's rich heritage of fishing and hunting would be presented at a museum proposed for an island in the Allegheny River, in the hopes of attracting as many as 10,000 visitors per month.
The proposed museum at Tionesta, about 80 miles north of Pittsburgh near the Allegheny National Forest, has received a boost from Gov. Ed Rendell, who released $4 million in state matching money for the project. The money would come from funds raised through the issuance of state bonds.
Gordon Nygren, president of the museum board, said the project has been in development for nearly a decade and is expected to cost $9.2 million. The state funds would provide a dollar-for-dollar match of money raised by the museum staff.
"It opens several doors for us," Nygren said of the matching money.
About the museum
The main part of the museum would focus on hunting, trapping and fishing as they relate to state efforts to preserve Pennsylvania's resources. The museum would use collections and interpretations of historic materials, but organizers want it to be more than a place where visitors simply walk through, looking at displays.
"We don't want people to think it's going to be a wall of stuffed heads," said state Rep. Jim Lynch, R-Warren. "It's going to be an education and conservation area where teachers can bring students to teach them about conservation and hunting and why it's an important part of our area."
The state issues more than 2 million hunting and fishing licenses each year. With that kind of interest in hunting and fishing, organizers hope the museum could draw between 10,000 and 25,000 visitors per month -- or about 333 to 833 per day.