Nanticoke, PA - Congressman Paul E. Kanjorski (PA-11) was joined today by Ron Phelps and Richard Maculaitis of the Natural Resources Conservation Service to announce that the Earth Conservancy would be receiving $200,000 in federal funds to help convert 20 acres of mine-scarred land in Hanover Township into athletic fields.

Congressman Kanjorski remarked, "Today's announcement is an example of the kind of project the Earth Conservancy was created to implement: taking unusable parcels of mine-scarred land and transforming them into community assets. Using $200,000 of federal funds, 20 acres of blighted land in Hanover Township will be restored to a level that will permit the land to be turned into several athletic fields, basketball courts, a walking trail, and parking areas. Today's announcement is also an example of the value of our area's designation as an American Heritage River. The Clinton-Gore Administration has been very clear that these funds are coming to the Wyoming Valley as a direct result of this designation."

The total project, a 63-acre site adjacent to U.S. Route 29, will be developed in five phases, with the first phase, a 10-acre area that will include soccer/football fields, a basketball court, a walking trail, and parking areas, to begin this year. Other phases will be developed as funding for reclamation work and park development become available. The initial $200,000 of federal funds are coming from the Rural Abandoned Mine Program of the United States Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service.

"It gives the Earth Conservancy great satisfaction to be able to take this formerly abused and damaged land and turn it into an area that will provide recreation and enjoyment for residents for years to come," said Earth Conservancy President and CEO Michael Dziak. "This recreational area will be available to residents and provide some much-needed athletic fields in the southern Wyoming Valley." Dziak noted that Luzerne County supports this project and has provided $100,000 toward the development of the first phase.

The U.S. Soccer Foundation has agreed to partner with Congressman Kanjorski and the Earth Conservancy to construct the fields. U.S. Soccer's nationally-renowned engineers, who are responsible for constructing the fields at New Jersey's Meadowlands and Georgia's Augusta National greens, will assist in the engineering and design of the fields.

Hank Steinbrecher, Secretary General of U.S. Soccer (which represents the United States Soccer Federation and the United States Soccer Foundation) said, "The growth in the number of youths interested in playing soccer has been explosive and there is no end in sight. Our only inhibition, quite frankly, is developing places for youth to play. Hundreds of thousands of young kids are turned away every year due to a lack of facilities. U.S. Soccer is doing all it can each year to facilitate the construction of fields across the nation, so we are very pleased to be working with Congressman Paul Kanjorski and the Earth Conservancy to build soccer fields for the youth of the Wyoming Valley. We are especially proud of the potential that this project brings in regard to the utilization of former mine scarred land. Playing sports for young boys and girls, our sons and daughters, is profoundly good for the health of our nation."

Members of Mr. Jack Breita's sixth grade class at Greater Nanticoke Area Middle School also attended today's announcement. A recent letter written by sixth grader Caitlin Klish and signed by 125 of Breita's students asked Congressman Kanjorski, State Representative John Yudichak, and the Earth Conservancy to build a recreation park with playing fields on some of the Earth Conservancy's land.

The Luzerne County Recreational Area is one of the many projects proposed in the Earth Conservancy's Lower Wyoming Valley Open Space Master Plan, which contains numerous proposals for the 10,800 acres of land the Earth Conservancy has designated to be used for recreational/conservation purposes.

The American Heritage River program was the topic of the Wednesday, May 5 WVIA television program "State of Pennsylvania.". The live program was hosted by WVIA President Bill Kelly and included Congressman Kanjorski, State Respresentative Phyllis Mundy, Lackawanna River Corridor Association Executive Director Bernard McGurl, and Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor Interim Executive Director Allen Sachse as guests. The show was live and viewers were able to call-in and get their questions answered about the initiative and ways they can get involved. Congressman Kanjorski is pictured with Assistant Secretary of the Interior John Berry, who also participated in the program