Nell moved to Penns Valley in 2001 and has been involved with the Penns Valley Conservation Association in some manner ever since. Nell initially volunteered with PVCA’s annual schedule of events including Crickfest, the Stream Bank Clean-up, Riversongs, and various educational workshops and meetings held over the years. For a few years, she edited the PVCA newsletter and co-chaired the Community Outreach Committee.

In 2002, Nell was hired for a grant-funded position creating the Waterways and Wildlife Manual, which is an informational manual and protocol for assessing wildlife habitat, particularly within stream buffer areas. This project included research, writing, and publishing the manual, as well as creating an accompanying curriculum for elementary, middle, and high schools. The publication was mailed to every Conservation District in Pennsylvania, and also promoted to school districts and towns via mailings and presentations. With funding remaining in that same grant, she coordinated tree plantings and invasive species removals with area landowners of stream-front properties. A number of years later, Nell was hired by PVCA again to write several grants to fund the Environmental Education Program, securing a few years of funding for the program.

In addition to her past work with PVCA, Nell is also an organic farm inspector, conducting annual inspections of certified organic crop and livestock farms in Pennsylvania. She also works for Demeter USA, an organization that oversees certification of Biodynamic farms and processors. Biodynamic certification looks at the farm as a holistic organism, focusing particularly on creating a functioning and healthy ecosystem on the land, from the soil up.

Nell lives on a homestead in Spring Mills with her fiancé Chuck Kurtz where, with the help of grants and local foresters, they have already planted hundreds of trees along their small tributary, and hope to continue creating native habitat for wildlife on the property.

Bill “Butch” Rittelmann and his wife Debra moved from their hometown of Butler, PA to Penns Valley in 2015 where they live in a solar-powered home. He is an avid cyclist and woodworker and enjoys exploring the mountains and streams of central PA by gravel bike or kayak. He also enjoys birding with his wife and together they have participated in the Shaver’s Creek Kestrel Nest Box Survey since 2018. They have two adult daughters; Paige lives in Tampa, FL and Fontaine lives in Portland, OR.

Bill earned a BA in Architectural Engineering from PSU in 1986 before going to work for his father’s architectural firm in Butler, PA. His focus in energy conservation and renewable energy led him into a position at IBACOS in Pittsburgh, PA as a consultant to the US D.O.E. Building America program. He is recently retired from PSU OPP as a Facilities Engineer.

Andrea Ferich is a forestry consultant and owner of Ironwood Forestry, focusing on the implementation of agroforestry practices with private landowners. She is current President of the Pennsylvania Native Plant Society, and was previously the Executive Director for the Penns Valley Conservation Association.

Andrea is passionate about the economic opportunities in restoration through agroforestry, collaboration, and innovation with the Keystone Tree Crops Cooperative. Her farm is located along Elk Creek in Coburn, where she enjoys bird-watching, growing plants, and swimming. 

Vocationally, Art has been the proprietor of Fruittown Land Stewardship Services since 2008, providing vegetation management in forest and natural areas settings, and plant community restoration through planning, training, and operations. He retired from the Penn State Department of Plant Science in 2021 after 35 years of service addressing vegetation management including invasive species and habitat management with the PA State Park system, riparian reforestation, and rights-of-ways.

He has participated in PVCA activities for about 13 years primarily through the Watershed Committee, and occasional water rocket wrangling at CrickFest, and became a Penn State Master Watershed Steward in 2022. Other community activities include coaching youth soccer and Scouting.

Art is a member of the state-wide Riparian Buffer and Lawn Conversion technical advisory committees, and has working relationships with Clearwater Conservancy, Chesapeake Conservancy, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, and the Centre and Mifflin County Conservation Districts.

Art lives in Colyer within sight of Boal Gap Run with wife Stephanie, and the youngest two of their six children.

Paul Leah is a father of 2, a husband, an avid outdoorsman, a person who enjoys athletic races, and an elementary educator in the Penns Valley school district. Paul’s family built a cabin in Penns Valley in 2001, and although he was raised in State College and lived elsewhere, the Valley has felt like home ever since. He happily returned to Penns Valley to live with his own family and children in 2016.

An avid flyfisher since the age of 12, Paul has found a love of the creeks and streams that meander through Penns Valley, inspiring his desire to protect and conserve their delicate ecosystems. He is delighted to serve on the PVCA Board where he can have a greater impact on the Penns Valley area and its community.

Shana Tritsch is a Senior Hydrogeologist and project manager, working on projects ranging from groundwater contamination cleanup to environmental permitting. She has previous experience on the boards of Clearwater Conservancy, East Penns Valley Library, and The Tussey Mountain Alpine Ski Racing program. 

Shana and her family enjoy hiking, biking, camping, and boating in the Penns Creek watershed. They have been residents of Penns Valley for 31 years.