The Cathance River Ecology Center, completed in 2006, welcomes visitors as they enter the preserve. It leads by example, built from sustainable materials and doing its work using only renewable energy. The facility is entirely off the electrical grid.
The story of its construction is fascinating, beginning just after CREA’s founding in 2000. It starts with John Wasileski, one of the two Johns who helped found CREA (John Rensenbrink is the second John). John W’s older sister and her husband had moved to a farm in New York where their Civil War-era barn needed a lot of work.
They knew John needed a barn for the Ecology Center he planned to build on the preserve, and this one seemed a perfect fit. With the help of Jesse Brubaker from Pennsylvania, a builder skilled in post and beam construction, the old barn was deconstructed and transported to its present location.
Construction took place over several years. A concrete foundation was laid by Crooker Construction and the barn frame reassembled by Brubaker in late 2003. The frame sat for a few years as CREA worked to raise money to finish the project. Hammond Lumber donated some of the lumber, money for the roof was raised, and construction continued in the fall of 2005. With generous donations and hard work from countless volunteers, the Center was finished in early 2006. Since then, improvements have been made to keep it as sustainable as possible, including a wind turbine, solar heating panel, and pellet stove.
These first three pictures show the site where the Ecology Center now stands.
This image points north, towards what is now the Barnes Leap trail.
This faces south, towards where the modern kiosk now stands.
Here, the ground is flattened and readied for the cement foundation.
The cement foundation is shown finished here.
Two hard workers play on the finished foundation.
Now that the cement is ready, the frame begins to be assembled.
The beams laid here are from an old barn in New York.
These large posts and beams were transported here to be used as the frame, giving an old barn new purpose!
Hard at work assembling the upper parts of the frame.
A smile as the frame nears completion!
The large vehicles used to position these massive wooden posts and beams.
The finished frame, featuring CREA’s original logo!
Another view of the finished frame, this one with the roof beginning to come together.
Here, the wooden walls and metal roof have been completed, although missing one key feature: windows!
The siding is being added here, along with the newly finished windows.
The solar panels being mounted to the roof, the main reason the Center is able to function off-grid.
The homemade rock bench that sits outside the building, created during construction.
The siding is nearly finished here, almost done!
With all of the construction gear cleared, the outer building is almost done.
A view of the back, missing only a coat of red paint.
Here it is, the original finished exterior of the Ecology Center!
The right side, standing in all its red glory.
The inside of the building also took hard work, here working on the inner beams.
A picture of the doorway, although at this moment the only distinction between in and out is a thin wooden wall.
More of the early inside, with the upper walls being worked on.
On its way to become the back corner of the building.
A later image of the front door, getting closer to an actual doorway.
These bags of clay are the plaster used on the inside and outside walls.
The clay in its finished form, used to seal up and finish the walls.
The recycled cotton insulation, eventually used to heat the Center.
Another image with the recycled blue jean insulated, with even more little helpers.
A close up of the insulation, it even looks like blue jeans!
More work being done on the insulation inside.
With the insulation mostly done, the inner walls are left.
The frame of the backroom coming into shape, holding the batteries for the roof’s solar panels.
Work on plastering the upper walls, featuring a member of the hardworking team!
Another team member hard at work to finsih the inner walls of the center.
A closer look at the batteries in the backroom.
The other half of the backroom, finished and equipped with fluorescent lights!
The next few images are the finished interior, here the library.
In this corner, the wood pellet stove stands.
The outside of the backroom, used for storing learning materials.
A great picture of the full center, ready to be used for educating local youth!
One of the really fascinating mounts in the Center, a turkey perched high above the floor.
A well-timed photograph of the shadow cast by a mount on the opposite wall.
Since its construction, the Center has also been added to, like this outhouse being built.
Another more recent addition is a small wind turbine on the roof to supplement the electricity from solar panels.
Here is the weather station on the roof, added with the wind turbine.
This device was also added recently, using the sun’s energy to help heat the building.
A recent picture of the interior, looking as it does today.
