Busy winter for Moraine Preservation Fund
MUDDY CREEK TWP — The Owlet Gift Shop at Moraine State Park may be short on visitors in the cold months, but it is regularly occupied by members of the Moraine Preservation Fund, who do a lot of the year’s planning during the winter.
Cassandra Dixon, vice president of the MPF board of directors, said the nonprofit, which assists the park with events, projects and fundraising, never really slows down anymore because of the amount of planning that goes into each summer season.
“Next weekend, the board goes into our strategic plan, and this is where we lay out our seasonal goals and long-term goals as well,” Dixon said. “What worked the previous year, and ways we would like to offer support of the park. Small projects, big projects, that kind of thing for the 2025 season.”
The organization has been almost entirely volunteer-based since its founding nearly 30 years ago — the nonprofit has paid some part-time staff who help out on its pontoon boat, Preston’s Pearl.
That all changed in October, when the Moraine Preservation Fund hired its first full-time employee, Emily Sizer, who is now the agency’s operations manager. Sizer’s work so far has been a lot of planning, but she and Dixon said her role will help improve visitor experience through further communication between the fund and the park staff.
“Lots of relationship-building with the park,” Sizer said. “We're starting to form a relationship with Experience Butler County (the former Butler County Tourism & Convention Bureau), so I've been working with them.”
Dixon said Sizer will work year-round at the park to not only manage the preservation fund, but also coordinate projects with Moraine State Park staff. Work for the preservation fund consists of managing the Owlet Gift Shop, as well as other administrative duties that may not be feasible for a volunteer board member to track throughout the year.
Moraine Preservation Fund operates pontoon boat tours and the Owlet Gift Shop; implemented the osprey reintroduction program; organizes events like Winterfest; helps raise money for capital projects; and more.
Sizer and Dixon were in the Owlet Gift Shop on Wednesday, Jan. 15, planning for February’s Winterfest. Sizer said her work during the “off-season” has been mainly centered on planning for that event, and manning the Owlet. Dixon also commended Sizer for bringing back “Moraine Memory Mondays” on Facebook, where she posts old photos of the park.
“I'm working on ordering a lot of things for the gift shop, keeping things in stock,” Sizer said. “I have been taking care of the social media for the MPF and Owlet Gift Shop.”
According to Dixon, the park set a record last yea for the amount of school groups they brought in. The MPF helps coordinate school visits, which normally consist of bringing an entire class through a nature hike, biology lessons at a pavilion and sometimes a ride on Preston's Pearl.
Dixon added that the availability of an operations manager will help keep up the pace on school visits.
“We'll be striving for at least that amount of support for the park in that matter,” Dixon said. “The park is limited to the number of educators they have so the role we play is huge for them to be able to make that happen for the kids.”
Dustin Drew, manager of Moraine State Park, also said the preservation fund has been integral to visitor experience, and communication between the park and the organization has improved with the hiring of Sizer. He said Moraine State Park is lucky to have a group that has been as consistent as Moraine Preservation Fund.
“Having that one person that myself and the assistant park manager can reach out to and have conversations with is going to be helpful,” Drew said. “That has been a great partnership. Having this dedicated operations manager will help even more.”
Dixon commented that the park has building plans this year that Moraine Preservation Fund has helped with. The fund and the park staff hope to see the completion of a classroom space at Pavilion Number 7, which will house activities and be a meeting space for class trips when visiting the park.
Drew said this project will be a boon to the park.
“That's big for our educators,” Drew said. “We have been looking for a place for years where they can go in the winter.”
Dixon also said the fund and the park are collaborating on the creation of a handicap-accessible hiking trail, which will tentatively be installed at McDanel’s Launch area.
She also said the fund might upgrade the Owlet Gift Shop — a building that was renovated from an owl barn to a gift shop — to make it more functional as a workspace for the Moraine Preservation Fund. Work on the Owlet Gift Shop is constant already, so a renovation of the owl barn area could make it more functional throughout the year.
“After Winterfest, we'll do a deep clean, and we're looking at what merchandise we'll bring in for next season. Just trying to keep things new and fresh and whatnot,” Dixon said. “I think we'll do some work in the back to make it a more comfortable workspace.”
Winterfest itself, which is scheduled for Feb. 8 at the McDanel’s Launch area, takes a lot of time to plan and organize, which is why Sizer and Dixon were at the Owlet Wednesday emailing vendors and putting together event flyers. Dixon said Winterfest is big for MPF not just because it brings a lot of people to the park, but because the board members try to make tweaks each year to keep the event fresh.
“Every year, my goal is to try to enhance it with something new, so people come back year after year,” Dixon said.
Dixon said people who visit Owlet Gift Shop may see Sizer around the building, and she will in part be a face of the Moraine Preservation Fund. Dixon said that although volunteers have and still will provide service to the fund and the park, it was just time to bring a paid staff member on board.
“It's getting harder and harder to find people to dedicate that amount of time,” Dixon said. “We're so grateful for folks who volunteer or contribute.”
Sizer said she has a college degree in parks and recreation management, so she is anticipating being able to put her skills in the field to work.
“I am really excited to be here,” Sizer said.
