From Wasteland to Wild Area: How Local Activism Opened a New Frontier in Environmental and Governmental Reform

Abstract

abstract:In the 1950s, innovation in the nuclear industry led to the development of nuclear-powered jet engines in Northern Central Pennsylvania. However, Curtiss-Wright, the company leading this research disregarded the efforts of local wildlife clubs in preserving the environment. Instead, they dangerously disposed of the hazardous material in the woods. Following their departure, a number of nuclear-based companies used the complex to continue innovative research. But the pollution increased, and the responsibility of cleaning the woods was continuously passed to the next company, threatening the conservation efforts of the wildlife clubs. This essay explores the impact and extent of pollution in the Quehanna Wild Area, as well as the response and success of local wildlife clubs, especially the Mosquito Creek Sportsmen, in their activist efforts to preserve the woods.