Press Release from Nittany Valley Water Coalition:
Today was a dark day for town-gown relationships when Penn State called the Ferguson Township Police to evict community members who have been staging a 124-day long occupation at the Toll Brothers proposed development of the Cottages on Whitehall Road and Blue Course Drive.
The Nittany Valley Water Coalition is committed to protecting the wells that supply two-thirds of State College’s water.
These wells are beside the proposed development site and are connected to the site by subsurface water flow and an intermittent stream.
Although we are saddened that Penn State chose to evict us by sending the local police force, we are happy for the land’s short term future.
We have learned that our camp will be sown with winter wheat which will not be harvested until next June! The power of soil to act as a natural filter leading to recharging of the wells with clean water is well known.
So, while we are sad to have been denied our First Amendment rights, we are happy with farming. We hope that Penn State, a Land Grant school, will realize that the future of this site is better as farming and not as hundreds of luxury cottages.