NBT Bank Supports Lacawac Sanctuary In Wayne County

NBT Bank donated $4,000 to Lacawac Sanctuary and Biological Field Station through DCED’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit program.

This donation will assist with academic enrichment programs such as Watershed Connections Program, Youth Environmental Leadership Academy and Day Camps, K-12 Field Experiences and Youth Environmental Sciences Afterschool Outreach.

“We are grateful to NBT Bank for their financial assistance. Our programs help children in our community so the local funds support our local residents,” said Craig Lukatch, President, Lacawac Sanctuary.  “Lacawac’s goal is to educate people of all ages about northeast Pennsylvania’s unique and diverse habitats and natural resources keeping true to our mission of education, research and preservation,”

Jamie Reeger, Lacawac’s Environmental Education Manager noted that “Our hands-on academic enrichment programs directly complement what students are learning in school, and address the Pennsylvania State Education Standards for Science and Technology and Environment and Ecology.”

Businesses can make a charitable donation to approved organizations based on the amount of state taxes they owe. In return, the businesses receive a 75 percent tax credit (up to $400,000) when they file their state taxes. A two-year commitment at the same funding level earns a business a 90 percent tax credit.

Lacawac Sanctuary is a nonprofit association founded in 1966 for the purpose of protecting a gift of the original Connell Park lands by Arthur and Isabel Watres and facilitating environmental education and research.

Located on Lake Wallenpaupack, the Lacawac Sanctuary Foundation plays an important role in the preservation of Lake Lacawac which is one of the southernmost glacial lakes in the hemisphere and has been preserved in pristine condition free from development and encroachment.

For more information visit the Lacawac Sanctuary website.  Click Here to sign up for regular updates from the Sanctuary (look for sign-up box on the right.)

(Photo: Laura Rowe, NBT Bank, Hamlin Branch Manager; Mary Ellen Bentler, NBT Bank Vice President and Retail Market Manager Northeast PA Market; Craig Lukatch, President Lacawac Sanctuary)