Not too far from the picturesque heart of the Penn State campus is another beautiful expanse of land, albeit with much less foot traffic.

The land is Spring Creek Canyon, an 1,800-acre tract of pristine wilderness that should be carefully managed and monitored. Penn State, a research university whose beginnings are rooted in the care of the land, is the best institution to act as steward.

The land is currently owned by Rockview State Correctional Institution, but Penn State is seeking to acquire 1,200 acres to use for agricultural, industrial teaching extension and research uses. The Spring Creek Canyon Alliance and other citizens oppose Penn State's tentative purchase, and though the group's ideals are noble, its efforts are misguided.

Penn State wants to study the land, not destroy it, and has agreed to several checks of power on its purchase. The university has pledged to meet annually with Benner Township to discuss what will happen to the land in the upcoming year, and to allow the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission to monitor the quality of the creek.

The university's use of the land will also be monitored by the both the Clearwater Conservancy and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources -- institutions whose express purpose is to preserve the environment.

With all the resources at its disposal, our hope is that Penn State's use of the land will yield better techniques for environmentally friendly farming. If this purchase is managed carefully, the research can be considered an investment in the environment.

The initial research may have a small detrimental effect on the environmental health of Spring Creek, but the knowledge gained will make up for that. Instead of a "not-in-my-backyard" sentiment, let's acknowledge that this kind of research has to be done somewhere, and Penn State's research is a better use of the land than letting it remain wilderness.

Penn State isn't some forest-hating shadow organization. It's setting up a transparent operation with checks on its power that will teach us more about taking care of our natural resources.

It shouldn't be that hard. After all, former Pennsylvania Governor and Forest Service Chief Gifford Pinchot was a pioneering advocate of land management -- and we've named a dorm after him.