Correction appended

Members of Eco-Action will hike and picnic at Spring Creek Canyon on Sunday afternoon to get a feel for the land they are trying to prevent Penn State from purchasing.

"The mission is to take people out to the creek so they get connected with nature," Eco-Action Vice President Will Morgan said. "It's much easier to take care of something you're connected with."

The group plans to picnic, enjoy the land and be active while at Spring Creek Canyon, he said.

"I want people to leave there and think, 'This is a beautiful part of nature, and I'm going to do what I can to protect it,' " Morgan (senior-psychology) said.

Talks about transferring the ownership of Spring Creek Canyon to Penn State go back as far as October 2007.

Even then, Eco-Action and groups including the Sierra Club and the Spring Creek Canyon Alliance opposed the land transfer.

"A lot of the media is calling the land 'pristine.' But it's not a pristine place. It's an example, locally, of a relatively intact ecosystem and has the greatest potential to be brought back to a more natural condition," ClearWater Conservancy Executive Director Jennifer Shuey said.

The ClearWater Conservancy is working to ensure the preservation of the unique and valuable natural resources, regardless of who the land's future owner is, Shuey said.

Other supporters of Eco-Action's cause feel the day trip is a great experience for the club.

"I am so glad they are going to Spring Creek Canyon. More people ought to," Borough Council President Elizabeth Goreham said. "When they breathe the wonderful fragrance of the clean air, they can decide how valuable it is."

Goreham said her favorite aspects of Spring Creek Canyon are the native plants that have inhabited Pennsylvania for thousands of years.

She also recommended taking the trip with an expert who could explain the flora and fauna of the land.

"It's a remnant -- a unique aspect of nature that's been relatively untouched by civilization over the past 100 years," Shuey said.

Both sides of the ownership debate have support from state representatives. With support from state Rep. Mike Hanna,

D-Clinton, Penn State could soon purchase the land.

However, the Pennsylvania Game Commission is fighting for the property with help from state Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, R-Centre.

If the gaming commission is granted ownership, it plans

to lease some land to the university.

Correction: This article incorrectly states the land that Penn State is trying to purchase. The land is the Rockview property, which does not include Spring Creek Canyon.