In Ligonier Valley, there are 1800 acres set aside, forests, meadows, ponds and streams.

This is Powder Mill Nature Reserve, owned and operated by the Carnegie Institute.

But you won't find a swimming pool or a picnic table here, for this is not a recreation area.

Rather, Powder Mill Reserve is designed for long term study of plants and animals in their native habitat.

The resource center, made of natural timbers, stone and glass, appears to be just growing there.

An integral part of the forest.

It was designed by ecologist Ruth Scott, who some say is one of western Pennsylvania's most valuable natural resources.

Mrs.

Scott, who lives here during the summer months, came to Powder Mill in 1967 to direct an educational program for young people.

First thing we did, actually, was to go around and visit the neighborhood dogs and the dogs took us to the children in the area, and with that, we got acquainted with the children.

And then, when they were interested enough to see what we were doing, we told them that they would be welcome to come in the summertime and that we were going to study nature and study the immediate community.

I think that a child has to, is naturally eager to learn, is very much interested in the out-of-doors if he has a chance and very, very concerned as a rule with, everything that moves in fact, interested in living things.

But they have to be taught that that living thing has a life of its own, and therefore there should not be interference.

Help it with Yes, but don't try to capture it and decide that you're going to, make its way of life for it.

Ruth Scott is a behind the scenes kind of person.

Active in many environmental groups, she's perhaps proudest of the park program she started.

A cooperative venture involving schools, parks and communities designed to acquaint children with their immediate environment, its pleasures, as well as its problems.

She understands the importance of politics.

She seems to know instinctively when to prod a legislator and when to stand off.

She has a talent for discovering people who will work for the causes she feels most important.

People like ecologist Barbara Thorn, who is presently concerned with an unusual shrub called the buffalo nut.

It is, a parasitic shrub and, it semi parasitic, that is, it does have green leaves.

It makes its own food, but it makes attachments by its roots to other woody plants such as trees.

And some of the trees which it attaches to are, valuable lumber trees.

And there's some evidence, and this is what I had been trying to find out, is whether it does have a detrimental effect on the trees, which it parasitized.

It's the kind of thing that you research just to know, really.

It has very little economic importance.

It is important to itself, and it has a right to be here just as we do.

So, I don't feel that I have to justify by some value to man, the importance of the buffalo nut.

The new part of the house was, started, I think, 1971.

There had been a little cabin here, and, we just put a roof over the entire building, and then the extension on it.

It was just done gradually from old, rough timber, mountain stone.

And of course, a lot of glass.

Of course, I was very flexible.

And as far as design was concerned, we had to work with the material we could find and with the people who enjoyed doing this kind of work.

That is for shelter, for any creature that comes around, maybe homeless dogs and cats occasionally.

I have seen, possum going by hunting.

Top of it is it is can be used as a table, but it's a well insulated, shelter so that any creature that needs shelter in a storm or whatever, they use it.

The stone pillars are, designed so that snakes or chipmunks or whatever wants to be in there they can be.

If they're both in there together.

Of course, it could be serious.

There's an airspace under the, one part of the building, and animals live under there.

Well I don't know what happens to them because we haven't observed what goes on underneath.

If, one is a predator and the other is the prey, things can happen.

Mycology is who eats whom.

Ruth Scott works with ecologists, teachers, scientists, children, politicians, corporate executives anyone who will forward her cause.

The cause of simply saving the world's environment.

It has been a part of my life as far back as I can recall, because always, creatures were my friends just as a very, very small child.

And so I identified with them and I wanted them to be, and free and go their own way, and, and I didn't want them injured or to injure them.

So from there, I suppose it it is good because I, I felt a concern, needing for care, for these creatures.

I think the most important thing is to, help people relate to the community.

And in problem solving, for one thing, because we have so many many problems.

It's it's an urgent thing.

When I think of our 200 years now, our bicentennial coming up and what humankind has done to the world.

I urge everyone, you have a feeling for not only their own surroundings, but extend extended on to their own village, town parts, and, on to the nation and to the world.

Ultimately, I feel rather optimistic.

And in a sense, it's such a long term thing, but I can see that people can feel discouraged at times.

We can't expect instant, change.

But working within the system and working with, as intelligently as one possibly, can, I mean, environmentally and intelligent that, and you work with other people, for instance, many conservation organizations now have formed coalitions.

I think that it's important to do even more than that.

Except occasionally you do have the rare individual where one person, by being able to zero in on a problem and get immediate help, can do dramatic things and really, make great headway.

Nature has all the time in the world.

She has eons, eons of years to bring back the balance, and whether we will be a part of that remains to be seen.