Will Governor Ed Rendell's Pennsylvania Wilds tourism initiative remain in place after the governor is out of office?

Ta Brant believes so.

Brant, the Pennsylvania Wilds Small Business Ombudsman said she thinks the tourism initiative designed to promote a sprawling 12-county section of rural northern Pennsylvania has the bipartisan support needed to carry on following Rendell's departure from the Governor's mansion in Harrisburg.

Brant, along with Outreach Specialist Sam MacDonald, were the featured speakers during Friday's Eggs and Issues even held at the Conewango Club.,

"Is Pennsylvania Wilds here to stay?" Brant said. "I would offer, 'yes it is.' It's official. It was written into law. And its work will continue. The program has bipartisan support. A lot of the initiative was put into place by Gov. (Tom) Ridge, who was a Republican. And it has the community support."

According to Brant, the Pennsylvania Wilds region has seen an increase in tourism traffic since its inception. Last year, 954,000 hotel rooms were "sold" in the region, an increase of 6.5 percent.

"I've seen the growth in nature tourism," Brant said. "It works. It works here."

Brant said that her sister and brother-in-law, who own two canoe liveries in the Allegheny River in Warren County, have seen a 300 percent growth in their business since Brant returned to Warren two years ago.

"(Pennsylvania Wilds) is known for it's incredible nature-based opportunities," Brant said. "Pretty much anything you want to do outside, you can do here. You name it, we've got it."

Brant said that the state's Department of Natural Resources has spent $120 million on upgrading facilities in the region, including building three state of the art visitors centers scheduled to open in 2010.

In addition, the state's Department of Community and Economic Development has invested over $5 million in marketing for the region, including ads in magazine and billboards in major cities.

"Most of our small businesses can't afford to buy an ad in Outdoor Magazine," Brant said. "This is a way for them to benefit."

According to Brant, Pennsylvania Wilds is working toward capitalizing on emerging tourism trends to increase tourism traffic into the 12 counties. Those trends include: bird watching, wildlife viewing, canoing and kayaking, driving tours, heritage culture tours and niche markets.

Pennsylvania Wilds officials have also worked to complete a Pennsylvania Wilds Artisan Development Project an initiative to promote regional artists and brand them.

So far, Pa. Wilds officials have selected over 100 juried artists for the project.

"We have some incredible artists in our area," Brant said. "It just stunned me."