Marking Our Past The Ross Leffler School of Conservation recently became a more visible part of America's conservation history. T HE SITE of the Game Commission's first Ross Leffler School of Conservation was enshrined Aug. 28 as an integral part of Pennsylvania's rich past. The school's grounds were honored with a roadside historical marker from the state Historical and Museum Commission during a formal dedication on State Game Lands 54 in Jefferson County. The ceremony was a bittersweet passage for those in attendance. Many wished the old training school - the first of its kind in America - still stood. There's not much to look at anymore on the old school grounds. The buildings were razed with much effort. The school, in 1987, was moved to the agency's new headquarters building in 28 Harrisburg to reduce the expenses of sending staff to Jefferson County to instruct cadets. The original school opened its doors near Brockway in 1936 and when it closed a little more than 50 years later, 430 officers in 19 classes successfully graduated from the school. Since the school's creation, only two of its 30 classes have graduated all cadets enrolled. The school that was in Brockway and remains in Harrisburg has been a demanding institution through the years. Its paramilitary culture and the encyclopedic comprehension it has passed on to cadets have helped to mold conservation officers to reinforce the "Thin Green Line" for decades. The school's existence is one of the most enduring reasons why WWW.PENNGAMENEWS.COMhttp://WWW.PENNGAMENEWS.COM