 Construction on the center began in 2002 , although the idea for such a center at Presque Isle was some 50 years old . The Presque Isle State Park headquarters began operating from TREC in 2005 , and it is also home to offices for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection 's Great Lakes and Coastal Zone Management programs , the DCNR Recreation and Conservation program , as well as Presque Isle Audubon , Lake @-@ Erie Allegheny Earth Force , Pennsylvania Sea Grant , Presque Isle Partnership , and the Purple Martin Conservation Association . The Regional Science Consortium , " a collaborative , non @-@ profit organization that focuses on and coordinates educational and research projects for Lake Erie and the upper Ohio River Basin " , was organized in 2002 and is based at TREC . Its 32 member organizations include schools , school districts , colleges , universities , museums , state agencies , conservation groups , and private corporations from Pennsylvania , Ohio , and Ontario . 
